Richard Bloom
{{short description|American politician|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Richard Bloom
|image = Richard Bloom, 2013.jpg
|state_assembly = California
|district = 50th
|term_start = December 3, 2012
|term_end = December 5, 2022
|predecessor = Ricardo Lara
|successor = Rick Zbur
|office2 = Mayor of Santa Monica
|term_start2 = December 2010
|term_end2 = December 2012
|predecessor2 = Terry O'Day
|successor2 = Gleam Davis, Kevin McKeown
|office3 = Member of the Santa Monica City Council
|term_start3 = 1999
|term_end3 = 2012
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1953|06|22}}
|birth_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
|death_date =
|death_place =
|party = Democratic
|spouse = Robbie Black
|children = 2
|residence = Santa Monica, California, U.S.
|education = University of California, Berkeley (BA)
Loyola Marymount University (JD)
|profession =
|signature =
|website = {{URL|http://www.richardbloom.com/}}
|footnotes =
}}
Richard Hershel Bloom (born June 22, 1953) is an American attorney, politician, and jurist, who currently serves as a state judge in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County. A member of the Democratic Party, Bloom formerly served as a member of the California State Assembly for the 50th district from 2012 to 2022, which encompasses West Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Agoura Hills, Malibu, Topanga, and Santa Monica.
Bloom was a member of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus. Prior to being elected to the Assembly in 2012, he served as mayor of Santa Monica and for thirteen years on the Santa Monica City Council. On January 31, 2022, Bloom was appointed a state judge by Governor Gavin Newsom.
Early life and education
Bloom was born to an Ashkenazi Jewish family and raised in Altadena and West Los Angeles. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication from the University of California, Berkeley and a Juris Doctor from the Loyola Law School.{{Cite web|last=Arom|first=Eitan|date=January 6, 2017|title=Jewish state legislators ready to make an impact|url=http://jewishjournal.com/news/nation/213428/|publisher=Jewish Journal}}
Career
=Santa Monica City Council=
First elected in 1999, Bloom served on the Santa Monica City Council for 13 years, serving as mayor three times and mayor pro tempore twice. Bloom also served as Chair of the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}
=California Assembly=
Bloom defeated incumbent Assemblymember Betsy Butler in 2012.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}
Bloom serves on the following Assembly committees: Transportation, Budget, Arts & Entertainment, Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials, and Higher Education. He also serves on Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 6 on Budget Process, Oversight and Program Evaluation and is the Chairman of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 3 on Resources and Transportation.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}
In 2013, Bloom authored the Bobcat Protection Act, which has since been signed into law, but did not result in protection of the Bobcat due to loopholes. Public pressure played a key role to influence the California Governor to direct his California Fish and Game Commission to ban trapping of Bobcat in California, even though killing the Bobcat in California National Parks and Califorania State Parks has been illegal since 1918.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}
On March 7, 2014, Bloom introduced legislation to ban live performances and captive breeding of orcas. The legislation, if passed into law, would affect SeaWorld San Diego's "Shamu" performances.{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-orcas-california-idUSL1N0M428L20140308|title = UPDATE 1-California bill would ban orca shows, captive breeding|newspaper = Reuters|date = 8 March 2014}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-mayor-orcas20140307,0,5199233.story#axzz2vKtBJhqW|title=San Diego mayor blasts bill to ban orca shows at SeaWorld|website=Los Angeles Times |date=8 March 2014}}
On November 4, 2014, Bloom was re-elected to a second term with nearly 72% of the vote.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}
In the 2015 legislative session, Bloom introduced legislation to ban plastic microbeads in personal care products. The bill has been signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}
In the 2016 legislative session, Bloom re-introduced legislation to ban captive orca shows. The bill passed both chambers of the legislature.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}
Bloom did not run in the 2022 election. On December 5, 2022, Rick Chavez Zbur was sworn in as Bloom's successor.
Electoral history
=2014 California State Assembly =
{{see also|California State Assembly elections, 2014}}
{{Election box open primary begin no change
| title = California's 50th State Assembly district election, 2014
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = California Democratic Party
| candidate = Richard Bloom (incumbent)
| votes = 42,332
| percentage = 73.4
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = California Republican Party
| candidate = Bradley S. Torgan
| votes = 15,370
| percentage = 26.6
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 57,702
| percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box open primary general election no change}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| party = California Democratic Party
| candidate = Richard Bloom (incumbent)
| votes = 78,093
| percentage = 71.5
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = California Republican Party
| candidate = Bradley S. Torgan
| votes = 31,113
| percentage = 28.5
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 109,206
| percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box hold with party link no change
| winner = California Democratic Party
}}
{{Election box end}}
=2016 California State Assembly =
{{see also|California State Assembly election, 2016}}
{{Election box open primary begin no change
| title = California's 50th State Assembly district election, 2016
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = California Democratic Party
| candidate = Richard Bloom (incumbent)
| votes = 92,315
| percentage = 79.6
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = California Republican Party
| candidate = Matthew Gene Craffey
| votes = 23,613
| percentage = 20.4
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 115,928
| percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box open primary general election no change}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| party = California Democratic Party
| candidate = Richard Bloom (incumbent)
| votes = 158,967
| percentage = 74.6
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = California Republican Party
| candidate = Matthew Gene Craffey
| votes = 54,016
| percentage = 25.4
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 212,983
| percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box hold with party link no change
| winner = California Democratic Party
}}
{{Election box end}}
=2018 California State Assembly =
{{see also|California State Assembly election, 2018}}
{{Election box open primary begin no change
| title = California's 50th State Assembly district election, 2018
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = California Democratic Party
| candidate = Richard Bloom (incumbent)
| votes = 79458
| percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 79458
| percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box open primary general election no change}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| party = California Democratic Party
| candidate = Richard Bloom (incumbent)
| votes = 167428
| percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 167428
| percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box hold with party link no change
| winner = California Democratic Party
}}
{{Election box end}}
=2020 California State Assembly<ref>{{cite web |title=Statement of Vote |url=https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2020-primary/sov/complete-sov.pdf |access-date=28 June 2024}}</ref>=
{{Election box open primary begin no change
| title = 2020 California's 50th State Assembly district election
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = California Democratic Party
| candidate = Richard Bloom (incumbent)
| votes = 89,797
| percentage = 78.7%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = California Democratic Party
| candidate = Will Hess
| votes = 16,482
| percentage = 14.5%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = California Democratic Party
| candidate = Jim King
| votes = 7,750
| percentage = 6.8%
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes =
| percentage =
}}
{{Election box hold with party link no change
| winner = California Democratic Party
}}
{{Election box end}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://asmdc.org/members/a50/}}
- [http://www.joincalifornia.com/candidate/13857 Join Richard Bloom]
{{California State Assembly}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bloom, Richard}}
Category:Jewish state legislators in California
Category:Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly
Category:Politicians from Santa Monica, California
Category:21st-century American Jews
Category:21st-century members of the California State Legislature