Rosella Rowlison was born in California. Rowlison earned a bachelor's degree and a graduate degree from San Jose State University in 1996 and 1998, respectively. Her career experience includes working as a teacher. She has been affiliated with the Greater Area Lodi Democrats (GLAD), the National Women's Political Caucus (NWPC) Sacramento Branch, Women Democrats Sacramento, the San Joaquin County Democratic Central Committee, the California Teachers' Association (CFT), and Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID).[1]
Rosella Rowlison completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Rowlison's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
I am moderate in my views and I can work well with people from different political parties. As a teacher, I have not been partisan and I can see multiple perspectives on issues. I am comfortable working with diverse groups of people. I have had several years of Spanish courses in high school and college and I will reach out to Spanish speaking voters so they know their participation is welcomed. I have raised four kids and I understand the demands of juggling work and parenting. I am a strong communicator having earned a master’s degree in mass communications and journalism. This will help me write legislation and persuade my colleagues in the legislator to support my sponsored legislation. I have taught American Government for 26 years and I understand how state government works. I have worked at the Federal level of government as a White House intern and as a Legislative Aide for Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren. I know the duties of a legislator as I assisted the Congresswoman in responding to constituent requests by attending district events, writing letters on behalf of the law maker to constituents, and handling constituent case work. I enjoy working with people and I am very outgoing. I am detail-oriented and work very hard and I will be thorough in carrying out my duties as a State Assembly Member.
I would like to leave the legacy of being a statesperson in that I want to have the respect of the Democrats, Republicans, and third parties. I want to be remembered for being fair, just, equitable, and accessible. I want to be remembered for being approachable and for creating common sense legislation. I want to be a model of hard-work and be remembered as a public servant who put the needs of my constituents first over party politics. I want to be remembered for improving lives and solving problems.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Note: Rowlison submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on March 12, 2024.
I have taught high school social studies for the past 26 years and I reside in Galt, California. I have been active in my community and I have raised four children. I have always been politically active, having served as a White House Intern after college in 1996 and working for a Congresswoman as a Legislative Aide during graduate school in 1997. I grew up in the Bay Area in Gilroy and started my teaching career at San Rafael High School. I moved to the Central Valley in 2003 to start a family because my late husband's family lives in Manteca and the area is more affordable than the Bay Area. We also wanted to raise our children in a small town without traffic and where our kids could have a home with a back yard to play in. Now that my kids are older, I would like give back to my community and district as a representative in the state legislature. Having taught high school Government and Economics for the past 26 years, I have an understanding of the legislative process and an understanding of budgets. I also bring my background and experience in having had to raise my children on my own for the past 6 1/2 years when their father passed away at the age of 43. I know how to be fiscally responsible and how to effectively multi-task. I hold a Master's Degree in Mass Communications and Journalism and know how to communicate with voters. I recently completed the Administrative Program and learned that I value collaboration, transparency, and equity as a leader.
I want to represent all constituents in my Assembly District. As a high school teacher my goal has been to help all students succeed. As a legislator, it would be my goal to work with and represent all constituents. I have a collaborative working style and I believe in working together to compromise on the best outcome for everyone involved. I like to unify people and I believe that democracy works best when the greatest number of people are involved in the decision making process. I will treat all voters with respect and will listen to constituent concerns from all political persepectives to help inform my legislative decsions and actions. My role as a member is to serve and represent the constituents' interests and needs.
I value diversity and equity. As a high school teacher it has been important to me to ensure all students have opportunities to go to college. I have been an AVID teacher for half of my teaching career and it is a program where we help students be the first generation in their family to attend college. I think it is important to recognize that diversity strengthens our communities and I am committed to working with various groups and keeping an open mind. To me, equity means recognizing that we do not all start from the same place and must acknowledge and make adjustments to imbalances. I believe we all win when we strive towards achieving equity whether it is in the schools, workplaces, or the state legislature.
