Assemblymember Steve Bennett was elected to the Assembly in November 2020 and currently represents the 38th district which includes the western half of Ventura County.  

Born and raised in the Midwest, Steve developed a strong sense of community responsibility.  After graduating from Brown University with an Honors Degree in Economics, Steve served his community as a high school Economics and American History teacher for over 20 years.  

He was elected to the Ventura City Council in 1993 and served until 1997. There he co-authored the Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources (SOAR) initiatives that have made Ventura County a national leader in land-use planning.  Elected 20 years ago to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, Steve has spent his life in public service advocating for our most vulnerable communities.  In his time as an elected leader, he authored one of the State’s toughest campaign finance reform laws; helped create the first-of-its-kind Farmworker Resource Center, beat back opposition to the creation of Ventura’s first municipal homeless shelter, led efforts to improve conditions for foster children, ensured that seniors in nursing facilities receive a weekly visit by an Ombudsman solely focused on their welfare, all while bringing fiscally responsible policies to government.  

As an Assemblymember, he is working towards infusing more urgency into efforts to effectively address climate change, increasing storage capacity of renewable energy, improving the efficiency and accountability of state agencies, increasing the stock of truly affordable housing, and serving his constituents with honest and timely access.  

Steve and his wife Leslie share a passion for education.  Leslie spent three decades as a high school Spanish teacher.  For the past 14 years, they have shared their home with an immigrant family from Mexico.  The experience of their adoptive family has led to a desire to leave a better world for those trapped by growing income inequality. Improved educational options, access to good medical care, and affordable housing are essential to doing that.