Toni Atkins Poised To Become CA's First Lesbian Senate Leader

SAN DIEGO, CA -- Toni Atkins, a longtime San Diego politician, will soon become California's first-ever female and LGBT state Senate president pro tem. Atkins is expected to take over the reins from Sen. Kevin de Leon this Wednesday.

Atkins, 55, has served in the state Legislature since 2010. The Democrat's rise in politics began on the City Council where she served for eight years.

Atkins told the Associated Press "her early work will be focused on running the Senate, including developing a process to deal with sexual harassment allegations. Other efforts to put her stamp on the Senate, like reshuffling committee assignments, will come later."

Atkins is a favorite among California Democrats who also named her Speaker of the Assembly in 2014.

"I'm thrilled that after over 100 years, when I walk down that corridor leading to the Senate floor that there will be a woman's portrait there on the wall," Sen. Holly Mitchell of Los Angeles told the Associated Press. "I'm really excited to be a sitting member of the Senate when we make history."

Atkins' leadership comes as multiple California lawmakers face accusations of sexual harassment. Her term also comes as the state faces a rocky relationship with the Trump administration, which is suing California over its laws that protect immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.

--Photo via office of Sen. Toni Atkins

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