Laphonza Butler in 2024 CA Senate race
On Abortion:
President of Emily's List, backing pro-choice candidates
In 2021, Butler became the president of Emily's List, which helps elect women who support abortion rights across the US. She was presiding over the organization when the US Supreme Court overturned
Roe v. Wade and has been at the forefront of helping Democrats hone their message on abortion rights while tying the issue to a broader fight for voting rights.
Source: Vox.com on 2024 California Senate race
Oct 2, 2023
On Civil Rights:
First Black lesbian to represent California in the Senate
Press release: "The appointment of Laphonza Butler to the Senate is a landmark moment in the fight for social, racial and economic justice. As the first Black lesbian to represent California in the United States Senate, Laphonza brings a compelling
voice for abortion rights, the labor movement and civil rights into Congress. Her leadership is a testament to the legacy of Senator Dianne Feinstein's strong record of pro-LGBTQ+ support," said the Human Rights Campaign President.
Source: Human Rights Campaign on 2024 California Senate race
Oct 2, 2023
On Jobs:
Was labor organizer; led fight for $15 minimum wage in CA
Butler was a labor organizer for nearly two decades, leading the biggest union in California and one of the US's largest home care workers union, SEIU Local 2015. In that position, she was at the forefront of the successful fight for a
$15 minimum wage in California. The union's current president said that her work uplifted union workers, many of whom are women of color and immigrants.
Source: Vox.com on 2024 California Senate race
Oct 2, 2023
On Homeland Security:
Jobs & healthcare for 1.6 million veterans
Senator Butler believes that the nation owes its gratitude to our servicemembers, our veterans, and their families. She is dedicated to improving access to health care, mental health services, and good-paying jobs for the more than
160,000 active duty personnel and 1.6 million veterans and their families in California. She is committed to ensuring that veterans' facilities, including the
West Los Angeles Veterans Medical Center and other facilities in rural areas, have what they need to effectively serve our veteran community.
Senator Butler is also fighting to ensure that the Department of Veterans Affairs has the resources to deliver on its promises to veterans and their families.
Source: 2024 California Senate campaign website butler.senate.gov
Sep 16, 2024
On Abortion:
Defend every woman's right to her own health decisions
Senator Butler is committed to fighting for affordable, high-quality, just health care and ensuring equitable access.
A staunch champion of reproductive justice, she is committed to defending every woman's right to make her own health care decisions.
Source: 2024 California Senate campaign website butler.senate.gov
Sep 16, 2024
On Budget & Economy:
Equitable economy: invest in workforce development
Senator Butler is working to create an equitable and sustainable economy that works for all Americans, not just the privileged few. Ensuring access to banking services and fair credit reporting are cornerstones for building economic prosperity for
future generations, as they enable working families to achieve homeownership. She believes that workers should be free to join a union without fear of retaliation and that gig workers deserve the full benefits and protections of employment.
Senator Butler is supportive of investing in small businesses and ensuring fair access to capital, as she recognizes small businesses support working families and communities across California and the country. She strongly supports investments in
workforce development to ensure that youth are able to build lucrative careers, and she is fighting so that workers are able to retire with dignity and enjoy economic security once they leave the workforce.
Source: 2024 California Senate campaign website butler.senate.gov
Sep 16, 2024
On Civil Rights:
Address decades-long racial disparities
- Senator Butler is working to create an equitable and sustainable economy that works for all Americans, not just the privileged few.
- As a mother and HBCU graduate,
Senator Butler is fighting to ensure that all students have access to the critical resources.
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Senator Butler is working to combat the misinformation and disinformation that seeks to polarize and disenfranchise marginalized communities.
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She is working to increase access to housing and combat the decades-long racial disparities that exist in our housing market.
Source: 2024 California Senate campaign website butler.senate.gov
Sep 16, 2024
On Education:
Address teacher shortage & early childhood education
As a mother and HBCU graduate, Senator Butler is fighting to ensure that all students have access to the critical resources they need in order to thrive both inside and outside the classroom.
She believes that providing students with the best possible education should be one of our nation's highest priorities.
She is committed to addressing the existing shortages of teachers, providing children with access to early childhood education, and ensuring that all families have access to affordable, quality education.
This includes supporting actions to make college more affordable, increasing educators' pay, and ensuring that classrooms across the country are safe.
Source: 2024 California Senate campaign website butler.senate.gov
Sep 16, 2024
On Energy & Oil:
Affordable clean energy with high efficiency standards
Senator Butler wants to ensure that Californians are provided with reliable, affordable clean energy, high efficiency standards, and jobs for the future.
She is a proponent of modernizing our electric grid and utilizing more renewable energy sources.
She believes it is essential that we increase the rate of deployable energy but do so in a manner that protects essential ecosystems.
As homes, business, and vehicles continue to electrify, Senator Butler wants to push for the most stringent efficiency standards to save energy while also saving consumers money.
Source: 2024 California Senate campaign website butler.senate.gov
Sep 16, 2024
On Environment:
Ensure access to clean water& recreation in our public parks
Senator Butler is working to ensure the people of California have access to clean water, a healthy environment, and recreation in our public lands and parks. This includes providing federal funding to the millions of
Californians currently facing soaring water rates and struggling to access clean water. She supports expanding protections for California's parks, forests, deserts, other magnificent public lands, and oceans.
She is also committed to holding polluters accountable, and to improving
California's water infrastructure and river flows to ensure that California's cities, farms, and imperiled fish populations can withstand severe droughts.
