Sally J. Lieber was elected to represent the California State Board of Equalization's Second District in 2022. District 2 is home to 10 million Californians living in 19 counties along the California coast, from Del Norte County to Ventura County. District 2 is renowned for its ancient California redwoods, the wine industry in Napa County, the innovation capital of the world in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley, and the beautiful Pacific Coast.
Lieber served as Chair of the Board of Equalization in 2024, Vice Chair in 2025, and is serving as Chair of the Board in 2026.
Prior to her election to the State Board of Equalization, Lieber served in both local and state office representing the Silicon Valley. She was elected to the Mountain View City Council in 1998, where she served as Vice Mayor and Mayor. She also served on the Valley Transportation Authority's Board of Directors, chaired the Santa Clara Valley Water District's Water Commission, and served on the Santa Clara County Social Services Advisory Commission. As a Councilmember and Mayor, Chair Lieber implemented local tobacco control legislation, created green energy initiatives, and led efforts to preserve and create affordable housing.
In 2002, Lieber was elected to the California State Assembly. In the State Assembly, Lieber became only the third woman to hold the office of Speaker Pro Tempore. Lieber’s work included increasing California's minimum wage, expanding Cal Grants for college students, and increasing supportive housing and housing for low-income households.
Lieber also authored laws that made human trafficking a felony in California; established the Sexual Assault Victim's Bill of Rights; expanded the California Assault Weapons Ban; extended courtroom protections for developmentally disabled and cognitively impaired victims of crime; banned the use of the discriminatory 'panic defense' in hate crimes cases; instituted protections for women inmates; established the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority and the Ocean Protection Council; created clean air protections credited with removing 10+ tons of cancer-causing particulate matter from our air each day; and secured funding for energy efficient schools throughout California.
For more information about the Board of Equalization, visit boe.ca.gov.