Richard Bloom
Richard Bloom | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Superior Court of Los Angeles County | |
| In office January 31, 2023 – January 17, 2025 | |
| Appointed by | Gavin Newsom |
| Preceded by | Veronica Ramos |
| Member of the California State Assembly | |
| In office December 3, 2012 – December 5, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Ricardo Lara |
| Succeeded by | Rick Zbur |
| Mayor of Santa Monica | |
| In office December 2010 – December 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Terry O'Day |
| Succeeded by | Gleam Davis, Kevin McKeown |
| Member of the Santa Monica City Council | |
| In office 1999–2012 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 22, 1953 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Robbie Black |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of California, Berkeley (BA) Loyola Marymount University (JD) |
| Profession | Attorney |
| Website | www |
Richard Hershel Bloom (born June 22, 1953) is an American attorney, politician, and jurist. Bloom was most recently a state judge in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, and now serves as a lawyer and consultant in Santa Monica, California. A member of the Democratic Party, Bloom formerly served as a member of the California State Assembly for the 50th district from 2012 to 2022, which encompasses West Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Agoura Hills, Malibu, Topanga, and Santa Monica.
Prior to being elected to the Assembly in 2012, he served as mayor of the independent enclave of Santa Monica within Los Angeles. For thirteen years he was a member of the Santa Monica City Council. On January 31, 2023, Bloom was appointed a state judge by Governor Gavin Newsom.[1] In January 2025, he announced he would step down from the court after serving two years.[2]
Early life and education
[edit]Bloom was born to an Ashkenazi Jewish family and raised in Altadena and West Los Angeles. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication from the University of California, Berkeley and a Juris Doctor from the Loyola Law School.[3]
Career
[edit]Bloom has served in local and state level politics after practicing law from 1978 to 2005 as a sole practitioner.[4] From 2005 to 2007, he was the Executive Director of Levitt Quinn Family Law Center in Santa Monica, California.[2] Afterward, he also served as the Executive Director of People Assisting the Homeless from 2008 to 2010.[5]
As Superior County Judge in Los Angeles county, he served as the judge in a popularized harassment case between rappers Meg The Stallion and Tory Lanez.[6][7]
Santa Monica City Council
[edit]First elected in 1999, Bloom served on the Santa Monica City Council for 13 years, serving three terms as the mayor and two terms as mayor pro-tempore. Bloom also served as Chair of the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission.[citation needed]
California Assembly
[edit]Bloom defeated incumbent Assemblymember Betsy Butler in 2012.[citation needed]
Bloom serves on the following Assembly committees: Transportation, Budget, Arts & Entertainment, Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials, and Higher Education. He also serves on Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 6 on Budget Process, Oversight and Program Evaluation and is the Chairman of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 3 on Resources and Transportation.[citation needed] Bloom was also member of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus.
On November 4, 2014, Bloom was re-elected to a second term with nearly 72% of the vote.[citation needed] Bloom did not run in the 2022 election. On December 5, 2022, Rick Chavez Zbur was sworn in as Bloom's successor.