Source: 2024 California Senate campaign website butler.senate.gov
Sep 16, 2024
On Government Reform:
Fight voter suppression; combat misinformation
Senator Butler is hard at work to protect our democracy. She is focused on preserving the right to vote by fighting against voter suppression and working to restore and expand the Voting Rights Act. She is committed to rebuilding trust in our government
and electoral system, which includes protecting election workers and investing in election modernization. Senator Butler is working to combat the misinformation and disinformation that seeks to polarize and disenfranchise marginalized communities.
Source: 2024 California Senate campaign website butler.senate.gov
Sep 16, 2024
On Health Care:
Affordable & just health care with equitable access
Senator Butler is committed to fighting for affordable, high-quality, just health care and ensuring equitable access. Senator Butler is taking strong, decisive action to combat our country's worsening mental health crisis.
She is dedicated to supporting young people, and ensuring that families have the tools and resources to promote optimal mental health and overall well-being among our youth.
Source: 2024 California Senate campaign website butler.senate.gov
Sep 16, 2024
On Immigration:
Fair Day for Kids in Court: lawyers for unaccompanied kids
As a member of both committees of jurisdiction for immigration issues: Judiciary Committee and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Senator Butler is focused on repairing our immigration system.
Her priorities include creating a pathway to citizenship for those who came to the U.S. as children, as well as clearing the backlog of legal immigrants who have been waiting years for green cards.
One of the first bills she sponsored as a U.S. Senator was the Fair Day for Kids in Court Act, which provides counsel for unaccompanied children.
She will continue to work to improve the immigration system, especially for immigrant children.
Source: 2024 California Senate campaign website butler.senate.gov
Sep 16, 2024
On Technology:
Largest investment in infrastructure in nearly a century
Senator Butler knows that millions of Californians depend on safe, reliable infrastructure. That is why she is working to ensure the state receives its fair share from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act--the largest investment in our nation's
infrastructure in nearly a century. This investment will help fund more efficient, accessible, and affordable infrastructure, which will help cut down on traffic, improve air quality, and make transportation more accessible for low-income communities.
Source: 2024 California Senate campaign website butler.senate.gov
Sep 16, 2024
On Welfare & Poverty:
Address housing shortage & decades-long racial disparities
Senator Butler is concerned about the shortage of affordable housing, which has led to severe homelessness in California. As a member of the Senate Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs Committee, she is working to increase access to housing and combat the
decades-long racial disparities that exist in our housing market. She is concerned that private-equity firms and hedge funds have taken advantage of the housing crisis, which has led to skyrocketing housing costs and a shortage of available homes.
Source: 2024 California Senate campaign website butler.senate.gov
Sep 16, 2024
On Budget & Economy:
Serves on Senate Banking committee
Laphonza Butler said in a statement. "I've decided not to run for Senate in the upcoming election.""California voters want leaders who think about them and the issues they care most about," said Butler, who earlier this week was named to the
Senate Judiciary, Banking, Homeland Security and Rules committees. "I now have 383 days to serve the people of California with every ounce of energy and effort that I have."
Source: San Francisco Chronicle on 2024 California Senate race
Oct 24, 2023
On Crime:
$80 million in federal funds for CA crime victims
Senator Butler boasted that she had "secured wins for California," and cited as one of her achievements $1.3 billion for the federal fund to help crime victims. While that figure is accurate, Butler failed to say the funding is a steep drop from funding
the previous year and the year prior to that. And her claim--which suggested all the money would go to California--was perhaps misleading. The $1.3 billion will go to help crime victims across the country. California will receive only some of those
funds--possibly between $80 and $100 million, according to state Office of Emergency Services estimates.In that bill, Congress allocated $1.3 billion for the federal Victims of Crime Fund in this fiscal year. The amount was somewhat of a win for
advocates since it was $153 million above President Joe Biden's request--but it was less than the fund's $2.6 billion in 2022 and $1.9 billion last year. The drop came because the fund gets its money from penalties for federal criminal convictions.
Source: Sacramento Bee on 2024 California Senate race
Apr 1, 2024
On Homeland Security:
Serves on Senate Homeland Security committee
Laphonza Butler said in a statement. "I've decided not to run for Senate in the upcoming election.""California voters want leaders who think about them and the issues they care most about," said Butler, who earlier this week was named to the
Senate Judiciary, Banking, Homeland Security and Rules committees. "I now have 383 days to serve the people of California with every ounce of energy and effort that I have."
Source: San Francisco Chronicle on 2024 California Senate race
Oct 24, 2023
On Principles & Values:
After two weeks in office: not running for re-election
U.S. Sen. Laphonza Butler made herself a lame duck a little more than two weeks into the job and solidified the contours of the U.S. Senate race in 2024. "I've always believed elected leaders should have real clarity about why they're in office and what
they want to do with the responsibility & power they have," she said in a statement. "I've spent the past 16 days pursuing my clarity--what kind of life I want to have, what kind of service I want to offer and what kind of voice I want to bring forward.
After considering those questions I've decided not to run for Senate in the upcoming election.""Knowing you can win a campaign doesn't always mean you should run a campaign,"
Butler added. "I know this will be a surprise to many because traditionally we don't see those who have power let it go. It may not be the decision people expected but it's the right one for me."
Source: San Francisco Chronicle on 2024 California Senate race
Oct 24, 2023
Page last updated: Oct 30, 2024