Celia Israel

Celia Israel

Democratic Party

Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector

Tenure

2025 - Present

Term ends

2028

Years in position

0

Predecessor

Bruce Elfant

Prior offices

Texas House of Representatives District 50

Successor: James Talarico

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Contact

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Celia Israel (Democratic Party) is the Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector in Texas. She assumed office on January 1, 2025. Her current term ends on December 31, 2028.

Israel (Democratic Party) ran for election for Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector in Texas. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Celia Israel earned a bachelor's degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin in 1988. Her professional experience includes serving in Texas Gov. Ann Richard's (D) administration and working as a realtor.

Elections

2024

See also: Municipal elections in Travis County, Texas (2024)

General election

General election for Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector

Celia Israel won election in the general election for Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Celia Israel (D)	100.0	394,675

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 394,675
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector

Celia Israel advanced from the Democratic primary for Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Celia Israel	100.0	75,943

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 75,943
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Israel in this election.

2022

See also: Mayoral election in Austin, Texas (2022)

General runoff election

General runoff election for Mayor of Austin

Kirk Watson defeated Celia Israel in the general runoff election for Mayor of Austin on December 13, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kirk Watson (Nonpartisan)	50.4	57,565
		Celia Israel (Nonpartisan)	49.6	56,623

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 114,188
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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General election

General election for Mayor of Austin

The following candidates ran in the general election for Mayor of Austin on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Celia Israel (Nonpartisan)	40.0	122,377
✔		Kirk Watson (Nonpartisan)	34.9	106,883
		Jennifer Virden (Nonpartisan)	18.4	56,313
		Phil Campero Brual (Nonpartisan)	2.4	7,340
	Submit photo	Anthony Bradshaw (Nonpartisan)	2.3	7,137
	Submit photo	Gary Spellman (Nonpartisan)	1.9	5,815

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 305,865
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Erica Nix (Nonpartisan)

2020

See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Texas House of Representatives District 50

Incumbent Celia Israel defeated Larry Delarose in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 50 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Celia Israel (D)	68.8	63,449
	Submit photo	Larry Delarose (R)	31.2	28,805

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 92,254
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 50

Incumbent Celia Israel advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 50 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Celia Israel	100.0	25,311

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 25,311
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 50

Larry Delarose advanced from the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 50 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Larry Delarose	100.0	5,761

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,761
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2018

See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

General election for Texas House of Representatives District 50

Incumbent Celia Israel won election in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 50 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Celia Israel (D)	100.0	52,652

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 52,652
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 50

Incumbent Celia Israel advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 50 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Celia Israel	100.0	12,509

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 12,509
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for the Texas House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 1, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was December 14, 2015.

Incumbent Celia Israel defeated Ceasar Ruiz in the Texas House of Representatives District 50 general election.

Texas House of Representatives, District 50 General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Celia Israel Incumbent	63.69%	43,637
	Republican	Ceasar Ruiz	36.31%	24,882
Total Votes				68,519
Source: Texas Secretary of State

Incumbent Celia Israel ran unopposed in the Texas House of Representatives District 50 Democratic Primary.

Texas House of Representatives, District 50 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Democratic	Celia Israel Incumbent (unopposed)

Ceasar Ruiz ran unopposed in the Texas House of Representatives District 50 Republican Primary.

Texas House of Representatives, District 50 Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Republican	Ceasar Ruiz  (unopposed)

2014

General election

See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2014

Elections for all 150 seats in the Texas House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on March 4, 2014. Those candidates who did not receive 50 percent or more of the vote in their party primary on March 4 faced an additional May 27 primary runoff. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was December 9, 2013. Celia Israel was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Mike VanDeWalle was unopposed in the Republican primary. David Dreesen was running as a Libertarian candidate. Israel defeated VanDeWalle and Dreesen in the general election.

Texas House of Representatives, District 50 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Celia Israel Incumbent	58.7%	22,690
	Republican	Mike VanDeWalle	37.1%	14,359
	Libertarian	David Dreesen	4.2%	1,620
Total Votes				38,669

Special election

See also: Texas state legislative special elections, 2014

Celia Israel (D) and Mike VanDeWalle (R) advanced past Rico Reyes (D) and Jade Chang Sheppard (D) in the special election. Israel defeated VanDeWalle in the runoff election.

The seat was vacant following Mark Strama's (D) resignation to lead Google's fiber optics operation in Austin, Texas.