I value transparency in leadership. It is hard to achieve equity when leaders are lacking transparency. It is important for constituents to have accurate information and to know why decisions are being made. Voters deserve to have leaders who are open and thoughful about the laws that are being written and voted on. Voters should have leaders who inform voters on the issues in the District. Transparency builds trust and it is important to me to establish the trust of voters. I will be up front about why I am making certain decisions and voting a specific way. As a teacher, I treat all students with respect and I do not favor certain students over others. I will approach my government service in the same way.
My top priorities are ensuring quality education, affordable health care, affordable housing, and public safety. I want to invest in our future workers by expanding funding for Career Technical Education Programs. I want to work towards making access to health care more affordable and reduce the for profit structure that exists. I want to create more affordable housing and multiple housing options for Central Valley residents. I want to create safe communities by working with city and county law enforcement agencies. I want to reduce the flow of illegal drugs in our District and work towards preventing them from reaching our youth. I want to work with local agencies to mitigate gun violence and promote gang prevention programs.
I look up to my dad because he is a well-read, well-traveled, and a well-educated man. He has his Doctorate in Ministry and a Master's in Theology. He has good friends on both sides of the political spectrum. He is always happy to hear my voice on the phone or see me in person. He performed all of my good friends' weddings and all of my friends like my dad. He makes people feel good and makes them feel like he cares about them. He has always been the "go-to" pastor for weddings and funerals when people do not have one. He has comforted people in times in sorrow and celebrated with them in times of joy. I would like to follow his example of treating others with kindness and listening to them and their concerns and not being judgemental. My dad had a hard life growing up poor in the midwest. He developed a strong work ethic as a result that he passed on to me. I hope that I am as respected in my community and in the state legislature as my dad has been in his community. I am fortunate to be a part of his legacy.
The book I would recommend to understand my political philosophy is "Reinventing Government: How The Entrepreneurial Spirit Is Transforming America" by David Osborne and Ted Gaebler. This book was written in 1993 and it influenced the creation of the National Performance Review which Vice President Al Gore led while I was a White House Intern working for VP Al Gore. The National Performance Review published a report called "Creating A Government That Works Better And Costs Less." Part of this report was written based on ideas in the book and "Reinventing Government" was referred to as "Re-Go" by Gore's staff. The reason this book and the report that was generated from it, represent my political philosophy is because it talks about responsible government. I believe government has the responsibility to be wise stewards of the taxpayers money. I remember reading about how VP Al Gore said the government had been paying $75 for a hammer and how the government was overspending on hammers and needed to find cheaper hammers. The hammer was an example for other areas that could also be cut back or streamlined on costs. The book provided a blue print for a common sense approach to government. The second book is "The Audacity of Hope" by Barack Obama. In that book, Obama deatiled how he worked with Senators like Strom Thurmond who were anti-Civil Rights and how he was able to come to agreement on issues with Thurmond. Like Obama, I want to work with fellow politicians and constituents who may not share all of my views, but are willing to write laws and policies and are beneficial to the members of my District. I also think I am optimistic like the books title, yet, not naive to the challenges of the political process.
I think one of the most important characteristics for an elected official is the abillity to listen to constituents and have an open-mind and a willingness to compromise to serve the greatest number of people in the district. I think it is important for an elected official to have humility in being given the opportunity to serve and to have a strong work ethic. I think it is important for an elected official to want to solve problems and try to make the quality of life better for the people being represented. It is essential that an elected official cares about others and has empathy for others. I think it is paramount for elected officials to like working with people and to be outgoing and welcoming towards all constituents regardless of political party. Also, as mentioned previously, I believe elected officials should be transparent, collaborative, and should value the diversity of the residents in the District and work towards establishing equity in regards to representation of constituents, organizations, etc.
I believe it is the responsibility of the elected official to be an advocate for his or her District and try to secure the necessary resources and funding to his/her District. I think it is the responsibility of the representative to meet with constituents and constituent groups to learn about the issues and concerns in the District and to work with agencies to resolve problems or write laws necessary to facilitate the support needed. It is the responsibility of the elected official to represent all constituents in the District.
The 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake was the first historical event that I remember vividly that happened when I was 15 . I lived in Gilroy near the epicenter in the Santa Cruz mountains. The refridgerator moved out of place in my home and it was a full minute of 6.9 shaking on the richter scale. The after shocks went on for months. My dad's house was condemned for 3 months because the fireplace crumbled in the middle of the home and there were cracks in the walls.
