Jim Cooper
Assembly member
Assemblymember Jim Cooper proudly represents California’s 9th Assembly district, which includes the cities of Sacramento, Elk Grove, Galt, and Lodi.
Cooper currently serves as Chair of the Public Employment and Retirement Committee and is also a member the Governmental Organization Committee, Insurance Committee, and
the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on State Administration. Cooper has also served as the Assistant Majority Leader and Assistant Majority Whip under then Speaker of the Assembly, Toni Atkins.
Assemblymember Cooper has an extensive background in law enforcement and local government and serves as the Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Community and Law Enforcement Relations and Responsibilities.
Before joining the Assembly in 2014, Cooper served as a Captain in the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department for 30 years and spent 15 years as Elk Grove’s founding mayor and councilmember. He established solid governing values, balanced the city’s budget, and built a city from the ground up.
Cooper has earned numerous awards, including the Bronze Star for Bravery for actions during the 1991 “Good Guys” hostage crisis. He also spent three years working as the Department’s spokesperson and spent nearly a decade working as an undercover narcotics officer and gang detective –investigating illegal activity to fight drug trafficking in Northern California.
Community service is a significant part of Assemblymember Cooper’s life. He has served on the boards of the Boys & Girls Club, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the Sacramento Children’s Receiving Home.
Cooper grew up in Sacramento and is a graduate of the West Point Leadership Academy and FBI National Academy. He earned a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Saint Mary’s College.