Julie Salley has extensive experience in budgetary and fiscal matters, as well as policy development. She joined the California Senate Office of Research in 2018 and works on public safety issues. Before she joined SOR, Salley served as a principal consultant in the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, with responsibility for the state’s public safety budget. Prior to that, she was a principal consultant in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Salley also has served as a senior fiscal and policy analyst with the Legislative Analyst's Office, focusing on human services, and worked as a research specialist in the Department of Social Services.

She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis, and a master's degree from UC Santa Barbara, both in U.S. history.