Former Senate judiciary chief launches consulting company

The longtime chair of the California Senate Judiciary Committee has launched a consulting company. Hannah-Beth Jackson, an attorney, led the powerful committee for nearly seven years before she had to step down late last year due to term limits. Jackson will offer consulting services, analysis and speaking engagements.

"I'm thrilled to bring my expertise in California policymaking to help clients who are passionate about making change, whether it's in their boardrooms, their environmental practices or their social impact," Jackson said in a news release on Thursday.

"Boardrooms" is a reference to one of Jackson's best-known bills. SB 826, signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2018, mandated that publicly held companies headquartered in California have a minimum number of women on their boards. That minimum is currently one female director, but at the beginning of next year it will grow to two if a company has five directors and three for a company with six or more board members.

Recent research has shown the bill has increased the number of women on boards and prompted copycat legislation in other states. The bill has so far survived several legal challenges. Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 979, also mandating board representation for underrepresented ethnic communities.

Jackson was also active in workplace and environmental legislation during her 14 years in the Legislature. Jackson earned her degree from Boston University School of Law and passed the California Bar in 1976. She practiced law in the Santa Barbara area for 20 years, including at a firm she formed with her husband, retired Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge George C. Eskin.