Jim Frazier, a local small-business owner, was elected to the California State Assembly in November, 2012 to represent the 11th Assembly District. The 11th District encompasses portions of Solano, Contra Costa and Sacramento counties and includes the following cities, towns and areas: Antioch, Bethel Island, Birds Landing, Brentwood, Byron, Collinsville, Discovery Bay, Fairfield, Isleton, Knightsen, Locke, Oakley, Pittsburg (partial), Rio Vista, Suisun City, Travis AFB, Vacaville and Walnut Grove.

Frazier became involved in public service after a family tragedy. On December 16, 2000, his two daughters were in a head-on auto collision caused by black ice on their way to Lake Tahoe. The accident was fatal for his oldest daughter, and left his younger daughter in critical condition. Grief-stricken, Frazier and his wife Janet worked to help prevent other families from undergoing the same painful experience. In their research, they learned that there had been 143 accidents and numerous fatalities on the same two-mile stretch where his daughters’ accident had occurred. Jim and Janet succeeded in convincing Caltrans to widen the median and install a new pavement that would prevent black ice from forming on that part of the highway. This unfortunate tragedy sparked Frazier’s interest in highway safety and transportation infrastructure improvements, which led to his further involvement in public service.

In 2008, Frazier was elected to the Oakley City Council after serving on the city’s Planning Commission and as a Commissioner on the Contra Costa Transportation Authority’s Citizen Advisory Committee. He later served as the Mayor of Oakley from 2011-2012. As a local government official, Frazier delivered $83,000,000 for Highway 4 Bypass improvements, creating 1,400 new jobs; $50,000,000 to fund highway 160 improvements, creating 700 new jobs; and $33,000,000 to fund the Sand Creek Interchange. Frazier not only made his mark in transportation, he also fought for the successful opening of a first-of-its kind medical clinic in Oakley and helped build the area’s first “all-abilities” playground for children with special needs. Frazier also served as Chair of TRANSPLAN, was Chair of the State Route 4 Bypass Authority, and a member of the E-BART Advisory Committee. He received the Oakley Citizen of the Year Award, the Threads of Hope Award, and the Bay Area Jefferson Award for Public Service.

Upon joining the Legislature in 2012, Frazier was appointed as Chair of the Assembly Accountability and Administrative Review Committee by Speaker John A. Pérez. He was also appointed as a member on the Assembly’s Insurance Committee, Transportation Committee, Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee, and the Select Committee on Protecting California’s Food Safety Programs. Frazier also serves as an Advisory Member of the State Public Works Board.

Since being elected, Frazier has made it his mission to be accessible to all of his constituents. To accomplish that, he has held numerous community coffees and mobile district offices. Frazier also continues to be a strong advocate for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta. As a member of the Delta Protection Commission, his continuous efforts are focused on the protection of fish and wildlife, safeguarding farmers and their flourishing agricultural industry, the promotion of water conservation and improved water quality, the responsible management of land use and development, and the preservation of the environmental and economic viability of the Delta.

In his first year of office, five of Frazier’s bills were signed into law by the Governor:

AB 287: This bill allows the names of veterans who were not included on the original California Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Capitol Park to be added, including veterans who have died from injuries or illness directly related to their service in the war.

AB 417: This bill promotes using bikes as an alternative means of transportation by simplifying the approval process for bicycle transportation plans.

AB 513: This bill helps California recycle used tires safely and efficiently by combining them with asphalt binder to create a road paving material. This road paving material has been proven to reduce road noise, to be strong and durable, save money, and provide an efficient way to recycle tires.

AB 1070: This bill makes technical changes to ensure that project investments in transportation bonds comply with state, federal, and environmental requirements as projects are planned and built.

AB 1336: This bill protects employees from employer abuses, and protects the public by ensuring that construction is being done by workers with appropriate training and that they are being properly compensated for their work.

In the coming years, Frazier’s priorities will include the ongoing protection of the Delta, repairing the infrastructure of roads and highways, limiting hikes in college tuition, maintaining funds for local public safety, restoring funding towards special needs programs and encouraging job creation.

Assembly member Frazier resides in Oakley with his wife of 35 years, Janet Frazier, and his beloved black Labrador, Rocky.