# Rebecca Bauer-Kahan

Rebecca Beth Bauer-Kahan (née Bauer; born October 28, 1978) is an American attorney and politician who has served as a member of the California State Assembly from the 16th district since 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, her district extends from Lamorinda to the Tri-Valley region of the San Francisco Bay Area. She has been described as a women's rights advocate.

## Early life and education

Bauer-Kahan was born Rebecca Beth Bauer in Portola Valley, California, on October 28, 1978. She is Jewish. Her grandparents came to the United States as refugees in 1939 after fleeing Austria to escape the Holocaust.
Bauer-Kahan spent her childhood in the Bay Area and attended Bay Area public schools. In 2000, she graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor of arts in psychology. She then enrolled at Georgetown University and graduated with a juris doctor in 2004.

## Early career

Bauer-Kahan practiced law in Washington, D.C. before returning to the Bay Area in 2005. As an attorney specializing in environmental law, she led internal investigations into corporations to improve their environmental practices and worked with tech companies on intellectual property cases. She was also an immigration attorney for the International Refugee Assistance Project, and on their behalf in 2017, she coordinated legal services at San Francisco International Airport to assist refugees and immigrants impacted by the Trump administration’s travel ban.
In 2010, Bauer-Kahan became a law professor at Santa Clara University, teaching appellate law and legal research and writing. She joined the faculty of Golden Gate University as a law professor in 2014. She decided to enter politics following the 2016 presidential election.

## California State Assembly
### Tenure

Bauer-Kahan was first elected to the California State Assembly in 2018, narrowly defeating Republican incumbent Catharine Baker.
Soon after being sworn in, Bauer-Kahan ascended to a leadership role, becoming assistant speaker pro tempore of the Assembly; she left her leadership role after one term. She also founded the Select Committee on Reproductive Health—the first committee of its kind in the nation—during her first term.
To date, Bauer-Kahan has authored over 50 pieces of legislation that have been signed into law. Her legislation covers a variety of topics, such as gun control, food safety, reproductive rights, and environmental protection. Her signature piece of legislation is AB 1666, which protects abortion providers from civil liability and was signed into law by Gavin Newsom on the day Roe v. Wade was overturned. She also serves on 12 committees and currently chairs the Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee and the Select Committee on Reproductive Health.
Bauer-Kahan is a member of the California Legislative Progressive Caucus.
In May 2024 she spoke along with Juan Alanis in front of the California Assembly to support Assembly Bill 3080, requiring age verification on porn sites, which passed to the California Senate with 65 "yes" votes and 15 abstains. She mentioned the statistic that about 40% of college women report being choked during sexual encounters, saying that it was the result of porn viewing, describing the bill as being about "making sure [our children] learn healthy behaviours."

#### Significant Legislation

* Plastic Bag Ban - SB 1053: bans the distribution of plastic bags at grocery store checkouts.
* Protecting Reproductive Health Clinics - AB 2099: Protects abortion care by increasing penalties for harassing reproductive patients and providers.
* Abortion Medical Privacy - AB 352: puts up guardrails on cross-state sharing of medical records to protect abortion patients and providers across the country.
* Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Phone Line - AB 988 - The Miles Hall Lifeline Act creates an alternative to 911 for individuals having a mental health crisis by creating an easy three-digit phone number – 988 – for immediate, non-police, response of mental health support, including in-person support from mental health professionals.
* Elimination of the “Pink Tax” - AB 1287 - Removes price-based gender discrimination, ensuring women's equal access to commercial goods by prohibiting the arbitrary higher pricing of identical products just because of the gender they are marketed to - known as the "Pink Tax.”
* Covered California Extension - AB 1309 - Allows more Californians access to affordable health care by shifting the open enrollment period by 15 days, and eliminates lapses in coverage for those who purchase health insurance through the Covered California Health Exchange or the individual health exchange market.

#### Committees

Standing Committees
* Privacy and Consumer Protection, Chair
* Insurance
* Judiciary
* Natural Resources
* Utilities and Energy
Select Committees
* Select Committee on Reproductive Health, Chair
* Select Committee on California's Mental Health Crisis
* Select Committee on Cybersecurity
* Select Committee on Green Innovation and Entrepreneurship
* Select Committee on Police Reform
* Select Committee on Poverty and Economic Inclusion
* Select Committee on State Parks

#### Caucus memberships

* Assembly Democratic Caucus
* Bay Area Caucus
* Environmental Legislative Caucus
* Legislative Jewish Caucus
* Legislative Progressive Caucus
* Legislative Technology and Innovation Caucus

### Elections
#### 2018

2018 California's 16th State Assembly district election :
| Primary election |||||
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Catharine Baker (incumbent) | 69,360 | 56.6 |
| | Democratic | Rebecca Bauer-Kahan | 53,269 | 43.4 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 122,629 | 100.0 |
| General election |||||
| | Democratic | Rebecca Bauer-Kahan | 111,222 | 51.0 |
| | Republican | Catharine Baker (incumbent) | 106,683 | 49.0 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 217,905 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |

#### 2020

2020 California's 16th State Assembly district election :
| Primary election |||||
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (incumbent) | 85,751 | 67.3 |
| | Republican | Joseph A. Rubay | 41,757 | 32.7 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 127,508 | 100.0 |
| General election |||||
| | Democratic | Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (incumbent) | 192,977 | 67.4 |
| | Republican | Joseph A. Rubay | 93,137 | 32.6 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 286,114 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

#### 2022

2022 California's 16th State Assembly district election :
| Primary election |||||
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (incumbent) | 80,054 | 66.6 |
| | Republican | Joseph A. Rubay | 40,203 | 33.4 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 120,257 | 100.0 |
| General election |||||
| | Democratic | Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (incumbent) | 130,813 | 65.7 |
| | Republican | Joseph A. Rubay | 68,149 | 34.3 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 198,962 | 100.0 |

## Personal life

Bauer-Kahan married her husband, Darren Kahan, in 2007. When they married, both took the surname Bauer-Kahan.
They have three children together and live in Orinda, California.