Meet Marisol
Marisol Rubio is a Home Health Care Provider and former Original Research Mentor and Bilingual Science Teacher. Throughout her life, Marisol faced challenges with perseverance and resilience - a lesson she learned from her mother who was a first-generation immigrant and single parent who earned a Master’s Degree in Education and taught in a high-need school district for 30 years.
When Marisol became a mother, her daughter was diagnosed with brain cancer at just 13 months old. Marisol became a tireless advocate for her child when medical and educational systems were unresponsive to her daughter’s needs. Because of her persistence, Marisol’s daughter is now a long-term survivor and a college student.
Determined to provide her daughter with a better life, Marisol earned a degree from the University of California, Berkeley in Molecular and Cell Biology, with a Neurobiology emphasis where she also received the P.E.O. Women's Leadership Award.
Using the lessons learned from her mother, the skills developed advocating for her daughter, and the empirical tools gained from her degree and professional work, Marisol concentrated on improving her community and helping the most vulnerable in our society.
A staunch defender of women’s reproductive, disability, and human rights, Marisol is a founding Advisory Board Member for FemTruth Youth™ (a nonprofit based in Danville that advocates for women’s reproductive health and education) and The Natalie Project (a statewide advocacy fund for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities). Marisol is the only candidate in this race that has been a lifelong Democrat, environmentalist, and is 100% Pro-Choice and Pro-LGBTQIA+ rights.
As an Executive Committee Board Member of Sierra Club California and the San Francisco Bay Chapter, Marisol has been at the forefront of addressing climate change and, in this role, she led several Bay Area environmental groups and the Contra Costa Building and Construction Trades Council in developing policy to help workers transition to green jobs.
Marisol’s work as Director and Vice President of the Dublin San Ramon Services District contributed to her district receiving a District of Distinction Award by the Special District Leadership Foundation for their commitment to good governance and to ethical and sound operating practices. She also championed efforts for green infrastructure and electric public works vehicles.
Currently, Marisol is a San Ramon City Councilmember where she brought about the first ever Ad Hoc Climate Action Council and Climate Action Task Force to help establish a standing Sustainability Advisory Committee and where she has been an ardent, successful advocate for disability and senior rights and for inclusionary affordable workforce housing. San Ramon was the first city in Contra Costa County to have their Housing Element approved without delays.
Marisol’s campaign for State Senate is focused on supporting working families, tackling environmental challenges, protecting reproductive freedom, upholding commonsense gun laws, improving education, advancing racial and social justice, addressing our housing crisis in collaboration with our cities, and making healthcare accessible and affordable for all.
Elected and Community Service
Marisol currently serves as a San Ramon City Councilmember. She previously served as Director and Vice President of the Dublin San Ramon Services District (DSRSD). She also has an extensive volunteer background in San Ramon, Contra Costa County, the Bay Area, and the State of California in areas such as disability rights, human rights, workers’ rights, social and racial justice, and the environment.
She is also a Founding Advisory Board Member of a nonprofit that advocates for women’s reproductive health education and treatment, as well as a fund that advances policies to protect individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
ELECTED OFFICE EXPERIENCE:
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Councilmember, City of San Ramon, District 4
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Regional Committees
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Association of Bay Area Governments
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Tri-Valley Affordable Housing
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Central Contra Costa Sanitary District
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Tri-Valley Water
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Dublin San Ramon Services District (DSRSD)
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East Bay Municipal Utility District and Water Issues Liaison
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Street Smarts
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TRAFFIX
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Council Committees
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Policy Committee, Co-Chair
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Infrastructure Committee, Co-Chair
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City Committees:
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Arts Advisory Committee
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Economic Development Advisory Committee
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Housing Advisory Committee
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Teen Council
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City Foundations:
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Arts Foundation, Council Representative
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Former Vice President, Division 1 Director - Dublin San Ramon Services District (DSRSD)
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Chair, DSRSD-EBMUD Recycled Water Authority (DERWA) Joint Powers Agency
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City of San Ramon Liaison
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Central Contra Costa Sanitary District Liaison
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Zone 7 Water Agency Liaison
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ENVIRONMENT:
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Sierra Club California Executive Committee At-Large Member
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Sierra Club San Francisco Bay Chapter Executive Committee At-Large Member
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National and State Leadership Council Member, Elected Officials to Protect America: EOPA connects elected officials to bring about strong environmental policy.
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Co-Chair, Contra Costa Building Trades Council (BTC) Labor – Climate Task Force: A collaboration between various Contra Costa BTC and Bay Area environmental groups to identify points of intersectionality in order to lay the groundwork for Just Transition and to expedite our transition to a green renewable economy and infrastructure.
