Meet Paula Swift

Dr. Paula Swift is a devoted small business owner, educator, advocate, and proud wife and mother who understands the complexity of life in California, the opportunities it creates, and the challenges that too often keep families from thriving. She is running for State Assembly District 70 because Californians deserve a leader who listens, understands, and delivers real solutions that make daily life more affordable.

A native Californian raised with the values of hard work, service, and community, Paula put herself through college while raising a family. Her academic achievements are not simply credentials; they are the tools she uses to solve problems, build consensus, and create meaningful change. 

For more than twenty years, Paula has worked across the nonprofit, public, and private sectors, devoting her career to strengthening systems that should support, not fail, the people they serve. As CEO of her consulting firm, she partners with government agencies, schools, small businesses, and community organizations to address inequities, improve operations, and expand access to essential resources. 

In addition to her role as CEO, Paula serves as an adjunct professor at a local college. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Azusa Pacific University, a Master of Communication Management, and a Doctorate in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California.

A proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, she embodies a lifelong commitment to leadership, service, and community empowerment. She and her husband are the proud parents of three adult children and a cherished Cane Corso.

Her deepest passion remains her long-standing advocacy for foster youth and domestic violence survivors. At age 35, a tragic act of domestic violence claimed the life of her four-year-old son and nearly her own life. Widowed, shattered, and left to raise her surviving child alone while working through tremendous grief, Paula was determined to fight for her family and for every single person overlooked, unheard, or left behind by the government meant to protect them.

Paula spent more than two decades supporting children and families in the foster care system, fighting to improve stability, access to mental health care, educational opportunity, and long-term outcomes for youth impacted by trauma. She is committed to carrying that work into the State Assembly. 

In Sacramento, Paula will bring a solutions-focused mindset to the most urgent issues facing Californians. She knows that meaningful progress requires leaders who can collaborate, communicate, and remain grounded in the needs of their communities. 

Paula believes leadership is measured by outcomes, not slogans. She has never forgotten who she is fighting for families overwhelmed by the high cost of living, individuals looking for fair and affordable health care, workers seeking stability, and young people, especially those in foster care, who deserve a future shaped by opportunity rather than circumstance.

Dr. Paula Swift is ready to fight for a better, fairer, and more compassionate California, one where every family and every child has the chance to thrive.