Press Releases

January 9, 2018

Guest Press Release

SACRAMENTO – On Tuesday, the Senate Democratic Caucus voted unanimously to select Senator Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) the next President pro Tempore of the California State Senate, succeeding Senator Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles). President pro Tempore-designee Atkins will be formally elected on the Senate floor and take office on March 21st, 2018.

Senate President pro Tempore de León released the following statement on today’s vote:

December 7, 2017

Sen. Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) issued the following statement on the transition of leadership in the state Senate:

“Today, I am humbled by the trust my colleagues have placed in me, and I intend to earn that trust every day by working tirelessly and inclusively to keep California a place of opportunity for everyone. 

October 16, 2017

Gov. Jerry Brown today signed SB 179, legislation authored by Sen. Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) that will create a third gender marker on state-issued identification documents for people who identify as nonbinary or intersex. The bill will also streamline the process for transgender, intersex and nonbinary Californians to obtain identification documents that accurately reflect their gender.

October 14, 2017

Gov. Jerry Brown today signed SB 230, legislation by Sen. Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) that will allow victims of sex slavery to confront their traffickers in court and help prevent others from being violently abused.

October 13, 2017

Gov. Jerry Brown today signed two pieces of healthcare legislation authored by Sen. Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), bringing the number of her bills signed to nine.

October 12, 2017

Sen. Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) reacted with the following statement regarding Gov. Jerry Brown’s signing of a package of bills that fulfills some of the top priorities of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus.

October 11, 2017

Gov. Jerry Brown today signed SB 625, legislation by Sen. Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) that will reestablish the “honorable discharge” program for juvenile offenders who have completed supervision and have demonstrated an ability to be successful.

October 10, 2017

Sen. Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) today made the following statement regarding the wildfires that are currently ravaging parts of California:

“As I witness the wildfires burning across California, I can’t help but vividly recall the devastating San Diego wildfires of 2003 and 2007, when I served on the City Council, and my heart goes out to the communities throughout the state that are facing the same danger today. This is a lesson that fires don’t discriminate—they affect communities from our prized wine country to the rural areas in the Sierra foothills.

October 9, 2017

On Saturday, Oct. 7, Gov. Jerry Brown announced that he had signed Senate Bill 285, legislation authored by Sen. Toni Atkins that will strengthen public-employee labor rights. It became the sixth bill authored by Atkins to be signed into law.

The six bills are:

September 29, 2017

In a special ceremony today, Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 2 – the Building Homes and Jobs Act – legislation authored by Sen. Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) that will create a permanent source of funding for affordable housing. The bill is part of a comprehensive and historic package of legislation OK’d by the governor that will approach California’s housing crisis from multiple angles.