Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo

As a daughter of small business owners, Pilar Schiavo saw first-hand how important labor unions were for her family growing up as they struggled to make ends meet. Her mother waited tables and her father was a logger until he suffered two battles with cancer, directly resulting from his exposure to Agent Orange in the Vietnam War. After recovering, he began working as an electrician and Pilar’s mother started helping as a bookkeeper. It wasn’t until he secured a union position that Pilar noticed all the added benefits being given to her family, and she was inspired to dedicate her life to service of unions and solidarity with workers.
She grew up in Tuolumne County and graduated from Sonora High School in 1993, after graduating from college she began working for a Tribal Head Start Program. She credits this program for teaching her the best way to support children was to ensure the economic security of their family. Quickly after, she held an internship position with UNITE HERE Local 11.
When Pilar Schiavo began to think of running for the California State Assembly, she had already been active within the labor movement for over two decades. She worked as a Nurses Advocate with the California Nurses Association for thirteen years, helping to expand healthcare access and affordability. During the Covid-19 pandemic she co-founded an organization that helped find housing for veterans experiencing homelessness, and also delivered over 50,000 meals to seniors in need.
“When the pandemic hit and so many folks lost their jobs, our homelessness crisis exploded. That’s when the organization I co-founded moved beyond housing advocacy and started to help our neighbors in the West San Fernando Valley who are experiencing homelessness.” Schiavo explains. She has been a longtime supporter of affordable housing, working with a group in Chatsworth which fought for the development and construction of a 50-bed facility in 2019.
Noticing a lack of progressive policies in her community, Schiavo decided to run against incumbent Republican Suzette Martinez Valladares for the Assembly seat of District 40 during the 2022 midterm elections. On the campaign trail, she remarked about the ‘3 H issues: Healthcare, Housing, and Homelessness’; which she felt the state hadn’t made enough effort to address. Schiavo explains how the lack of housing affordability directly correlates to the homelessness crisis affecting California today. The Covid-19 pandemic also opened many people’s eyes to seeing the massive healthcare disparities, and Schiavo campaigned on guaranteeing healthcare for all.
District 40 includes the Santa Clarita Valley and the northwest parts of the San Fernando Valley, a traditionally more conservative voting bloc. But as a small business owner herself, Pilar knew her upbringing and experience could help appeal to the voters. After winning with 50.2% of votes, Pilar Schiavo became the only Democrat to flip an Assembly seat during the last midterm election. She was endorsed by the Sierra Club and Planned Parenthood, as well as firefighters, nurses, and teachers’ unions. Now in 2023, she has made stable headway on her promises from the campaign, including introducing and sponsoring several bills related to healthcare, women’s reproductive rights, and options for affordable housing.
Schiavo currently sits on the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management, as well as the Assembly Committee on Public Employment and Retirement, the Committee on Parks, Water, and Wildlife, the Committee on Emergency Management, and the Committee of Utilities and Energy. 

Comments