Sonora High Graduate Sworn In As New Assemblywoman

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Sonora, CA — A Tuolumne County native was sworn into office as a new California Assemblymember during a special ceremony held Monday at the state capitol.

Pilar Schiavo, who grew up in Tuolumne County, and graduated from Sonora High School in 1993, won a hotly contested race last month to represent the Santa Clarita Valley in Assembly District 40. Schiavo, a Democrat had 50.2 percent of the vote, and the incumbent Republican, Suzette Valladares received 49.8 percent. Schiavo was the only Democrat to flip an Assembly seat.

Shortly after the swearing-in ceremony, Schiavo talked about her priorities, stating, “For 20 years I have been fighting for good jobs, for guaranteeing healthcare, for housing people can afford, and real solutions to homelessness. I co-founded an organization in my district to address that (homeless support). And so, those are the things I want to work on here. You know I didn’t quit my job as a single mom to run for office for nothing. I am coming up here ready to work, and ready to do good things, and ready to really make a difference in people’s lives.”

We reported in 2017 that Schiavo was a speaker at a pair of town hall forums held at the Sonora Opera Hall focused on healthcare issues.

Schiavo lives in the Southern California community of Chatsworth with her daughter Sofia.