As a history teacher, I like historical books. One of my favorite books is the historical fiction novel "The Red Umbrella" about a 14-year-old's journey from Cuba to America as part of Operation Pedro Pan. This event helped 14,000 unaccompanied children immigrant to the U.S. during Castro's Cuban Revolution. I liked this book because I read it during the summer along with my son when he was 14 and reading it for his high school class. I liked to be able to have discussions with him about it and also learn about our nation's history. My second book choice would be the novel "Big Little Lies" (2014) written by Liane Moriarty because I read it as part of a book club and there was a social aspect that included discussion about it. My youngest was in Kindergarten when I read it 8 years ago and the women in the book all have kindergarten age children and are bonded as mothers so I could relate.
Wonder Woman or the Bionic Woman. I grew up watching those shows as a young girl and I learned that women could also be superheros and main characters.
Taylor Swift's "The Man" because I have her on my Spotify and I took my teenage girls to see her concert this past summer. Also, Leonardo DiCaprio was just filming in Galt earlier in the week and she mentions him in that song. It was a fitting song for me to being thinking about this week!
A struggle in my life has been losing my former husband in October 2017 at the age of 43 when he unexpectedly passed away from a heart attack and I became a solo parent to our four children overnight. Not only was it a challenge to fill the role of mom and dad and continue being a full-time teacher, but there is a level of aloneness in being the only parent that is hard to describe unless you have experienced it. As a parent, you want to shelter your kids for as long as possible from the painful disappointments they will face in life. My kids were 6, 9, 10, & 14 when their young lives were forever changed. I know their dad would have been extremely proud of my decision to run for State Assembly. He was there to support me when I presented my Master's Thesis at age 24 at San Jose State University on the media coverage of women running for Governor and if that impacted their viability as candidates. I wish that he was alive to see me step up to run as a candidate representing my party, but I know that my 3 teenagers and one adult child are proud of me and they keep his memory alive.
I think it is important for the Governor and the State Legislatiure to work together. When I interned for Vice President Al Gore, he served as the liaison between the President and the Senate and was the official tie breaker. In California, the Lieutenant Governor and Governor should work with the state legislature to ensure that the proposed budget has support of the legislature. The Governor and the legislature can work together to propose bills rather than having a bill make its way through both houses of Congress and not have gubernatorial support.
In the next decade one of the issues will be how to effectively transition from fuel-based vehicles to all electric vehicles. We need to ensure we have the infrastructure in place to do this. I support finding ways to increase our reliance on alternative energy sources by shifting away from fossil fuels. However, it will take a lot of work and financial investment to make this happen. I want to make sure we are meeting the demand for increased electricity. This requires a complete paradigm shift that needs to be incrementally phased in year by year. Providing water to everyone in our state is another challenge. The Central Valley needs water for its agriculture and it is being pressured to send this water down south where the majority of the state's population is. If residents of our region are being asked to conserve our water and it is sent out to areas that may not be conserving it, then this does not seem equitable to our region. Another challenge is the climate change causing more intense wildfires and storms with floods. It is important that we plan for this with fire abatement measures and procurring adequate storms drains, levees, and dams for excess rainfall. We also need to address the rising costs for consumers and business owners and figure out ways to provide business incentives and subsidies. People and businesses have left California because of how expensive it is to live here. The price of homes and taxes cause people to leave the state. California needs to address this issue because it is not good for our state's economy to have these residents leave. In addition, there are too many Californians living in poverty. According to the California Poverty Measure, 31% of Californians are in or near poverty. That is almost 1/3rd. There will be a need to build more affordable housing units and provide housing assistance.
It can be beneficial to already have established contacts and networks with other people working in government. However, given the fact that Californians voted on term limits for legislators more than 20 years ago, it is also beneficial to rotate new leaders in and out of office to provide an opportunity for more diversity in representation. I think it is important for state legislators to have an understanding of how the lesiglative process works prior to running for office. I think state legislators have more to offer as a representative if they have had a career outside of government and politics prior to serving in the state legislature. They will bring with them a background in a specific area or industry and can serve on committees related to their professional experience.
