Carol Bentley Ellis
A smiling white woman with short dark hair
Carol Bentley (later Ellis), from a 1988 newspaper
Born
Carol Curtis

February 26, 1945
Riverside, California
DiedDecember 13, 2021
California
OccupationPolitician
Known forThree terms in California State Assembly (1989–1993)

Carol Bentley Ellis (born Carol Curtis; February 26, 1945 – December 13, 2021) was a state legislator in California.[1]

Early life and education

She was born Carol Curtis in Riverside, California, the daughter of Francis Curtis and Irene Ingberg Curtis. She had a twin sister, Joy. She studied marketing at San Diego State University, and graduated from SDSU in 1968.[2]

Career

A Republican, Bentley was a legislative aide[3] before she served three terms in the California State Assembly, from 1989 to 1993[4] In 1989, she ran in a special election for a state senate seat; her opponent Lucy Killea was denied communion by the Roman Catholic bishop of San Diego, for her pro-choice position on abortion;[5] the story drew national attention, and increased donations for Killea's winning campaign.[6][7][8] In 1991, she ran for a state senate seat again.[9] Also in 1991, she proposed a bill that would directly benefit one of her contributors, Coleman College, by exempting them from state financial oversight.[10] In 1992, her opponent David G. Kelley accused her of taking inappropriate expense reimbursements from the state.[11] She advocated for crime victims,[2] and was a member of the California Board of Prison Terms from 1993 to 2005.[12] After her career in politics ended, she sold real estate in Mission Beach.[1]

Personal life

Curtis married David Bentley in 1967; they divorced in 1990.[12] She remarried in 1997, to politician Jim Ellis, who died in 2017.[13] She died in 2021, at the age of 76.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 Pam Kragen (13 February 2022). "Obituary: East County legislator Carol Bentley Ellis remembered for dedication to community, crime victims". The San Diego Union-Tribune.
  2. 1 2 Tobin Vaughn (August 31, 2020). "NewsCenter | SDSU | Enhancing Opportunities". newscenter.sdsu.edu.
  3. ↑ Acuna, Armando (1988-06-09). "Complacency by McColl Played a Key Role in Her Downfall, Bentley Believes". The Los Angeles Times. p. 96. Retrieved 2022-12-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Former Members | California Legislative Women's Caucus". womenscaucus.legislature.ca.gov.
  5. ↑ Horstman, Barry M. (1989-12-03). "Bishop's Intrusion into Senate Race Stirs Debate". The Los Angeles Times. p. 115. Retrieved 2022-12-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Horstman, Barry M. (1989-11-22). "Bentley Facing a Changing Race Against Killea". The Los Angeles Times. p. 110. Retrieved 2022-12-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Horstman, Barry M. (1989-11-30). "Bentley Tries to Refocus Campaign Against Killea". The Los Angeles Times. p. 119. Retrieved 2022-12-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Weber, Jennifer (1989-11-28). "Abortion only one part of Killea-Bentley race". Times-Advocate. p. 9. Retrieved 2022-12-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "El Cajon assembly woman enters race for state Senate nomination". The Desert Sun. 1991-12-21. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-12-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Framolino, Ralph (1991-03-24). "S. D. Legislators Draw Up Wish List for 1991 Session". The Los Angeles Times. p. 638. Retrieved 2022-12-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Nunley, Shellee (1992-03-21). "Lawmakers clash over expense pay". The Desert Sun. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-12-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. 1 2 "Carol Bentley". JoinCalifornia. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
  13. 1 2 Gary Warth (April 13, 2017). "Former City Council member, state legislator Jim Ellis dies". Hartford Courant.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.