Brian Maienschein is an American attorney and politician currently serving in the California State Assembly, representing the 77th district, encompassing parts of northeastern San Diego since 2012.
As San Diego’s first Commissioner on Homelessness, Brian created Project 25 which helped to get individuals off the street and into housing with supportive resources. The initiative saved the taxpayers millions of dollars. Brian has championed the creation of affordable housing and expanded mental health services to help those living on the streets.
Brian has worked to improve the safety of our neighborhoods. He fought back against the placement of a sexually violent predator in Rancho Bernardo and wrote legislation to prohibit violent sexual predators from being housed near children. Brian also authored a number of bills to protect neighborhoods and small businesses from porch pirates and retail theft. To protect our children, Brian passed a law allowing youth sports leagues to perform background checks on coaches.
Having spent 15 years as a single dad raising two daughters, Brian understands the pressures families face. Brian has a strong record of opposing new and higher taxes. He opposed efforts to dramatically raise the cost of rooftop solar and worked to expand access to tax credits for working families.
One of Brian’s top priorities is expanding access to healthcare – including mental health care. Brian has been named a Maternal Mental Health Champion for his work advancing maternal mental health issues. Brian authored a landmark law that required doctors to screen new and expecting mothers for post-partum depression. He has also authored legislation to increase the number of mental health providers and bring more mental health resources to law enforcement officers.
Brian believes in a woman’s fundamental right to determine her own healthcare choices. He has received a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California and NARAL Pro-Choice America for his record of protecting access to reproductive healthcare. Brian firmly opposes any attempt to overturn Roe v. Wade and stood up to the Trump Administration’s attacks on Planned Parenthood.
Brian believes in taking bold action to address the climate crisis. He received an A rating from Sierra Club for his environmentally-friendly voting record. Brian has been a leader, crafting policies to reduce plastic pollution, increase recycling and protect California’s clean air laws. Brian and his family regularly host and participate in I Love A Clean San Diego’s annual community clean-up day.
Brian has been named a Small Business Champion for his record of supporting California’s small businesses. During the COVID-19 pandemic he authored legislation to provide $2 billion in funding to help small businesses recover. Recognizing that San Diego is a national leader in medical science innovation, Brian fought against efforts to eliminate funding for medical research and development projects.
Brian has worked to improve California’s education system and provide students with the tools they need to succeed. To help make college more affordable and accessible for California’s hardworking students, he authored a measure that would freeze tuition rates at our state universities. Brian worked to bring back the Middle Class Scholarship and advocated for placing a cap on college admissions for out-of-state students, creating more enrollment space for California residents. Brian has worked to expand access to Transitional Kindergarten for all families and has prioritized the needs of the disabled community in fighting for special education funding.
Brian is a proud ally of the LGBTQ+ community. He has supported efforts to eliminate conversion therapy and ensure a person’s gender identity is accurately reflected on official records. He voted in favor of legislation to ensure that parents and children are treated the same, regardless of whether the children are born into same-sex or opposite-sex couples.
As a San Diego Councilmember, Brian led the response and recovery efforts during the 2003 Cedar Fire and the 2007 Witch Creek Fire. Following both fires, he set up a one-stop shop for disaster victims. He has secured funding for San Diego County to improve infrastructure to prevent fires and has worked to help recruit new firefighters into fire service to further protect our communities.
Brian is proud of his strong voting record with Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for supporting policies that take assault-style weapons off of our streets and place limits on the number of guns that can be purchased at one time. After the shooting at the Chabad of Poway, Brian helped change the law, removing the loophole that had allowed the shooter to acquire a weapon. Brian has also authored legislation to further prevent persons accused of domestic violence from possessing firearms.
As a champion of animal welfare, Brian believes our state laws should support the humane treatment of animals. He wrote a law to help victims of domestic violence pay for pet deposits in rental housing when trying to escape a dangerous situation. To help give abused animals a second chance at life, Brian authored legislation to prevent dogs seized in criminal dog fighting from being needlessly euthanized. Brian has received numerous awards for his work to protect animals including being named a Humane Hero by the San Diego Humane Society.