While serving on the Laguna Niguel City Council, Assemblymember Laurie Davies (R–Laguna Niguel) often found herself running into constituents, hearing their concerns and figuring out how to solve them on the spot.
That hands-on approach still shapes how she operates in Sacramento, where Davies has built a reputation as a pragmatic lawmaker focused less on ideology and more on how policies affect the people she represents.
“That’s the best part of my job – being able to solve problems and produce good quality bills that actually help everyone,” Davies said.
Born and raised in Wisconsin, Davies knew after several childhood trips that California was the place for her. At 18, she packed her Cutlass Supreme and drove across the country, arriving in Long Beach. She attended California State University, Long Beach, putting herself through college, working nights and weekends as a waitress.
Following graduation, she continued her work in hospitality in Orange County, managing at the Ritz-Carlton before moving into event planning for the Private Monarch Bay Beach Club in Dana Point. After 10 years in the business, she started her own wedding and event planning business.
Through that work, Davies became more involved in her local government, working with her local chamber of commerce to help small businesses and nonprofits navigate operational challenges. It’s an experience she credits with shaping her approach to people and problem-solving.
“That’s where I got very interested in policy. I’m one of those who always says, ‘Leave your politics and your party at the door.’ It truly is about policy,” Davies said.
She was elected to the Laguna Niguel City Council in 2012, where she served for eight years and was twice selected by her colleagues to serve as mayor in 2015 and 2016.
That experience continues to shape how Davies views her role today. In local government, she said, problems were often immediate and solvable — a broken traffic light, a neighborhood concern — issues that could be addressed with a phone call or a conversation. In Sacramento, by contrast, the work is often filtered through layers of policy and bureaucracy.
After leaving city hall, Davies set her sights on the state Legislature, winning election to the Assembly in 2020 and later securing reelection in a district that has consistently produced close results.
Representing what she describes as a “purple” district, Davies often frames her decisions around the people she serves, striving to balance the demands of her constituents with statewide issues.
“I think everybody should have a purple district, because you have to really listen. You have to put them first,” Davies said. “When you put the people first, just like all our bills coming from our district…these not only affect just my district, but they’re all good bills that are going to help.”
In and around the Capitol, those who work with Davies describe a legislator who is deliberate, pragmatic and focused on the work itself. For Paula Treat, a longtime lobbyist who has worked with Davies on a range of issues, that approach translates into a lawmaker who is both accessible and practical.
“I think everybody should have a purple district, because you have to really listen.”
Treat described Davies as someone who is easy to engage with and quick to grasp complex issues, but also measured in her participation — rarely speaking for the sake of it.
“She just wants people to help people have better lives all around, from business to personal,” Treat said. “She has a great deal of respect in the building for how she handles herself.”
Davies has also been a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus for the past four years, a group almost evenly split between Democrats and Republicans that focuses on finding consensus-driven approaches to major policy issues.
“No party should have a majority…because things get pushed through, and only one agenda is being pushed through either way,” Davies said. “Why don’t we all come together?”
April Manatt, who directs the California Problem Solvers Foundation, said Davies stands out within the group for her energy and engagement with colleagues.
“Her enthusiasm is constant and takes many different forms, from her curiosity on issues, to her creating new relationships with colleagues of very different districts and perspectives than herself, and her grand vision that this is, in fact, the way forward for California,” Manatt said.
That same approach is reflected in the issues she gravitates toward. Davies has focused her legislative work on areas, including workforce development, small-business support and affordability.
She has been particularly active in expanding apprenticeship opportunities. In 2024, she authored AB 2179, which requires schools to provide parents of high school juniors and seniors with information about apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs.
Her work has also extended into protections for victims and public safety. Davies authored AB 2308, which extends the length of domestic violence restraining orders from 10 to 15 years, a change aimed at providing longer-term stability and protection for survivors.
Part of her work, she said, is ensuring that constituents understand what is happening at the state level and how it affects them.
“People are very busy in their lives. Anytime they see something in the news, it’s usually federal, so it’s really important for me to inform and get the information out,” Davies said. “They need to be able to have the information and be aware of what’s happening up here.”
This year, that approach has taken shape through bills still moving through the Legislature, including measures on human trafficking prosecutions, probation terms for serious offenses and non-narcotic PTSD treatment for veterans. Davies is pursuing that agenda as she runs for reelection.
“It’s about making sure I’m representing not only my district but the state in the best way — making sure I’m opposing bills that are making it almost impossible to put gas in your car or food on the table, so people can have that California dream,” Davies said.