Meet Stockton’s newest Assembly member, Rhodesia Ransom

The California state Legislature swore in about 30 new lawmakers last week as it kicked off the new session. One of those new faces is Rhodesia Ransom — who has a background in local politics and nonprofits. 

State legislative leaders began the new session with a push for bills that address California’s high cost of living.

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Assembly member Ransom — a Democrat who represents parts of San Joaquin County — said she’s answering that call with the first bill she filed, which would require greater transparency on the state’s Public Utilities Commission. 

“This is the commission that really stands in the gap, if you will, for consumers who are struggling to pay bills and the companies,” she said. 

Ransom, 50, served as a city council member and planning commissioner in Tracy. She’s also U.S. Representative Josh Harder’s former chief of staff, and co-founded an organization that supports young people’s mental health. 

In her new job, she represents a stretch of San Joaquin County that includes Stockton and Tracy.

“We are just middle class people, and I’m happy to represent the middle class in my tenure,” she said.  

She said she is also taking recent election results as a mandate to make the state more affordable — especially when it comes to housing. 

“We’re seeing people pushed out of their communities due to the cost of housing, and we're just pushing the problem further down the road, whether it's pushing people further south or further north,” she said. 

The new Assembly member had strong financial support during her campaign from labor unions, as well as the California Nurses and Teachers Associations. 

She added that she’s hoping to join the Assembly transportation committee to help address the long, expensive commutes many of her constituents face.