State of California California State Assembly Assemblymember Lori Wilson

When Assemblyman Jim Frazier resigned to take a transportation industry job, as CalMatters noted in 2021, he endorsed a local leader to take his place: Lori Wilson, who’d previously served on the Suisun City Council and was the first Black woman elected mayor of that city.

Wilson cruised to victory in a special election for the 11th District in April 2022 where she was the only candidate on the ballot. She then won election to a full two-year term in November 2022, beating independent challenger Jenny Callison by 19 points. Wilson rode to victory with more than $1 million in campaign contributions and endorsements from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Sen. Alex Padilla, and the Napa-Solano Central Labor Council.

“From constituents who need help with state services, to challenges like rising homelessness, climate change, and keeping our neighborhoods and communities safe, I promise to work every day to deliver results for our communities, and to be a relentless advocate for every person who lives in our district,” Wilson said in a press release following her special election.

Among her duties in the Assembly, Wilson serves as assistant majority whip.

Background

A native of Fresno, Wilson got into public service after work in the public sector, related fields, and homebuilding. Her biography on her official website lists jobs including chief accountant for Fair Housing Napa Valley, Solano County auditor, and as finance director for at least one national homebuilder.

Wilson and her husband, former high school sweetheart Chavares Wilson, have lived in Suisun City since 2004 and share two children, Tyler and Kiren.

Chavares Wilson, a retired technical sergeant in the United States Air Force, was stationed at Travis Air Force Base and served a four-month deployment at Kirkuk Air Force Base in Iraq through the 349th Civil Engineer Squadron as a heating and air conditioning technician. A photo appears to show Lori and her children happily greeting Chavares upon his return home.

Lori Wilson holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration, with an emphasis in accounting, from California State University, Sacramento.

Among her accomplishments while mayor of Suisun City, Wilson worked with the city’s fire department as well as the California Office of Emergency Services and Solano County Public Health to provide free COVID-19 testing.

Select Legislation

Wilson doesn’t appear to have sponsored or co-sponsored any bills as of the writing of this biography in early February 2023.

That said, she was one of more than 60 Assembly members to sign onto a resolution, HR 6, introduced in January 2023 and urging “the President of the United States and the United States Congress to enact federal legislation that guarantees the right to reproductive freedom, including abortion and contraception,” according to its text.