Assemblymember Bill Quirk (D) was elected in November 2012 to represent the 20th Assembly District, which consists of Hayward, Union City, Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, Ashland, Cherryland, Fairview, Sunol and North Fremont.

Before being elected to the Assembly, Quirk worked as a climate change scientist at NASA before beginning his career at the Lawrence Livermore National Lab, where he played a key role in the negotiations for the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Teaching physics at Columbia, Caltech and UC Davis as well as playing an active role in his children’s education helped Quirk formulate his lifelong interest in education.

Quirk has served as a leader for more than 30 years in many local organizations including the local PTA, Hayward Rotary, the Friends of the Library, the Hayward Library Commission, the Board of Communication Workers of America Local 9119, and the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency.

In 2004, Quirk won a seat on the Hayward City Council. While on the city council, Bill brought the same in-depth, analytical perspective to city decisions that he developed as a scientist. He worked with his colleagues to prioritize neighborhood safety, revitalize downtown by attracting a movie theatre, improve traffic in the Mission-Foothill corridor, and create more jobs and housing around South Hayward BART.

Assemblymember Quirk and his wife Laurel moved to the Hayward area in 1978 and have been married for 41 years. They raised two children who attended California public schools and the UC system.