Former assembly speaker pro tempore endorses candidate
Addis is a Morro Bay City Councilmember and local teacher.
Reconfigured Assembly district includes portions of San Luis Obispo, Monterrey, and Santa Cruz counties
– This week, former Assemblymember and Assembly Speaker pro-Tempore Fred Keeley announced his endorsement for Dawn Addis for State Assembly. This endorsement comes on the heels of Wednesday’s announcement that Seaside City Councilmember Alexis García-Arrazola withdrew from the race for Assembly District 30 and endorsed Dawn Addis. Keeley and García-Arrazola join a growing list of elected officials, local leaders, and organizations endorsing Dawn Addis.
Keeley released the following statement announcing his endorsement:
“In the State Assembly, Dawn Addis will be a powerful force for the Central Coast. Dawn has been a teacher and community leader for 20 years, and understands the challenges and opportunities for our communities. As a City Councilmember, Dawn has worked to produce affordable housing, expand transit options, and house people who are unhoused or experiencing housing insecurity. I trust Dawn to fight for our communities in Sacramento.”
Keeley has a long career in community service. For ten years he was the elected treasurer of Santa Cruz County, where Keeley managed $650 million in investments. His office maintained a positive return on investments every single month, even during the recession. He also led an effort to re-establish property tax breaks for low-income seniors and the disabled.
Keeley’s work for Santa Cruz County began in 1981 as an aide to former Supervisor Joe Cucchiara. In 1984, he began serving as chief of staff to then-Assemblyman Sam Farr, who went on to serve in Congress. In 1988, Keeley ran for County Supervisor and served two terms. In 1996, Keeley began serving in the State Assembly, where he rose to Speaker pro Tem and earned the reputation as an environmental leader. While in the legislature, he pushed significant ocean protection policy, and in 2000 and 2002, he authored the two largest voter-approved park and environmental protection bonds in U.S. history, totaling $4.6 billion.
Keeley lost a bid for state senate and became executive director of the Sacramento-based Planning and Conservation League. He also began serving on the board of California Forward, which placed a measure on the ballot that stripped redistricting power from the Legislature.
Keeley continues to lecture on local and state government at his alma mater, San José State University, and California State University Monterey Bay’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. He also lectures at the Panetta Institute for Public Policy.
Addis is a Morro Bay City Councilmember, teacher, and mom, with a 20-year record of leadership. As a council member, Addis has worked to increase housing and childcare, address the climate crisis, promote economic development, and improve local infrastructure. She is an advocate of coastal conservation. Her long record of community involvement includes co-founding the Women’s March in San Luis Obispo (WMSLO), serving on the Planned Parenthood Central Coast Action Fund Board, and starting a local organization supporting local women to run for office.
Professionally, Addis has served as a classroom teacher and educational program developer. She has worked for the San Luis Coastal Unified School District, the largest Unified School District in the 30th Assembly District, since 2001. Dawn holds a bachelor’s degree in art education and Spanish and a master’s in special education from San Francisco State University. She also holds four different teaching credentials.
In 2020, Addis was a candidate for State Assembly in District 35. She received more than 103,000 votes, and her grassroots campaign earned endorsements from a large coalition of supporters, including Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Gavin Newsom.
Addis and her husband, Marcus, are the parents of two children.
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