Gail Pellerin

Tom Chaffin

​

​

(m. 1992;died 2018)​

Gail Pellerin
Member of the California State Assembly from the 28th district
Incumbent
Assumed office December 5, 2022
Children	2
Education	California Polytechnic State University (BS)

Gail L. Pellerin (born June 24, 1962) ^[1] is an American election administrator and politician serving as a member of the California State Assembly from 28th district since 2022. The district includes about half of Santa Cruz County and part of Santa Clara County. She previously served as Santa Cruz County Clerk from 1993 until her retirement in 2020. ^[2]

Early life and education

Pellerin was born in Torrance, California. She graduated from California Polytechnic State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism in 1984. ^[3]

Political career

Santa Cruz County Elections department

Pellerin spent more than 27 years working for the Santa Cruz County elections department from 1993 until her retirement in December 2020. She first as an elections manager then as the county's clerk from 2004 until her retirement. She was unopposed in her elections as clerk. Pellerin served as President of the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials from 2010 to 2012 and as co-chair of the California Secretary of State’s Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee. ^[4]

Pellerin twice served as an international election monitor in Nagorno-Karabakh, during the 2015 parliamentary and 2017 constitutional referendum elections. ^{[5] [6]}

California State Assembly

Elections

On the last day of candidate filing for the 2022 election, Pellerin filed to run for the California State Assembly in the 28th district, where incumbent Mark Stone had been redistricted from the 29th district and was term-limited. She placed first in the blanket primary with 35.9% of the vote and advanced to the general election against Republican former Monte Sereno mayor Liz Lawler. ^[7] She defeated Lawler with 68% of the vote in the general election. ^[8]

In the 2024 election, Pellerin again faced Lawler in a rematch. She defeated Lawler in the general election with 66.9% of the vote. ^[9]

Tenure

In January 2024, Pellerin signed onto a California Legislative Jewish Caucus letter to fellow California state legislators asking for their "support and solidarity" following the October 7th attacks and a pro-Palestine demonstration by the Jewish Voice for Peace. ^[10] As of July 2024, she was one four legislators who reported at least $1 million in stock market investments in financial disclosures. ^[11]

In August 2025, Pellerin endorsed Proposition 50, part of the broader 2025-2026 United States redistricting effort. ^[12]

Personal life

Pellerin moved to Santa Cruz in 1993 and resides in unincorporated Santa Cruz County. She is Jewish. ^[10] Her husband, Tom Chaffin, died by suicide while they underwent divorce proceedings in November 2018. They had two children, Jacob and Emily. ^[13]

Electoral history

2022

2022 California State Assembly 28th district election ^{[14] [15]}

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Gail Pellerin	41,575	35.9
	Republican	Liz Lawler	34,065	29.4
	Democratic	Rob Rennie	28,592	24.7
	Democratic	Joe Thompson	11,664	10.1
Total votes			115,896	100.0
General election
	Democratic	Gail Pellerin	121,119	68.0
	Republican	Liz Lawler	56,917	32.0
Total votes			178,036	100.0
	Democratic hold

2024

2024 California State Assembly 28th district election ^{[16] [17]}

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Gail Pellerin (incumbent)	85,600	69.2
	Republican	Liz Lawler	38,166	30.8
Total votes			123,766	100.0
General election
	Democratic	Gail Pellerin (incumbent)	151,419	66.9
	Republican	Liz Lawler	75,069	33.1
Total votes			226,488	100.0
	Democratic hold

References

1. "Gail L Pellerin, Born 06/24/1962 in California | CaliforniaBirthIndex.org". californiabirthindex.org. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
2. "Former Santa Cruz County clerk Gail Pellerin announces Assembly run". March 14, 2022.
3. Peña, Larry. "When Mustangs Run". Cal Poly Magazine. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
4. Chapin, Doug (April 3, 2018). "Profile, Q and A Features Santa Cruz, CA's Gail Pellerin". Election Academy. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
5. "A Santa Cruz County clerk invited to the Middle East". KSBW-TV . April 27, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
6. "US, Canada observers praise organizational level of Nagorno Karabakh referendum". Armenpress . February 21, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
7. Murphy, Melissa (June 8, 2022). "Santa Cruz's Gail Pellerin leads state Assembly District 28 race". Santa Cruz Sentinel . Retrieved January 4, 2026.
8. "California State Assembly District 28: Gail Pellerin appears headed for a win over Liz Lawler". Lookout Santa Cruz . November 8, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
9. "With 94% of Ballots Counted, Most Races Are Decided". San Jose Inside . November 12, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
10. Mirsky, Maya (January 4, 2024). "California Jewish lawmakers send colleagues anguished letter asking for support; JWeekly". The Jewish News of Northern California . Retrieved January 4, 2026.
11. Kimelman, Jeremiah (July 1, 2024). "Gail Pellerin Among Top Four Stock Investors in CA Legislature". San Jose Inside . Retrieved January 4, 2025.
12. "CA Elections Chair: We're Protecting Democracy with the Nation's Most Transparent Redistricting". Gail Pellerin, Assemblymember, District 28.
13. Hartman, Melissa (September 23, 2021). "Local public servant, daughter work to open conversation around suicide in Santa Cruz". Santa Cruz Sentinel . Retrieved January 4, 2026.
14. "June 7, 2022, Primary Election - State Assemblymember" (PDF). Secretary of State of California . Retrieved September 18, 2025.
15. "November 8, 2022, General Election - State Assemblymember" (PDF). Secretary of State of California . Retrieved September 18, 2025.
16. "March 5, 2024, Presidential Primary Election - State Assemblymember" (PDF). Secretary of State of California . Retrieved September 18, 2025.
17. "November 5, 2024, General Election - State Assemblymember" (PDF). Secretary of State of California . Retrieved September 18, 2025.

External links

• Profile at Vote Smart
• Gail Pellerin at Ballotpedia