Environment
[edit]In 2013, Bloom authored the Bobcat Protection Act, which has since been signed into law, but did not result in protection of the Bobcat due to loopholes. Public pressure played a key role to influence the California governor to direct the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to ban trapping of the bobcat within the state. Despite the new legislation, hunting or trapping the bobcat within the state's national parks or the California State Parks has been illegal since 1918.[citation needed]
On March 7, 2014, Bloom introduced legislation AB2140 to ban live performances and captive breeding of orcas.[8] The bill stalled in the state in April 2014. The legislation, if passed, would have effectively ended SeaWorld San Diego's "Shamu" performances.[9][10] Despite the failure of the bill in the legislature, amid growing pressure from the documentary Blackfish, released in 2013, SeaWorld changed its orca show from live stunts to an educational focus. In 2015, Bloom introduced a separate but similar bill, the Orca Welfare and Safety Act to ban captive orca performances. In 2016, the bill passed both chambers, entering effect in 2017.[11] SeaWorld San Diego had already stopped its breeding program in March 2016, and following the death of the orca Tilikum, abandoned its live orca show in 2017, with other SeaWorld locations following suit by 2019.[12]
In 2019, Bloom introduced legislation to ban second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides.[13] The bill passed as the California Ecosystems Protection Act in 2020.[14]
In the 2015 legislative session, Bloom introduced AB888 to ban plastic microbeads in personal care products.[15] The purpose was to eliminate the use of plastics within facial scrubs.[16] The bill was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown.[citation needed]
Culture and arts
[edit]Bloom also authored Assembly Bill 189 which was signed into law and established the California Cultural Districts program.[17]
Electoral history
[edit]2014 California State Assembly
[edit]| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Richard Bloom (incumbent) | 42,332 | 73.4 | |
| Republican | Bradley S. Torgan | 15,370 | 26.6 | |
| Total votes | 57,702 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Richard Bloom (incumbent) | 78,093 | 71.5 | |
| Republican | Bradley S. Torgan | 31,113 | 28.5 | |
| Total votes | 109,206 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2016 California State Assembly
[edit]| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Richard Bloom (incumbent) | 92,315 | 79.6 | |
| Republican | Matthew Gene Craffey | 23,613 | 20.4 | |
| Total votes | 115,928 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Richard Bloom (incumbent) | 158,967 | 74.6 | |
| Republican | Matthew Gene Craffey | 54,016 | 25.4 | |
| Total votes | 212,983 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2018 California State Assembly
[edit]| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Richard Bloom (incumbent) | 79,458 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 79,458 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Richard Bloom (incumbent) | 167,428 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 167,428 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2020 California State Assembly
[edit]| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Richard Bloom (incumbent) | 89,797 | 78.7% | |
| Democratic | Will Hess | 16,482 | 14.5% | |
| Democratic | Jim King | 7,750 | 6.8% | |
| Total votes | ||||
| Democratic hold | ||||
References
[edit]- ↑ "Governor Newsom Announces Judicial Appointments 1.31.23". January 31, 2023.
- 1 2 "Judge Richard Bloom to Leave Los Angeles Superior Court". www.metnews.com. Retrieved 2026-08-21.
- ↑ Arom, Eitan (January 6, 2017). "Jewish state legislators ready to make an impact". Jewish Journal.
- ↑ "Richard Bloom appointed LA County Superior Court Judge". SMDP. 2023-02-08. Retrieved 2026-08-21.
- ↑ "Mori, Cody Nominated as C.A. Justices, Bloom Appointed to L.A. Superior Court". www.metnews.com. Retrieved 2026-08-21.
- ↑ "Megan Thee Stallion restraining order against Tory Lanez extended to 2030". NBC News. 2025-01-11. Retrieved 2026-08-21.
- ↑ Press • •, Andrew Dalton | The Associated (2024-12-17). "Megan Thee Stallion seeks restraining order, says imprisoned Tory Lanez continues to harass her". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved 2026-08-21.
- ↑ Press, Associated (2014-04-08). "California bill to end killer whale shows at SeaWorld 'on hold'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-08-21.
- ↑ "UPDATE 1-California bill would ban orca shows, captive breeding". Reuters. 8 March 2014.
- ↑ "San Diego mayor blasts bill to ban orca shows at SeaWorld". Los Angeles Times. 8 March 2014.
- ↑ Park, Madison (2016-09-14). "California bans killer whale theatrical shows, breeding | CNN". CNN. Retrieved 2026-08-21.
- ↑ Dwyer, Colin (2017-01-08). "SeaWorld Ends Its Orca Theatrics In San Diego, But Critics Aren't Convinced". NPR. Retrieved 2026-08-21.
- ↑ California, State of (2020-09-29). "Governor Newsom Signs Legislation to Protect Mountain Lions and Other Wildlife from Toxic Rodenticides". Governor of California. Retrieved 2026-08-21.
- ↑ "Gov. Newsom Signs Bill Protecting Wild Animals from Super-toxic Rat Poisons" (Press release). Government of California. September 29, 2020 – via Center for Biological Diversity.
- ↑ "Today's Law As Amended - AB-888 Waste management: plastic microbeads". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2026-08-21.
- ↑ "Richard Bloom". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2026-08-21.
- ↑ "California Designates 10 New Cultural Districts". California Arts Council. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
- ↑ "Statement of Vote" (PDF). Retrieved 28 June 2024.