Biography

Senator Noreen Evans represents California’s Second Senatorial District, encompassing all or portions of the counties of Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Solano and Sonoma. Due to redistricting, she now also represents Marin County in a “caretaker” capacity.  Senate District 2 stretches 10,000 square miles over one third of California's coastline, and is home to a world-renowned wine industry,  California's beloved and historic giant redwood forests and 55 of California’s treasured State Parks.

Senator Evans currently chairs the Senate Committee on Judiciary, the Senate Select Committee on Wine and the Senate Select Committee on Food: Local, Organic, and Sustainable Systems. Additionally, she serves as a member of the Committees on Human Services, Natural Resources & Water and Legislative Ethics.  Likewise, she is a member and the immediate past chair of the Legislative Women’s Caucus.  Her policy priorities include protecting our environment, fighting for women and children, and reforming our legal system.

Senator Evans previously served in the State Assembly from 2004-2010 where she served as Majority Whip, Democratic Caucus Chair, Human Services Committee Chair, and Budget Committee Chair. She was also a member of the Banking and Finance Committee, the Governmental Organization Committee, and the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. Representing much of California's premium wine growing region, Evans also chaired the Assembly Select Committee on Wine for all of her six years in the Assembly.

Concurrently, Senator Evans serves as a Commissioner for the Commission on the Status of Women where she advises the Governor and the Legislature on inequities in laws, practices, and conditions that affect women. She also serves on the Judicial Council of California, the California Coastal Conservancy, the Pacific Fisheries Legislative Task Force, and the Western State Legislative Forestry Task Force.

Prior to her election to the Assembly in 2004, Evans served two terms on the Santa Rosa City Council, and three years on the Santa Rosa Planning Commission.  An attorney by training, Evans practiced law for more than twenty years, focusing on civil litigation and appeals. She has litigated before both state and federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court.  Recently, Evans became the first woman to receive the Defender of Justice Award from the Judicial Council of California.

Evans has a Juris Doctor degree from the McGeorge School of Law at the University of Pacific and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from California State University, Sacramento.  She lives in Santa Rosa and has three children: Erin, Joel, and Rachel.