Alumni Feature: Senator John Laird

California State Senator John Laird, a Vallejo native, has had a distinguished career in public service. He attended Cave Elementary School, Springstowne Junior High, and graduated from Hogan High School. After earning honors in Politics from UC Santa Cruz, Senator Laird’s career includes serving as a City Council Member and Mayor of Santa Cruz, a member of the Cabrillo College Board of Trustees, in the State Assembly, and as Secretary for Natural Resources for eight years under Governor Jerry Brown. Currently, he represents nearly one million people across Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito, and San Luis Obispo Counties in the California State Senate, where he chairs the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education.

In this Q&A, we asked Senator Laird about his time in Vallejo and his experiences and vision for California’s education system.

1. What is one of your fondest memories of growing up in Vallejo?
One of my fondest memories is the strong sense of community and the friendships I formed. Kids grew up on the same block, played Little League, attended summer camp, and attended school together. Everyone knew each other. The shipyard was booming then—we couldn’t even have a high school dance unless it was a shipyard payday.

2. As the son of teachers, how did your parents’ careers shape your path?
Public education was a core value in our family. My father, the first in his family to attend college, was a teacher, coach, and later a principal at John Swett High School in Crockett. He also organized parades and community sports events. My mother, a re-entry student, volunteered in Vallejo schools, started at Solano College, and earned her teaching credential while I was in college. She went on to teach elementary school until retirement.

3. Did your time in Vallejo schools influence your focus on education in the legislature?
Absolutely. Vallejo’s public schools reflected the community’s diversity, which was a major part of my social development. When I started at UC Santa Cruz, I noticed the lack of that diversity and realized how formative my Vallejo experience had been. That perspective informs my work on education today.

4. Were there moments in Vallejo that sparked your interest in public service?
Yes. I got involved in politics as a senior at Hogan High, working on Eugene McCarthy’s presidential campaign. We walked precincts, ran a grassroots campaign, and learned a lot. I remember the night McCarthy lost—we were all sad, and when I got home, I turned on the TV and saw that Robert Kennedy had been shot. I woke my parents and talked about it again at my graduation ten days later.

Civil rights were also front and center. I won the Navy City Elks Speech Contest in high school with a speech on civil rights—at a time when there were still two Elks Clubs in Vallejo, one of which discriminated by race. That was eye-opening.

5. What was Vallejo’s sense of community like during your childhood?
Vallejo had around 60,000 residents, 10,000 of whom worked at the shipyard. It was the baby boom era, with new neighborhoods, lots of kids, and a strong feeling of camaraderie and belonging.

6. Were there any teachers or mentors who had a lasting impact?
My government teacher, George Steinmetz, made us engage in debates and discussions. He taught me how to think critically, analyze, and defend a point of view. It was excellent preparation for public service.

7. Did school activities shape your leadership skills?
Very much so. The current senator from Vallejo, Christopher Cabaldon, recently found my high school yearbook and noticed how involved I was. I served as class president for three years, participated in High School YMCA (Hi-Y) and Interact, and spent a summer in Spain as an American Ambulance Field Service (AFS) exchange student. These experiences helped shape my leadership and interests.

8. Did Vallejo influence your passion for family history research?
Yes. In high school, my grandparents returned from a trip to the Midwest and told me my great-grandmother was one of 15 children of Norwegian immigrants. I wrote to her youngest surviving sibling, who shared our family’s history before he passed. That sparked my interest in genealogy and oral history.

9. Did any early Vallejo experiences spark your interest in other cultures or languages?
Being an American Ambulance Field Service (AFS) exchange student in Spain really sparked my interest in Spanish. I studied it in college, traveled through Central and South America, sponsored a Cuban refugee, and took Spanish courses at the local community college. I gave weekly radio addresses in Spanish while in the Assembly and continue to give speeches in Spanish as a senator, essential in a district with a large Spanish-speaking population.

10. Did Vallejo’s natural environment influence your environmental work?
Absolutely. My dad’s friend was a biology teacher who guided us through tide pools at Stinson Beach. My dad, a member of the Crockett Striped Bass Club, also took us to the Russian River, the Sierra, and the Delta. Those experiences instilled a deep appreciation for California’s natural resources.

11. Did growing up in Vallejo shape your views on local government?
Yes. I closely followed local government issues like the push to build a new library. I even visited Mayor Florence E. Douglas to talk about those concerns.

12. Are there places in Vallejo that hold special meaning for you today?
Absolutely. The hills where we slid on cardboard, the fields where we played softball, and the streams where we caught tadpoles. I grew up on the East Side—development ended just three blocks above our house. Back then, Blue Rock Springs felt like the countryside. These places are still close to my heart.

14. What advice would you give current VCUSD students?
If I can do it, you can too. I was born and raised in Vallejo and worked my way from local government to the Legislature and Governor’s Cabinet. In a democracy, everyone has the opportunity to lead—but it takes courage, involvement, and a commitment to your community. Don’t wait. Get involved.

15. How did Vallejo's values shape your lifelong commitment to public service?
Vallejo instilled community values: neighbors helping neighbors, students supporting each other, and a shared sense of responsibility. Those values shaped my worldview and continue to guide my dedication to public service.