1. Sharon Runner was a Republican California State Senator, who represented the 21st Senate District at the time of her death, and previously represented the 17th Senate District from 2011 to 2012.
28 Facts About Sharon Runner
1. 2.
Sharon Runner was a member of the California State Assembly from 2002 to 2008, representing the 36th district.
3.
Sharon Runner was the wife of California State Board of Equalization Member George Runner.
4.
From 2004 to 2008, then-Senator George Runner and then-Assemblywoman Sharon Runner were the first husband and wife in California history to serve concurrently in the California State Legislature.
5.
Sharon Runner served on the board of California Women Lead, a bi-partisan organization that encourages and empowers women running for public office.
6.
Sharon Runner was chosen as a delegate to the 2000 and 2004 Republican National Conventions.
7.
Sharon Runner worked on several statewide campaigns including Governor Pete Wilson, California Gubernatorial Recall Election, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Meg Whitman for Governor 2010.
8.
In 2009, Sharon Runner was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board.
9.
Sharon Runner served on the board until December 22,2010.
10.
In 2013 Sharon Runner began working part-time for the California State Senate Republican Caucus conducting community outreach events.
11.
In 2002, Sharon Runner was elected to represent the 36th Assembly District and served in the State Assembly for three terms, from 2002 to 2008.
12.
Sharon Runner held key fiscal leadership positions, serving as the Vice-Chair of the Appropriations Committee and as a member of the Budget Committee and Budget Subcommittee on Education.
13.
In 2006, along with her husband, Senator George Runner, Sharon Runner authored Proposition 83, California's version of Jessica's Law.
14.
Sharon Runner ran for election to the California State Senate, representing the 17th District.
15.
The seat was left vacant by her husband, George Sharon Runner, who was elected to the State Board of Equalization in November 2010.
16.
Sharon Runner was sworn into the State Senate on March 19,2015, where she would serve until her death the following year.
17.
In 1977, Sharon Runner co-founded Desert Christian Schools with her husband, George Sharon Runner.
18.
Sharon Runner volunteered her time on several boards and committees including the United Way, Antelope Valley Hospital Gift Foundation, Antelope Valley Crime Task Force, Healthy Homes Advisory Council, and Care Net, a pregnancy resource center.
19.
Sharon Runner spent five years on the board of directors for the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce.
20.
In 1998, California Governor Pete Wilson appointed Sharon Runner to serve on the Antelope Valley Fair board of directors, where she oversaw the operations of the 50th Agriculture District and managed its multimillion-dollar budget.
21.
Sharon Runner was involved with her church, Grace Chapel Church in Lancaster, for over 30 years.
22.
In 2013, Sharon Runner was awarded the Marian Bergeson Lifetime Achievement Award for her work helping women run for office.
23.
In November 2014 Sharon Runner received the Spirit of Leadership Award by the Scleroderma Foundation of Southern California for her advocacy in increasing funding to find a cure for Scleroderma.
24.
Sharon Runner was diagnosed with the limited systemic form of scleroderma, an autoimmune disease affecting her lungs, in 1984 at the age of 30.
25.
On February 24,2012, Sharon Runner underwent a successful double-lung transplant at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
26.
Sharon Runner was released from the hospital ten days later.
27.
Sharon Runner was a member of the Scleroderma Foundation's Legislative Committee, where she worked to obtain federal funding for scleroderma research.
28.
Sharon Runner sat on the Advisory Committee for Sierra Donor Services, a donor procurement organization in Sacramento, California.