SMALL BUSINESS:
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Director of Government Relations, San Francisco Bay Hispanic Chamber of Commerce: Bringing government, community, and commerce together across the Bay Area.
FOUNDATIONS:
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Founding Executive Advisory Board Member, The Natalie Project: Fund advocacy group for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
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Founding Executive Board Member, FemTruth Youth™: Nonprofit based in Danville that advocates for reproductive health education.
DEMOCRATIC PARTY LEADERSHIP ROLES:
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Co-Chair / Vice Chair, California Democratic Party Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Committee
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Co-Chair / Vice Chair, Rules Committee Democratic Party of Contra Costa County Central Committee
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Former Co-Chair, Issues Committee Democratic Party of Contra Costa County Central Committee
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President and former Endorsements Chair and Issues Committee Co-Chair, Diablo Valley Democratic Club
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Democratic Party of Contra Costa County Central Committee Delegate 2019 - 2021, 2023 - present
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Democratic Party of Contra Costa County Central Committee Executive Board Member 2023 - present
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SEIU 2015 Delegate, Contra Costa Labor Council
COMMUNITY WORK:
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Elected Tri-Valley Group Executive Committee Member, Sierra Club
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Organizational and Operations Manager & Government Outreach, United Latino Voices
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ADEM (AD 16) Delegate 2021 - 2023
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Issues Committee Co-Chair, Democratic Party of Contra Costa County Central Committee
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Ad Hoc Educational Committee Co-Chair, Democratic Party of Contra Costa County Central Committee
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Educational Committee, Democratic Party Disability Caucus
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Democratic Party Elected Assembly District 16 Delegate
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Patient- & Family-Centered Care, Guest Lecturer, Samuel Merritt University FACES Summer Medical Academy
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Pediatric Oncology Clinic Volunteer, Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
EDUCATION & TRAINING
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B.A., University of California, Berkeley - Molecular and Cell Biology, Neurobiology Emphasis where she was the recipient of the Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO) Women's Leadership Award and member of the Biology Scholars' Program.
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A.A., Diablo Valley College - German, French, Italian - Diablo Valley College, Graduated with 4.0 Honors
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Water Education for Latino Leaders 2023
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San Ramon Government 101 Academy Graduate
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EMERGE 2019 Graduate
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ECHO Trauma Training
My Journey and Activism in Action
From raising a child with brain cancer and long-term disability to advocacy and leadership.
Turning hardship into solutions for my community.
December 2002: The doctors kept making medical errors. The start of my journey into research and advocacy.
Addressing the Board of Supervisors on behalf of SEIU 2015 Home Care Providers
July 26, 2022
Start: 02:07:40 - CCC BOS Public Comment
Since 2004, I have dedicated my life and education towards advocating for the rights of people with disabilities and their home care providers. Why? Because, as a home care provider, I understand how critical our work is to the health and well-being of our loved ones. On more than one occasion, my proactive involvement in my daughter's health care prevented fatal medical errors and led to her successful outcome, including her remission from what was once believed to be terminal brain cancer. Home Care Providers are the backbone of our health care system, and they are saving the lives of their recipients every day as witnessed during the pandemic. They should be able to work without taxing their health and well-being. Without them, our nursing facilities would be overwhelmed, health care costs would sharply rise, and their recipients would be displaced from their homes and receive inferior, impersonal service in a care facility reducing their quality of life. We must do everything possible to maintain and grow this depleting workforce, especially as we face growing demand. The first step towards ensuring that is by providing a living wage.
Elected Officials to Protect America (EOPA)
July 2022
Asking Governor Newsom to Support SB-1020 Clean Energy, Jobs, and Affordability Act of 2022.
Don't Tax the Sun Rally - San Francisco
June 2, 2022
CASA DC Forum
March 2, 2022
I was seeking more concrete answers regarding a timeline for establishing PFAs/PFOAs regulations and some prospective considerations.
Autism Spa: Powerhouse Special Needs Advocates Julie Ann Neward & Marisol Rubio Fighting Back
May 2021
Advocate Like A Mother Podcast
March 27, 2021
"Today we offer you a special bonus episode that requires your attention. We speak with Julie Payne Neward and Marisol Rubio who have proposed to very important legal resolution for legislative consideration including 1) For increasing Caregiver support and 2) Exposing disability sexual assault history within state and federal funded organizations by means of releases 10 years of secret settlement lawsuit details."