A special election for the position of Texas House of Representatives District 50 was called for November 5, 2013, with a runoff if necessary on January 28, 2014. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was September 4, 2013.

Texas House of Representatives, District 50, Runoff Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Celia Israel	59.6%	6,275
	Republican	Mike VanDeWalle	40.4%	4,245
Total Votes				10,520

Texas House of Representatives, District 50, Special Election, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Mike VanDeWalle	39.2%	5,853
	Democratic	Celia Israel	31.8%	4,755
	Democratic	Jade Chang Sheppard	15.6%	2,335
	Democratic	Rico Reyes	13.3%	1,993
Total Votes				14,936

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Celia Israel did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Celia Israel did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Celia Israel did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2014

Israel's website highlighted the following campaign themes:

Supporting Higher Education

• Excerpt: " Celia has been a vocal critic of political appointees who abuse their position to intimidate academics and universities.It’s time to stop the right wing campaign that is trying to undermine the value of a college education."

Expanding Healthcare

• Excerpt: "Celia has called out Governor Perry for his efforts to block the Affordable Care Act, robbing Texas of billions of federal dollars we need to expand our health care infrastructure and ensure no family has to go without insurance."

Ending Discriminatory Practices

• Excerpt: "A long time Democratic activist, Celia is a staunch defender of women’s health, opposes Greg Abbott’s voter ID bill and all efforts to suppress the vote, and has been a leader in advancing the issue of equality in Texas."

Expanding our Thinking on Environment and Energy

• Excerpt: "Celia is a vocal advocate for expanded public transportation options as a critical part in solving our transportation challenges. She also believes the time is now to redouble our efforts in making renewable energies cost efficient."

Public Education

• Excerpt: "Celia understands that to compete in a global economy we need to invest in our children’s education today. That means we need to fully restore the cuts, keep up with growth, and give our children the education they need to compete."

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Celia Israel campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2020	Texas House of Representatives District 50	Won general	$206,303	N/A**
2018	Texas House of Representatives District 50	Won general	$193,276	N/A**
2014	Texas House of Representatives, District 50	Won	$205,483	N/A**
Grand total			$605,061	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

State legislative tenure

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2021-2022

Israel was assigned to the following committees:

• Culture, Recreation, & Tourism Committee
• Insurance Committee

2019-2020

Israel was assigned to the following committees:

• Elections Committee
• Homeland Security & Public Safety Committee

2017 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

Texas committee assignments, 2017
• Elections, Vice chair
• Transportation

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Israel served on the following committees:

Texas committee assignments, 2015
• Elections
• Transportation

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Texas

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Texas scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2022

In 2022, the Texas State Legislature was not in session.

2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].

In 2021, the Texas State Legislature was in session from January 12 to May 31. Club for Growth Foundation Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. Equality Texas Legislators are scored on bills related to LGBT issues. National Federation of Independent Business in Texas Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues. Texans for Fiscal Responsibility Legislators are scored based by the organization on their votes on bills relating to "core budget and free enterprise issues." Texans Uniting for Reform & Freedom Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills relating to taxes and property rights. Texas Right to Life Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues. Texas Sierra Club Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues. Texas Values Action Legislators are scored on their votes on social issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2020

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show].
In 2020, the Texas State Legislature was not in session.

2019

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show].

In 2019, the Texas State Legislature was in its 86th legislative session from January 8 through May 27. Club for Growth Foundation Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. Empower Texans Legislators are scored based by the organization on their votes on bills relating to "core budget and free enterprise issues." Environment Texas Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental and public health issues. Equality Texas Legislators are scored on bills related to LGBT issues. Texans Uniting for Reform & Freedom Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills relating to taxes and property rights. Texas Eagle Forum: House and Senate Legislators are scored based on votes relating to conservative issues. Texas Right to Life Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues. Texas Values Action Legislators are scored on their votes on social issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2018

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show].
In 2018, the Texas State Legislature did not hold a regular session.

2017

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show].

In 2017, the Texas State Legislature was in its 85th legislative session from January 10 through May 29. A special session was held from July 18 to August 15. Conservative Roundtable Legislators are scored on their votes for or against the organization's position and principles. Empower Texans Legislators are scored based by the organization on their votes on bills relating to "core budget and free enterprise issues." Environment Texas Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental and public health issues. Equality Texas Legislators are scored on bills related to LGBT issues. National Federation of Independent Business in Texas Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues. Texans Uniting for Reform & Freedom Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills relating to taxes and property rights. Texans for Vaccine Choice Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the organization. Texas Alliance for Life Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to social issues. Texas Association of Business Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to businesses, taxpayers, and families. Texas Right to Life Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues. Texas Sierra Club Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues. Texas Values Action Legislators are scored on their votes on social issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. Young Conservatives of Texas Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2016

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show].
In 2016, the Texas State Legislature did not hold a regular session.

