Carolyn Essex

Carolyn Essex earned a high school diploma from the Loma Linda Academy. Essex attended California State University, Los Angeles. Essex's career experience includes working as a consultant.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Carolyn Essex is a 12-year resident of Long Beach, living in City Council District 1. She is a retired City of Los Angeles employee, where she spent 18 years in the Community Development Department as a Policy Analyst overseeing Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding and program accountability.

In addition to her public service career, Carolyn dedicated 4 years to the hospitality industry as an Operations coordinator and 22 years as a caregiver for seniors and children with developmental disabilities, including autism—demonstrating a lifelong commitment to care, dignity, and community support.

She is a proud mother of two adult children and raised her son in the Cambodia Town corridor of Long Beach, where he attended Franklin Elementary and Wilson High School. As a single parent, Carolyn balanced family, work, and service—grounding her perspective in lived experience.

Carolyn also served as a housing coordinator at the Hoffman House, a transitional home supporting formerly incarcerated women. In this role, she helped system-impacted women rebuild their lives, reconnect with their children, and heal from the trauma of incarceration.

Today, Carolyn continues her advocacy on behalf of system-impacted individuals, seniors, the unhoused, and working families. She is a strong voice for K–12 student protections, worker rights, and policies that prioritize dignity, opportunity, and measurable outcomes for all communities.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Legislation should prioritize infrastructure and improve the daily lives of seniors, working families and young people K-12.Legislation should usher in correction to decades of infrastructure neglect, land, highway and homelessness that are plaguing our inner cities.Legislation should usher in economic stimulus

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Human and Civil Rights.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

The endorsement process is seemingly pro-incumbent. The timing of candidate filing and endorsement season favors incumbents over new candidates. I have put my candidacy up for consideration with numerous democratic clubs, unions and issue advocacy organizations.