CALIFORNIA, USA — A historic day in California. While Governor Gavin Newsom and the Lieutenant Governor are out of state, Senate Leader Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D- San Diego) signed several bills into law.
She is the first member of the LGBTQ+ community and the first female senator to do so.
Newsom is spending time with family while also touring red states.
“I think our values in California are very important to be exported because there are people looking to California as I did for opportunity acceptance,” Atkins said at the bill signing.
She signed three bills. One gives a city an additional seat on a regional transit board. The other is to improve the braille at transit sites. The three bills were not controversial.
“I think there are some other bills that I don't have to sign and that's probably a good thing,” Atkins said.
But more than the bills themselves, Atkins said today’s signing is a message to all across the state. The significance of today she said is in the person holding the pen to paper.
“As a kid growing up in Appalachia, I came out as LGBTQ at age 18," Atkins said. "You know what this means for my community. So I am mindful that it is more than just about Toni Atkins, that it is important to be in these positions, and to claim them because it really is about diversity, and opportunity, and access to opportunity.”
Atkins is termed out next year.
She was asked if she’ll seek a different elected office.
She said she hopes to serve in some capacity, she has an account open for lieutenant governor in 2026, but that’s a question for another day.
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