Jesse Gabriel

Jesse Samuel Gabriel (born September 25, 1981) is an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, Gabriel represents California's 46th State Assembly district, which includes much of the western San Fernando Valley, in the California State Assembly.

Gabriel currently serves as Chair of the powerful Assembly Budget Committee as well as Chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus. During his time in the legislature, he has authored more than 50 new laws and has been recognized as a “California Influencer” by The Sacramento Bee.

Early life and education Gabriel was born in Berkeley, California, and raised in Oak Park, California. He is Jewish.

In 2004, Gabriel graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a bachelor's degree in political science. At Berkeley, he served as student government president in the Associated Students of the University of California during the 2002–03 academic year. He earned his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, where he graduated with honors and received the Dean's Award for Community Leadership from then Dean and now U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Elena Kagan.

Career From 2008 to 2010, he served as counsel to Evan Bayh while Bayh was serving as a member of the United States Senate.

Before being elected to the California State Assembly, Gabriel worked as a constitutional rights and general litigation attorney for Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Los Angeles, where he was a part of the firm's litigation and public policy groups. Gabriel's most notable cases included representing victims of domestic abuse, Holocaust survivors, and groups facing hate-motivated violence. In 2017, he filed two lawsuits against the Trump Administration on behalf of young illegal immigrants, also known as Dreamers, who were protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. He received the California Lawyer Attorney of the Year award from The Daily Journal in 2018.

Prior to his election in 2018, Gabriel served as a board member of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and the League of Conservation Voters. He also was appointed by Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky to the Los Angeles County Commission on Local Governmental Services.

California Assembly Following Matt Dababneh's resignation from the California State Assembly after numerous charges of sexual harassment, effective December 31, 2017, Gabriel announced his candidacy in a special election to replace him in California's 45th State Assembly district.

Constitutional Rights

Gabriel was a principal co-author of the constitutional amendment to protect reproductive freedom in the California Constitution. He also co-authored the constitutional amendment to protect marriage equality in the California Constitution.

Public safety

In 2019, Gabriel co-founded a legislative working group that hosted former congresswoman and gun control advocate Gabrielle Giffords, the Brady Campaign, and Moms Demand Action with the purpose of discussing gun control in California and enacting more than a dozen new gun safety measures.

In 2023, Gabriel authored the Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Act, a first-in-the-nation measure which taxes gun industry profits to fund gun violence prevention and school safety in communities across California. This legislation was supported by a coalition of more than 100 gun safety groups but was strongly opposed by the National Rifle Association and the California Rifle & Pistol Association. Governor Newsom signed the bill into law on September 26, 2023. Gabriel also authored legislation prohibiting the sale of DIY machine guns, which Governor Newsom signed on October 10, 2025.

In 2025, following the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire, which both struck Los Angeles County, Gabriel introduced legislation strengthening penalties for looting and impersonation of first responders during wildfires and other emergencies. Governor Newsom signed the bill as part of a package of legislation supporting recovery and rebuilding efforts.

Food safety and ultraprocessed foods

In 2023, Gabriel authored the California Food Safety Act, a bipartisan measure to ban red dye no. 3, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, and propylparaben from foods sold in California. The bill received significant national and international press coverage and was described as a “truly historic win for consumers”. The bill passed the legislature on a bipartisan vote in both houses and was signed into law by Governor Newsom on October 7, 2023. The legislation passed with bipartisan support and was signed by Governor Newsom on September 28, 2024.

In 2025, Gabriel authored the Real Food, Healthy Kids Act, landmark legislation that provides the first-ever statutory definition of ultra-processed food and will phase out the most harmful ultra-processed foods from California schools. Governor Newsom signed the bill into law at a signing ceremony on October 8, 2025, where he celebrated the law as a first-in-the-nation measure to ensure California students have access to healthy meals made from real foods, not harmful chemical additives.

Environmental protection

Gabriel is consistently ranked as one of the Legislature’s most committed environmentalists. A former Board Member of the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters, he has championed efforts to address climate change, expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure, encourage water conservation, and protect California’s precious natural resources.

Supporting small businesses

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gabriel authored several measures cutting red tape and helping struggling neighborhood restaurants safely expand outdoor dining.

Housing and homelessness Gabriel has worked extensively on legislation to address housing and homelessness in California. He has authored bills to support homeless veterans, increase accountability for homelessness funding and programs, and deliver more affordable housing.

Electoral history

Personal life Gabriel lives in Encino with his wife Rachel Rosner, an affordable housing attorney, and their three sons.