February 3, 2025
Former California Senator Josh Newman, and long-time proponent of OCBC’s mission to further Orange County’s economy, has accepted an unpaid appointment as a senior fellow with UC Irvine’s School of Social Ecology. Newman will help the school in attracting the attention of policymakers and hosting events. He also will co-teach a class with Dean Jon Gould on California’s future.
“I’m delighted to have been offered this opportunity to serve as a senior fellow at UCI’s School of Social Ecology,” Newman says. “I’m very much looking forward to working closely with Dean Gould and other members of the school’s talented staff to bring real-world insights on politics and policy as part of the school’s mission of developing future leaders in education, research, public policy, and community action.”
Newman served in the California State Senate from 2016 to 2018, and again from 2020 to 2024, representing the 29th Senate District, which includes parts of Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties.
Following his graduation from Yale University with a bachelor’s degree in history, Newman enlisted in the U.S. Army and served as an officer in South Korea with the 25th Infantry Division. After his military service, he had a successful career in technology. He also founded and served as the executive director of ArmedForce2Workforce, an initiative to assist young veterans in the Orange County/Greater Los Angeles area in the pursuit of rewarding, career-oriented post-service employment.
His tenure in the State Senate included service as chair of the Senate Committee on Education, as well as serving as a member on the senate committees for Transportation; Elections & Constitutional Amendments; Energy, Utilities & Communication; and Budget & Fiscal Review. He also served as the Senate’s representative to the California Transportation Commission and the State Allocations Board, as well as chair of the Senate Select Committee on the Transition to a Clean Energy Future; chair of the Senate Special Committee on Pandemic Emergency Response, and as a member of the Senate Select Committee on Hydrogen and the Senate Mental Health Caucus.
Throughout his time in the Senate, Newman says he focused on finding common sense, pragmatic solutions to help improve quality of life for California families. He successfully authored more than 40 pieces of legislation, and his legislative priorities included transparency in government and election reform; developing effective, market-based policies to advance California’s transition to renewable energy, decarbonize transportation, reform battery and textile recycling, and expand California’s housing supply; ensuring the alignment of California’s workforce to its rapidly evolving 21st century economy; addressing the root causes of homelessness; and improving California’s educational systems and enhancing student outcomes.
His recent awards and commendations include recognition as UC’s Legislator of the Year, the CalAsian Chamber’s Senator of the Year, the California Municipal Utilities Association’s Energy Legislative Leader Award, the American Academy of Pediatrics of California’s Legislator of the Year Award, the California Optometric Association’s Legislator of the Year Award, the Hydrogen Car Owners Association’s Platinum Proton Award, the California Pharmacists Association’s Friend of Pharmacy Award, the Los Angeles BizFed’s Common Sense Award, and three separate awards honoring outstanding achievement in legislation by the California Product Stewardship Council.
