The state Senate’s Democratic Caucus announced today that state Sen. Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) will become Senate president pro tem in 2018, becoming the first woman to lead the chamber. State Senate leader Kevin de León said in a statement, “Four years ago, our Caucus elected the first Latino leader in over a century to…
WASHINGTON, D.C. – LGBTQ elected officials joined Equality Marches and Pride parades across the nation this weekend to protest the anti-LGBTQ forces emboldened by the election of Donald Trump. Since January, LGBTQ elected leaders have introduced and proposed hundreds of bills aimed at mitigating the effects of anti-equality legislation and policies passed by state legislatures…
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Environmental Health Coalition (EHC), an organization fighting toxic pollution in San Diego and Tijuana, reports that local leaders Sen. Toni Atkins and Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez-Fletcher have scored 100 percent on the annual Environmental Justice Scorecard. Late last month, the California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA) released the report detailing 2016 voting records…
Our community once again is preparing to come together for our annual Pride celebration. That means it’s time yet again to reflect on a question that we are often asked. You know this question well: “Is Pride still relevant?” By all accounts, the advances that our LGBTQ community has made just in the last several…
Community activist Larry Baza has been appointed to the California Arts Council. Baza, a Democrat, is the first San Diegan to serve on the California Arts Council in five years. Announcing the appointment Tuesday, Assembly Speaker Toni G. Atkins said, “With nearly 40 years of experience as a professional art administrator, Larry has proven his…
SAN DIEGO—Assembly Speaker Toni G. Atkins today announced the passing of Dr. Bill Beck, a San Diego community leader who fought passionately for equality and civil rights, raised millions of dollars for AIDS and other worthy causes, and opened the door for many San Diego LGBT elected officials. “San Diego has lost a true pioneer…
SACRAMENTO— Assembly Speaker Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) has appointed Bob Nelson of San Diego to serve on the California Film Commission, which encourages the growth of one of the state’s key economic generators. “Bob Nelson has long contributed his talents to the San Diego community, ably promoting both our region and our waterfront,” said…
SACRAMENTO—The Assembly today passed ACR 132, a resolution authored by Speaker Toni G. Atkins that declares February 14, 2016 to be V-Day in California. V-Day was established 18 years ago by Eve Ensler, the writer of the acclaimed play “The Vagina Monologues,” to raise awareness about violence against women and girls. “The United Nations found…
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – State Assembly Speaker Toni G. Atkins, Assembly member Shirley Weber and nearly 100 community representatives from diverse sectors joined the CalEITC4Me Campaign in celebration of California’s EITC Day Friday at the Jacobs Center in San Diego to mark the availability of the new state Earned Income Tax Credit. Speaker Atkins played…
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — A statewide campaign to put Snoopy on California license plates and help fund the state’s museums has achieved its goal. More than 7,500 Californians have submitted pre-paid applications for the Snoopy license plate, which clears the way for the California Department of Motor Vehicles to make the license plate available to…