I think it is important to build relationships with other legislators. I have always maintained a collaborative approach to working with other educators and sharing best practices. I work with teachers in all departments and we all have a common goal to educate our students. It is important for legislators to work together and introduce bipartisan legislation which has a better opportunity of becoming law if it is co-authored by both parties. Legislators need the support of other legislators to get their bills passed so it is essentila to the job of a legislator to build relationships with other legislators.
The legislator I would want to model myself after would be former President and U.S. Senator Lyndon Baines Johnson who had respect from both the Democrats and Republicans in the Senate and as the Majority Leader in the Senate was able to effectively lead the Senate to agree upon many laws. He was able to secure the funding for Kennedy's war on poverty and racial discrimination through the Great Society. Johnson's creation of medicare expanded health care for many Americans. In many ways, we are in a similar place as the nation was in the 1960's when Johnson was President. In 2023, there are 31% of Californians who live in poverty or near poverty rate (Public Policy Institute of California). We have problems with Californians who have health coverage but are underinsured meaning their coverage is not enough and the co-pays are too expensive for residents to get the medical care they need. We have had a resurgence of racial discrimination in this country in the past decade. Another legislator I admire is the late U.S. Senator John McCain who also had respect from Democrats and Republicans. McCain voted his conscience rather than party lines. I respect that because he took on the big tobacco company for targeting to minors in the lat 1990's. It costs him with his party but he knew protecting children against the exploitation of business for profit was the right position to take. He also led by example when he was captured as a POW in Vietnam. He had the opportunity to be released and escape the torture because his father was in a higher military rank and could have negotiated his release. McCain chose to stay behind with his fellow military POW's and not use his position of privelege to avoid the atrocities of war. He showed courage and integrity.
I would be open to the idea of running for Congress or Governor in the future. I do not have specific plans to do so, however, if there was an opening for Congress in my District and no one from my party was running and I thought I could serve my constituents, then I would consider it. California has never had a female Governor in the 174 years it has been a state. It would be a nice reflection of the population of our state to have a female Governor. I believe California will have a female Governor before the nation will have a female President.
I met a voter yesterday while I was canvassing who was in an accident 5 months ago that left him paralyzed from a spinal cord injury. I spoke with him for a bit about his life before the accident and how his wife is also a teacher. It reminded me of how unpredictable life is and how it can change in a moment. He was up beat despite his predicament and he brightened my day. He opened up to me and made me feel welcomed. He made me realize that the political differences can seem trivial in comparison to what some people are going through. He also made me realize that we have more in common in that we all want to be healthy and live long and happy lives. It was humbling to meet him and see how he was adjusting to his new normal.
I'm not one who tells jokes, however, I always like to point out the humor in situations with my high school students and I use humor to try to motivate them. I often have a phrase I tell my students. "Are you working hard or are you hardly working?"
The legislature should oversee the Governor's use of emergency powers. It is more democratic to have the legislature oversee the emergency powers and act as a "check and balance" to the Executive Branch.
I would help reintroduce Assembly Bill 238 by Al Maratsuchi D-Torrance that did not make it through the Legislature in time for the deadline. This is the bill to pay student teachers to address the teacher shortage with the increasing number of retiring teachers.
Greater Area Lodi Democrats (GLAD) I just declared my write-in candidacy on January 6, 2024, after the primary endorsement deadlines. I plan to request post-primary endorsements from organizations when I advance to the General Elections.
I think it is essential for the state government to be transparent and accountable financially. As someone who has worked as a teacher in a school district for 26 years, I want to know how my district is spending its state govenrment funding. I have analyzed my school district budget as part of my administrative program and I am familiar with how funding is allocated to school districts and how that money can be spent. I have provided input on spending on our District's LCAP (Local Control Accountability Plan). The state legislature is funded by tax payers and it is imperative the state legislators are transparent with their spending. Transparency and accountability establishes trust with the voters. As a legislator, one is tasked with the responsibility of making the best decisions to serve the district with limited funds. Constituents have a right to know how their legislators are serving them.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Note: Rowlison submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on March 2, 2024.
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