JoCasta Zamarripa

JoCasta Zamarripa (born March 8, 1976) is an American politician who serves in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the 8th district, and on the Milwaukee Common Council, representing the 8th District. Zamarripa has served in the Assembly since 2011 and on the Common Council since 2020. Prior to winning elective office, Zamarripa worked as an outreach coordinator for Planned Parenthood. Zamarripa, who is a Democrat, represents a portion of Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the State Assembly.On May 19, 2020, Representative Zamarripa filed paperwork indicating she will not run for re-election to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2020.

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Zamarripa graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 2005. She was elected to the 8th Wisconsin State Assembly district in 2010. Previously, she had worked as an outreach coordinator at Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. In the heavily Democratic 8th district, Zamarripa has never faced a significant challenge outside the Democratic primary election. In 2010, 2012 and 2014, she faced repeated unsuccessful challenges in that primary from Laura Manriquez. Otherwise, her only ballot opposition was a 2010 effort by independent Ramona Rivas (although Manriquez mounted a write-in campaign). In each election, Zamarripa won 83% or more of the general election vote.

In a July 2012 interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, she announced that she is bisexual. She is one of four openly LGBT members of the Wisconsin Legislature, alongside Sen. Tim Carpenter (D–Milwaukee) and Reps. Mark Spreitzer (D–Beloit) and Todd Novak (R–Dodgeville). In 2014, she was included as part of the annual "40 under 40" list in The Advocate.