Mia Bonta | |
State Assembly: | California |
District: | 18th |
Term Start: | September 7, 2021 |
Predecessor: | Rob Bonta |
Birth Name: | Mialisa Tania VillafaƱe |
Birth Date: | 26 January 1972 |
Birth Place: | New York City, U.S. |
Party: | Democratic |
Spouse: | Rob Bonta |
Children: | 3, including Reina |
Education: | Yale University (BA, JD) Harvard University (MEd) |
Mialisa "Mia" Tania Bonta (VillafaƱe; born January 26, 1972) is an American politician serving as a member of the California State Assembly. A member of the Democratic Party, she represents the 18th Assembly District, which consists of Oakland, Alameda, and Emeryville.[1] [2]
Bonta was born to Puerto Rican parents.[3] Some of her ancestors came to Puerto Rico from Ghana via the Atlantic slave trade.[4] She is the daughter of a divorced working mother in the Bronx. She attended Yale University, where she met Rob Bonta as a freshman.[5] Bonta earned a Master of Education degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education before attending Yale Law School with Rob Bonta.[6] [7] [8]
Mia Bonta is the CEO of Oakland Promise, a nonprofit cradle-to-college support program focused on the city's low-income students.[9] In 2018, she was elected to the Alameda School Board. In 2021 she was elected as a member of the California State Assembly from the 18th district.[10]
During her special election campaigns, Bonta's opponents claimed that she benefited from her husband's position and name, and pointed to money she has received from gambling interests that may be intended to influence Rob Bonta.[11] In the primary, Bonta finished first place with 38% of the vote, and in the runoff, she defeated human rights attorney Janani Ramachandran by 56% to 44%.
Bonta is a member of the California Legislative Progressive Caucus.[12]
She has three children with her husband, Rob Bonta. Their daughter, Reina, is a filmmaker and plays soccer for Brazilian club Santos FC and the Philippines national team.[13] [14]