State Sen. Mike McGuire, whose district includes Marin and other counties along the northern coast, has been named Senate majority leader.
McGuire, a Democrat who lives in Healdsburg, replaces Bob Hertzberg of Van Nuys. Hertzberg will be termed out of the Legislature after this year.
“I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve in this new role,” McGuire said Wednesday. “And my top priority will always be the North Coast.”
“We have been through so much together over the last several years – multiple wildfires, floods, extreme drought and this pandemic,” he said. “Even through our darkest days, we never gave up and we never gave in. Together, we will never quit fighting for the future of the North Coast and the Golden State.”
McGuire has been the assistant majority leader. The promotion makes him the second highest ranking state senator, behind Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins.
McGuire was elected to the Senate in 2014, but he is not termed out until 2026 because of a change in term limit rules.
Hertzberg, a former Assembly speaker, joined the state Legislature in 1996. He was elected to the Senate in 2014 and has been majority leader for three years.
Hertzberg announced Tuesday that he will compete for a seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
Atkins is termed out in 2024.
The Independent Journal contributed to this report.
Source: www.mercurynews.com