2015

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show].

In 2015, the Texas State Legislature was in its 84th legislative session from January 13 through June 1. Americans for Prosperity Texas - Texas Legislative Report Card 2015 Legislators are scored on how they voted on tax and fiscal legislation. Concerned Women for America of Texas: Legislative Scorecard for the 84th session Legislators are scored based on votes on bills relating to abortion, common core, and sex trafficking. Conservative Roundtable: Senate and House - 2015 Conservative Solutions Scorecard Legislators are scored on their votes for or against the organization's position and principles. Empower Texans - 2015 Fiscal Responsibility Index Legislators are scored based by the organization on their votes on bills relating to "core budget and free enterprise issues." Equality Texas - Equality Texas rankings for the Texas House during the 84th legislative session Legislators are scored on bills related to LGBT issues. Environment Texas - 2015 Legislative Scorecard Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental and public health issues. Heritage Alliance - 2015 Texas Conservative Report Legislators are scored based on votes on social issues, economic issues, and other issues. National Federation of Independent Business in Texas: 2015 Legislative Voting Record Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues. Texas Association of Business: Senate and House - For the Record 2015 Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to businesses, taxpayers, and families. Texas Eagle Forum - 2015 Legislative Scorecard Legislators are scored based on votes relating to conservative issues. Texas Right to Life - 2015 Legislative Scores Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues. Texas Tribune Guest Column: Mark P. Jones - The 2015 Texas House, From Right to Left Mark P. Jones, chair of the Department of Political Science at Rice University, biennially ranks state representatives based on how liberal and conservative they are according to legislative history. Texans Uniting for Reform & Freedom - 2015 Session Report Card Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills relating to taxes and property rights. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2014

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show].
In 2014, the Texas State Legislature did not hold a regular session.

2013

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show].

In 2013, the Texas State Legislature was in its 83rd legislative session from January 8 through May 27. Thirty minutes after the regular session ended, Governor Rick Perry called legislators back for a special session starting that evening. Two additional called sessions were held from July 1 through July 30 and July 30 through August 5. Concerned Women for America of Texas: Senate and House Legislators are scored based on votes on bills relating to abortion, common core, and sex trafficking. Conservative Roundtable - 2013 Conservative Solutions Scorecard Legislators are scored on their votes for or against the organization's position and principles. Empower Texans - 2013 Fiscal Responsibility Index Legislators are scored based by the organization on their votes on bills relating to "core budget and free enterprise issues." Environment Texas - 2013 Legislative Scorecard Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental and public health issues. Equality Texas - Equality Texas rankings for the Texas House during the 83rd regular legislative session Legislators are scored on bills related to LGBT issues. NARAL Pro-Choice Texas: 2013 Legislative Scorecard on House Bill 2 Legislators are scored based on votes for House Bill 2. National Federation of Independent Business in Texas: 2013-2014 Legislative Voting Record Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues. Texas Association of Business: Senate and House - For the Record 2013 Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to businesses, taxpayers, and families. Texas Eagle Forum - 2013 Legislative Scorecard Legislators are scored based on votes relating to conservative issues. Texas League of Conservation Voters - 2013 Scorecard Legislators are scored based on votes relating to environment and conservation issues. Texas Right to Life - 2013 Legislative Scores Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues. Texas Tribune Guest Column: Mark P. Jones - The 2013 Texas House, From Right to Left Mark P. Jones, chair of the Department of Political Science at Rice University, biennially ranks state representatives based on how liberal and conservative they are according to legislative history. Texans Uniting for Reform & Freedom - 2013 Session Report Card Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills relating to taxes and property rights. The American Conservative Union - 2013 State Legislative Ratings Guide Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. Young Conservatives of Texas - 83rd Session House Budget Scorecard Legislators are scored based on votes for Amendments 2, 12, 51, 95, and 118. Young Conservatives of Texas: House and Senate Legislators are scored based on their votes on conservative issues.

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Bruce Elfant (D)	Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector 2025-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	Texas House of Representatives District 50 2014-2023	Succeeded by James Talarico (D)