About
About
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Since his first election to the State Senate in 2014, Ben has become an effective leader in the Legislature, leading critical committees and spearheading dozens of new laws across a wide range of issues.
Among many issues, Allen has made his mark as a national leader on climate and environmental policy:
Among many issues, Allen has made his mark as a national leader on climate and environmental policy:
Reduction of plastic pollution
SB54 was landmark legislation hailed by The New York Times and global media for its innovative pro-market approach to reducing plastic pollution and saving local governments and ratepayers millions of dollars.
$10 billion climate bond
Allen led the effort to put a $10 billion climate bond on the November 2024 ballot that invests in wildfire prevention and more to provide a climate resilient future in California. Voters approved the measure with 60% of the vote.
Carbon neutrality by 2045
As Chair of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, he helped advance California’s historic climate goals – carbon neutrality by 2045 and 90% clean energy by 2035 – while also leading efforts to eliminate toxic chemicals and protect the coast and ocean.
Senate Budget Subcommittee on Environmental Protection and Energy
He currently serves as chair of the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Environmental Protection and Energy, the body that guides California’s climate and clean energy investments, and co-chair of the Legislature’s Environmental Caucus.
Allen is a proven advocate for strengthening transparency and strengthening democracy.
He authored the Voter’s Choice Act, which modernized elections and expanded access to the ballot and championed the Disclose Act and other reforms that shine a light on political spending.
He has consistently scored tops in the Legislature in the California Clean Money Campaign’s reports for his commitment to transparency and political reform.
Allen is also an accomplished leader for public education, arts, culture, and science, having served both as Chairman of the Senate Education Committee and the Joint Committee on the Arts.
He’s currently on the California Film Commission, and was the Senate lead on the successful recent effort to dramatically expand and extend the state’s Film & TV Tax Credit and stem the impacts of runaway production on the state’s economy.
Before joining the Senate, Ben served as President of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education and lecturer at UCLA Law School. He and his wife, Melanie, an attorney, live in Santa Monica with their two young children.