Assemblymember James C. Ramos, a lifelong resident of the San
Manuel Indian Reservation in San Bernardino County, is a member of
the Serrano/Cahuilla tribe.
Ramos, the first California Native American to serve in the California
State Assembly, was elected to represent residents of the 45th District
on November 8, 2022. His district includes the communities of
Fontana, Highland, Mentone, Muscoy, Redlands, Rialto, and San
Bernardino.
As a child, he lived with his family in a mobile home in one of the most
poverty-stricken areas in San Bernardino County. To help support his
family while attending school, he worked in fast food restaurants and
as a janitor in the San Bernardino City Unified School District. Ramos
went to local public schools and graduated from San Gorgonio High
School. He understood the importance of education. He received an
Associate of Arts degree in Business at Victor Valley College, a
Bachelor of Science in Business with a concentration in Accounting at
California State University, San Bernardino, and a Master of Business
Administration degree at the University of Redlands.
Ramos’ commitment to public service led to a number of firsts: first
Native American appointed to the State Board of Education; first
Indian to serve on the San Bernardino Community College Board of
Trustees; first Native American elected to the San Bernardino County
Board of Supervisors and later first Native American board chair.
He is also a former chairman of the San Manuel Band of Mission
Indians. Ramos’s wide range of experience and knowledge of local
and regional issues is complemented by his unique ability to bring
Republicans and Democrats together to collaborate on controversial
issues. It also led to an appointment by Republican Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger to the California State Native American Heritage
Commission. Governor Jerry Brown named him to the State Board of
Education in 2011.
In Ramos’s first term in the Assembly, he championed mental health
issues such as bullying and suicide prevention before COVID-19
exacerbated the mental health crisis.