Summary Bio

Noreen Evans, ’81, chairs the Senate Committee on Judiciary, the Legislative Women’s Caucus, and the Senate Select Committee on Wine. Additionally, she serves as a member of the Committees on Agriculture, Budget, Governmental Organization, and Natural Resources & Water. She represents the 2nd Senate District, covering Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties. Evans also serves on 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. Prior to her election to the Assembly in 2004, she served two terms on the Santa Rosa City Council, and served three years on the Santa Rosa Planning Commission. Evans practiced law for more than 20 years, focusing on civil litigation and appeals, and litigating before both state and federal courts. In June 2012, she became the first woman to receive the Defender of Justice Award from the Judicial Council of California.