{{Short description|American attorney and politician}} {{use mdy dates|date=March 2021}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Nicole Parra | image = Nicole Parra.jpg | caption = | birth_name = Nicole Marie Parra | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|2|3}} | birth_place = Bakersfield, California, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | party = Democratic | education = University of California, Berkeley (BA)<br />Catholic University (JD) | state_assembly = California | district = 30th | term_start = December 2, 2002 | term_end = November 30, 2008 | predecessor = Dean Florez | successor = Danny Gilmore }}

'''Nicole M. Parra''' (born February 3, 1970) is an American attorney and politician who served as a member of the California State Assembly from 2002 to 2008. A Democrat, she represented the 30th Assembly district, which includes a portion of California's Central Valley.

==Early life and education== {{BLP unreferenced section|date=August 2021}}

Parra was born in Bakersfield, California, and raised in Hanford, California. Her father, Pete, served on the Kern County Board of Supervisors<ref name="Morgen 2021-12-30">{{cite news|title=Nicole Parra switches candidacy from Congress to state Senate|url=https://www.bakersfield.com/news/nicole-parra-switches-candidacy-from-congress-to-state-senate/article_54c01238-69d0-11ec-99dd-3355b75f4c7b.html| date= December 30, 2021| first=Sam| last=Morgen| publisher=The Bakersfield Californian}}</ref> and her mother works for the Bakersfield Adult School. After attending Highland High School, she graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts in economics. In 1998, she earned a Juris Doctor from the Catholic University School of Law in Washington D.C.

== Career == Parra served as Congressman Cal Dooley's campaign manager in 2000 and as his District Director from 1998 to 2002.

===California Assembly=== Parra was elected to the Assembly in 2002 by a margin of 266 votes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.opinionjournal.com/diary/?id=110004084|title=Opinion & Reviews - Wall Street Journal|website=WSJ|accessdate=Jan 8, 2020}}</ref> She served as Chair of the Agriculture Committee. She also served on the Banking & Finance, Insurance, and Water Parks and Wildlife Committees. Parra's 2004 re-election campaign was endorsed by the California Farm Bureau.<ref>{{cite news |title=Parra gets endorsements from agriculture |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/65144594/the-fresno-bee/ |access-date=12 December 2020 |work=Fresno Bee |date=October 20, 2004 |page=A-8}}</ref>

In 2008 Parra was not eligible to seek a fourth term because of term limits. She chose to endorse her opponent from the 2006 campaign to replace her, Republican Danny Gilmore, over the Democratic party nominee, Shafter Mayor Fran Florez.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://abc30.com/archive/6407763/|title=Parra Endorses Gilmore|date=September 22, 2008|first=Andres|last=Araiza|publisher=KFSN-TV}}</ref>

During her final months in office, Parra was kicked out of her Capitol office by then-Assembly Speaker Karen Bass after refusing to vote on a state spending bill.<ref>{{cite web|title=Legislator is booted from her office|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-aug-19-me-parra19-story.html|website=Los Angeles Times|date=August 19, 2008|accessdate=August 19, 2008}}</ref>

===Later career===

In late January 2009, Parra accepted an appointment from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to be Director of the Governor's Regional Development Initiatives under the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency. On July 16, 2009, Parra announced that she would resign from the agency.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.kmph.com/Global/story.asp?S=10737744&nav=menu612_2_11 | title=Fresno News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | date=September 29, 2023 }}</ref>

In 2010, Parra supported the candidacy of Carly Fiorina, a Republican, to the United States Senate.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.carlyforca.com/2010/07/former-assemblywoman-nicole-parra-and-former-kern-county-supervisor-pete-parra-endorse-carly-fiorina/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100722180021/http://carlyforca.com/2010/07/former-assemblywoman-nicole-parra-and-former-kern-county-supervisor-pete-parra-endorse-carly-fiorina/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=July 22, 2010|title=Former Assemblywoman Nicole Parra and Former Kern County Supervisor Pete Parra Endorse Carly Fiorina &#124; Carly Fiorina for California &#124; CarlyforCalifornia.com|website=www.carlyforca.com|accessdate=Jan 8, 2020}}</ref>

In 2014 she started serving as an adjunct professor at Cal State Bakersfield, teaching political science. She also served as campaign manager for a local bond measure to benefit the Kern Community College District.<ref name="Morgen 2021-12-30"/>

In December 2020, Parra filed to run for Congress in the 21st district against incumbent Representative David Valadao, a Republican, in the 2022 election cycle. The 21st district was redrawn in 2021 by the state's independent redistricting commission and then renumbered as the 22nd district.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-12-12|title=ELECTION 2022: Former Assemblymember Nicole Parra announces candidacy for 21st Congressional District|url=https://www.kget.com/news/local-news/election-2022-former-assemblywoman-nicole-parra-announces-candidacy-for-21st-congressional-district/|access-date=2020-12-12|website=KGET 17|language=en-US}}</ref>

On December 30, 2021, Parra ended her congressional campaign and filed to run for district 16 in the state senate.<ref name="Morgen 2021-12-30"/> She was eliminated during the primary, finishing in 3rd place with 12% of the vote.

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== {{commons category}} * [https://www.parraforcongress.com/ Campaign website] {{CongLinks|fec=H2CA21175}}

{{authority control}}

{{s-start}} {{s-par|us-ca-hs}} {{succession box | title=Member of the California State Assembly<br />from the 30th district | before=Dean Florez | after=Danny Gilmore | years=2002–2008}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parra, Nicole}} Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni Category:Politicians from Bakersfield, California Category:Women state legislators in California Category:Columbus School of Law alumni Category:Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in California Category:Hispanic and Latino American women in politics Category:21st-century American women politicians Category:21st-century members of the California State Legislature