Rising Stars: Julie Cravotto, COS to Assemblymember Dawn Addis

Not many people love the Bay Area as much as Julie Cravotto, Chief of Staff to Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-San Luis Obispo). Indeed, Cravotto loves her hometown so much that she entered politics to address the myriad issues that threaten its prosperity.

“I never expected that I was going to do this as a job,” says Cravotto. “But I don’t think there’s anything I love more than my hometown, and seeing issues like the housing crisis really pushed me to want to do something more.”

Originally, Cravotto thought she would pursue a career in the public health field, but that ambition quickly came to a halt when she was assigned to a cadaver lab in high school as part of a medical school preparation program. Nonetheless, she learned the invaluable lesson that there are various avenues to serve people in this world besides attending to cadavers.

Cravotto attended college at UC Davis, where she studied history and political science. Beyond mandatory coursework, she studied political conflicts between Protestants and Catholics in Belfast through the Fulbright program, and she completed a thesis on the Vietnam War.

As a student, Cravotto completed two internships in the State Capitol: one in the Senate, and the other for Governor Jerry Brown in the Legislative Affairs unit. She worked in the Capitol three days a week, and was a full-time student for the other two. By the time she graduated college, Cravotto was practically a Sacramento local.

“A huge part of me feels like I’ve grown up in the building, because I was barely 21 when I started,” says Cravotto. “At 21, you’re still very young, and you’re going through all these life experiences. I’ve had them concurrently while working here.”

The internship in the governor’s office proved a major turning point in her professional career. Not only did she get a rare inside look into the decision-making process behind bill signing, but she also built a network of colleagues who helped her navigate the intricacies of the Capitol, and who even attended her awards ceremony when she graduated college.

Cravotto jumped around a bit before landing in her current position, including serving as an Assembly Fellow to Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco) and Communications Director for Assemblymember Jose Medina (D-Riverside).

“A huge part of me feels like I’ve grown up in the building, because I was barely 21 when I started.”

In addition to overseeing all of the operations in both of Addis’ offices, Cravotto was also a field director last year on a campaign for Ken Cooley. Bill Wong, a prominent policy consultant, applauds Cravotto’s competency in both the campaign and legislative environments.

“In the Ken Cooley campaign, she was extremely organized, focused, and resilient,” says Wong. “It was a very tough campaign with many challenges and a virtually new district for Assemblyman Cooley. Throughout, Julie was reliable and praised by her colleagues on the campaign.”

Cravotto has worked on many projects during her seven years in Sacramento, but she is most proud of her work on AB 1746 in Asm. Medina’s office, a culmination of years of work with student advocates and the Assembly Higher Education Committee to reform the Cal Grants system.

She is also very proud of the mentorship she provides at just 27. “I’ve developed relationships with so many people who now come to me as their mentor,” she says. “I’m not much older than them, but I’m certainly someone who’s in their corner.”

According to Wong, Cravotto’s recent promotion from Legislative Director to Chief of Staff also reflects the trust and respect that she has earned from the Member and her colleagues.

“She asks all the right questions and understands the importance of mastering all aspects of the legislative process,” says Wong. “I continue to be impressed by her work ethic and passion for public service and policymaking.”

Jim Evans, Addis’ former Chief and Cravotto’s previous boss, provided mentorship to Cravotto to prepare her for this role, and he commends Julie’s work ethic and her sociability.

“What impresses me most about Julie is that she’s a student of how the Legislature works and she’s social,” says Evans. “So many leg staffers silo themselves in their offices and don’t understand that the work of the Legislature is necessarily collaborative — Julie makes connections and that pays off for the member.”

This collaborative spirit inspires Cravotto’s advice to other young or aspiring staffers: “Talk to as many people as you can,” she says. “Being intellectually curious and wanting to learn more about all the different processes and what goes into making decisions in this place will take you far.”

In her free time, Cravotto enjoys attending Pilates classes with other women who work in the Capitol, visiting the Bay Area, and reading up on local history. Whenever she gets a chance, she takes delight in reading a physical copy of the SF Chronicle.

Cravotto is also the Finance Chair for the Sacramento Chapter of New Leaders Council, and she is continuously finding new ways to plant roots in Sacramento. For the foreseeable future, she is excited to continue growing into her role as Chief.

“I did not expect to become a Chief at this point in my life,” she says. “If you had asked me five years ago what my career goal was, it would be my current job. In the long term, I want to be someone who helps continue to grow future generations of staff in the Capitol. We need to bring good people in and I want to be a part of that.”