Abigail R.

Background

About Abigail R.

Abigail Rivamonte Mesa is Chief of Staff to California State Assemblymember Matt Haney, who represents Assembly District 17, the eastern half of San Francisco. As Chief of Staff to an Assemblymember that represents one of the most diverse neighborhoods in San Francisco, Abigail is tasked with managing an array of issue areas from housing, criminal and social justice reform, tech, land use, mental health reform, and labor issues. Abigail’s position at the State Assembly pivots her from the courtroom to the legislature and enables her to work on positive partnerships with both the private and public sector. Throughout her career, Abigail is known for her compassion for the most marginalized and her tireless advocacy for communities of color. Abigail first joined Assemblymember Haney’s team in 2018 as his Chief of Staff in the District 6 office when he served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Abigail is experienced in leading strategic campaigns for citywide ballot measures and local elections, combining policy insight, coalition-building, and data-driven outreach to advance impactful civic engagement and public policy outcomes.For ten years, Abigail was a champion for indigent defense and worked in one of the top public defender’s offices in the nation-the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office. She received the coveted Best Lawyer Under 40 award in 2020 from the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. Abigail started her legal career at the SF Public Defender’s office in 2007 as an intern and quickly came up the ranks as a felony trial attorney. She has tried 50+ trials to verdict from misdemeanors to serious felonies. Some of her most memorable trials was when she was pregnant with her daughter Charlie, who can now brag that she has second chaired 3 felony trials even before she was born.Abigail grew up in San Diego and moved to San Francisco to pursue a career in the law. She graduated cum laude from the University of California, San Diego and received her JD from the University of San Francisco, School of Law, where she was the President of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association and a founding board member of the Pilipino American Law Society. Abigail serves on the Advisory Board of the Filipino Bar Association of Northern California (FBANC) and was a past FBANC President. She is also the founding President of the Asian American Criminal Trial Lawyers Association, the first of its kind API bar association focused on criminal defense.