SACROMENTO — California’s state Democrats are shaking their leadership, and the Senate Democrat Caucus has pledged unanimous support to Sen. Monique Limon (D-Goleta), who will take over Senate Speaker Pro Tem in early 2026.
Limon, who was elected to the state Senate in 2020, is the chairman of the Senate Democrats’ Caucus and Senate Banking Committee. The 45-year-old Central Coast native served in Congress for four years before the Senate elections, and before entering politics he worked in higher education for the UC Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara County Board of Education.
She highlighted the importance of the moment, noting that the Caucus had elected her amid a Trump administration-led ice attack targeting minorities across Los Angeles and the state.
I said that uncertain times are a reminder of why leadership today, tomorrow and the future is important because leadership has a direction and influence every moment.
Recently, Limun became vocal on the Sable Offshore Pipeline Project, which aimed to repair and reopen a pipeline off the coast of Santa Barbara County, which spilled 21,000 gallons of crude oil in 2015.
“No one fought hard enough to make the university more affordable than Monique Limon,” said current Senate Speaker Pro Tem Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg). “She is the tired voice of the central coast in the rural parts of this great state.”
McGuire received Senate guidance in a unanimous Democrat vote in February, congratulated by former chairman and gubernatorial candidate Toni Atkins. He pledged to protect the state’s progressive ideals ahead of the state’s continued bubble-filled budget in favor of Trump administration and Republican-controlled Congress, which supports cuts in heathcare federal aid for low-income Californians, education and research and other important programs.
The Sonoma County Democrats’ takeover was part of a wider change. Both legislative homes were led by Northern California lawmakers this year, with Southern California lawmakers restricting control. The Limon district covers Santa Barbara County and parts of Ventura and San Luis Obispo County.
McGuire may have removed the office next year and plans to run for the insurance commissioner in 2026, but will not confirm his plans despite raising more than $220,000 in donations so far this year.
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