Out Lawmakers Take Oaths of Office

Just shy of a month after voters elected them into office, out lawmakers around the state are already at work in their new positions.

In Los Angeles Sheila Kuehl, a former state lawmaker, became the first LGBT person to serve on the powerful Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors when she was sworn into her District 3 seat Monday, December 1.

The night of Tuesday, December 2 saw the swearing-in of gay El Cerrito City Councilman Gabriel Quinto. Not only the first out person to serve on his hometown's elected body of government, Quinto is the first known HIV-positive person elected to public office in the Bay Area.
Assemblyman Evan Low

The day prior to his taking his seat on the East Bay council, Quinto was in Sacramento with other members of the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club to witness freshman gay Assemblyman Evan Low (D-Campbell) take his oath of office during a noon ceremony in the Legislature's lower chamber.

Low, 31, is the youngest out legislator in California history and also the youngest Asian American to be elected to the Assembly. The rising Democratic politician easily won the 28th Assembly District seat covering portions of west San Jose and several Peninsula cities that his boss, former Assemblyman Paul Fong (D-Cupertino), had held until being termed out of office this year.

Should he choose to do so, Low potentially could serve the next 12 years in his Assembly seat under the state's term limits law and seek the powerful Assembly speaker post. Before the former Campbell City Councilman had even been officially welcomed by his new statehouse colleagues, he learned late last month that lesbian Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), who was elected Monday to a full term as speaker and will be termed out in 2016, had named him to one of two assistant majority whip positions among her leadership team.

"Speaker Atkins has the foresight and values we need to prioritize including how to continue to save resources for difficult times and how to invest in our State to improve the lives of all Californians as the economy improves. I look forward to getting to work on day one," stated Low, now the seventh-highest ranking officer of the Assembly and tasked with garnering support for legislation backed by Atkins.

Monday, December 1 Atkins named another out lawmaker, newly re-elected lesbian Assemblywoman Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton) to her leadership team, naming Eggman as the Democratic Caucus Chair for the 2015-2016 legislative session.

Also selected for a leadership position during the new term was freshman Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco), named by Atkins as the assistant speaker pro tempore. The former supervisor beat out his gay colleague, Supervisor David Campo s, to win the 17th Assembly District seat, which encompasses the eastern half of San Francisco, marking the first time a straight lawmaker has held the post in more than two decades. Like Low, Chiu could potentially serve in the Assembly seat until 2026.

"It is an honor to be selected to join the Assembly leadership team, and I want to thank Speaker Atkins for the opportunity," stated Chiu, who Monday introduced his first piece of legislation, a bill that would authorize a new $40 million annual state tax credit to assist with the rehabilitation and preservation of rental housing serving low-income tenants.

The next gay elected to take their oath of office will be Omar Torres, who won a seat on the Franklin-McKinley School District in San Jose. His swearing in will take place the evening of Tuesday, December 9, when he will be serving alongside John Lindner, a gay man and Oak Grove teacher first elected to the local school board in 2004.

Also that night Berkeley lesbian City Councilwoman-elect Lori Droste will be sworn into her District 8 seat, marking the first time an out lesbian has served on the council.

Oakland City Councilman-elect Abel Guillen , who identifies as Two Spirit and dates both men and women, will not be sworn in to his District 2 seat until January 5. In the meantime, he is hosting a victory fundraiser this weekend to help him retire his campaign debt of $10,000.

"Over the next few weeks, I will be working hard to ensure that I'm prepared to take office on January 5. Although I have met so many constituents and business owners throughout District 2, I am working to meet even more and share my vision as District 2's councilmember," wrote Guillen in an invite to his "Victory Celebration & Fundraiser" event.

It will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, December 6 at pizza restaurant The Star, 3425 Grand Avenue in Oakland.

CA Seeks Info on LGBT Vet Services

A state agency is trying to determine the kinds of services available to LGBT veterans in the Golden State.

The California Department of Veterans Affairs Minority Veterans Affairs Division has partnered with the California Research Bureau to collect data on organizations that provide services to LGBT veterans and service members.

CalVet intends to use the information from the survey to create a resource guide to help connect LGBT veterans and service members to the services being provided. It also hopes to get a better understanding of how many LGBT vets are in California and in need of services.

The online survey is estimated to take five minutes to fill out. It can be accessed via https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/P95VVGM