The saying goes: “You can’t keep a good person down.” Resilience, humility and optimism have made Patrick Ahrens stronger in the face of need and loss, and instilled in him a hunger to serve others.

Patrick grew up in a home where substance abuse issues dominated. While moving himself forward as a college student, he experienced homelessness. Recently, his twin brother passed away from cancer while being forced to work continuously to maintain his health insurance and pay to provide for his family.

These challenges forged Patrick’s resolve to help others who share similar experiences and forge for themselves a better life. That’s why he ran for, and was elected to, the Foothill-De Anza (FHDA) Community College District Board, and why he’s running for State Assembly.

Patrick is a Sunnyvale resident and Silicon Valley native who has advocated to expand access and affordability for community college students. An active community volunteer, Ahrens served on the Board of Directors of the Foothill-De Anza Foundation prior to his election.

A Democrat, Ahrens was elected to an at-large position on the FHDA Board of Trustees in November 2018 and was re-elected without opposition in 2022 to represent Trustee Area 2.

Assembly District 26 includes the cities of Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, and Cupertino and the communities of West San José and Alviso. The District 26 seat is currently held by Assemblymember Evan Low. Asm. Low has endorsed Ahrens in the race to succeed him.

Ahrens became deeply interested in higher education policy as a student at De Anza, when he was the first in his family to go to college and was elected to serve as student trustee on the district’s governing board. During that time, he experienced the same housing insecurity faced by a growing number of students and families in one of the most expensive regions in the country.

He has led the effort on the FHDA board to build affordable housing for teachers and employees, helping retain top talent in an increasingly unaffordable area. He also spearheaded the effort to pass the biggest bond in district history, securing $200 million in affordable housing for our students, faculty, and staff.

Ahrens holds an associate degree from De Anza College, a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California Los Angeles, and a master’s degree in public administration from San José State University. He currently lives in Sunnyvale and serves as a District Director in the State Assembly.