California Senator (Democratic POV)

By: Olive Kim

(Image from NPR News)

On September 29, 2023, California Senator Dianne Feinstein passed away. Feinstein served as a California senator from 1992-2023, and during her time in politics, she had many accomplishments. To start, Feinstein was the first of many things. She was the first woman mayor of San Francisco in 1978, and in 1992, she ran for senator and became California’s first female senator. She was also behind the legislation for topics such as global warming and gun control. Feinstein was widely against guns after witnessing the assassination of Harvey Milk, a San Francisco Supervisor, and she devoted her life to controlling the use of assault weapons. She would go on to author the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban as well. To reduce global warming, Feinstein backed a bipartisan bill that reduced the use of hazardous fuels to offer legal protection to forests. Among her many accomplishments, she also led an initiative for Breast Cancer Research Stamps to raise money for breast cancer research. In the aftermath of Feinstein’s death, there was a question of who would become the next California senator, and Governor Newsom chose Laphonza Butler.

(Image from CNN)

Butler was appointed by Newsom to fill Feinstein’s seat until the 2024 election. Butler is the first Black, LGBTQ woman and the third Black person in United States history to serve in the Senate. Butler is an advocate for civil rights and is a part of many committees. She is the leader of the labor union in California, and she was the president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local from 2013 to 2018, which represents more than 325,000 nursing home and home-care workers in California. While she was in the SEIU Local, she advocated for a higher minimum wage and she increased taxes on wealthy California residents. She is also an abortion rights advocate. Additionally, she is the president of EMILYs List, a committee that helps to elect Democratic female candidates who are in favor of abortion rights. Although she was chosen to be senator, Butler is not planning on running for senator in the

upcoming election.

(Image from the LA Times)

Governor Newsom planned on appointing a Black woman to fill Feinstein’s seat, and many people wanted him to choose Barbara Lee. Instead, Newsom chose Butler because he did not want to appoint someone who was already running for the seat in the upcoming 2024 election. Barbara Lee, Adam Schiff, and Katie Porter (depicted above), are the three largest Democratic candidates for the 2024 election. Lee founded the Community Health Alliance for Neighborhood Growth and Education, which provides mental health services, and she also authored the 1995 California Schools Hate Crimes Reduction Act. Schiff started one of the first environmental crimes units in the country and Katie Porter is known for introducing bipartisan legislation to help families. Some other Democratic candidates include Lexi Reese and Christina Pascucci, and some Republican candidates include Steve Garvey and Eric Early. Currently, Lee is in the lead, but that could change later on, so we will have to wait to see who will become California’s newest senator.

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University of California. “Regent Emerita Laphonza Butler.” Regents of the University of California, https://regents.universityof california.edu/about/members-and-advisors/bios/laphonza-butler.html.