SACRAMENTO, Calif. — When California Sen. Mike McGuire takes over as leader of the state Senate on Monday, it will be the first time in decades that the state’s top two legislative leaders aren’t from a major urban center.
But McGuire says the issues that most afflict rural districts like his — including childhood poverty, opioid addiction and housing shortages — resonate with the 39 million people living across the state.
“Everything that I just mentioned are concerns of Californians in Eureka and concerns of Californians in Los Angeles,” McGuire said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.
McGuire, 44, comes from a family of prune farmers and was first elected to public office in 1998, when he won a school board seat in the small city of Healdsburg. He was elected to the state Senate in 2014 and has since authored legislation to protect marine life, support cannabis farmers, make cellphone service more reliable during power outages and fight the impacts of wildfires, an issue that hits close to home.
The Democrat’s district spans from just north of the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border.
McGuire will succeed state Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins, a San Diego Democrat who recently announced her bid for governor in 2026.
As Senate pro tem, McGuire will be one of the most powerful politicians in California as he helps drive decisions about which policies make their way through the Legislature and appoints lawmakers to key committees. He will lead the Senate for two years before terming out of the Legislature in 2026.
State Senate President Pro Tempore Designate Mike McGuire, left, of Healdsburg, meets with current Pro Tempore Toni Atkins in the state Senate Chambers in Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. McGuire will replace Atkins when he is sworn-in Monday Feb. 5, 2024. Credit: AP/Rich Pedroncelli
All the while, McGuire will work with Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Assembly on the state budget. He will have to…
Read the full article here
