ELECTION 2024: California State Senator District 19
ELECTION 2024: California State Senator District 19
The Morongo Basin is in a new district as of 2024, connecting us to our neighbors down the hill.
This year's race for state Senate brings some changes for the Morongo Basin. After California's independent redistricting commission worked its mathematical magic in 2021, there was quite a bit of district shuffling based on the 2020 census. State senators serve four-year terms, and half the senate is up for election every two years, with senators in odd-numbered districts running in this year's election.
The Morongo Basin was part of District 23, represented by Republican Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh. The new map moved the Morongo Basin to District 19. The district now includes a large chunk of Riverside County, including Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, and low desert cities up to La Quinta, and heads north as far as Baker.
Here's where it gets a bit confusing: Ochoa Bogh is currently the senator for District 23, but she is a candidate for state senator for District 19, running against Democrat Lisa Middleton. S. Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara), the current senator for District 19, is now running for District 21.
The upshot is residents of the Morongo Basin and the rest of District 19, as of 2024, will choose between Republican Ochoa Bogh and current Palm Springs Council member Lisa Middleton, a Democrat.
Middleton became California's first transgender mayor when she was sworn in as Mayor of Palm Springs in December 2021. The Palm Springs City Councilmembers take turns as mayor, a mainly ceremonial position, by rotating through the council districts. Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis appointed Middleton to California's newly established Transgender Advisory Council in September 2021, where she still serves.
Both candidates come from working-class backgrounds. Ochoa Bogh's bio is a classic Conservative bootstrap story: As the daughter of Mexican immigrants, she was raised with the ideals that "personal responsibility, hard work, and a good education" are all you need to thrive. Middleton grew up in East Los Angeles and was the first of her family to attend college, earning a Master's degree in public administration from USC.
Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh graduated from San Bernardino High School and then the University of California, Santa Barbara, after which she worked as an English teacher and served on the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District Board. Ochoa Bogh also worked as a realtor for twenty years before becoming the first Republican Latina in the state senate in 2020.
Ochoa Bogh lists her legislative priorities as affordable housing, improving education, and public safety. She has served on the Education, Housing, and Human Services committees as Vice Chair.
The candidate’s endorsements are no surprise; Ochoa Bogh gets the nod from law enforcement: San Bernardino Sheriff Shannon Discus and Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco, the Riverside Sheriff's Association, California Association of Highway Patrolmen, and California Professional Firefighters.
Ochoa Bogh's special interest group endorsements align with her conservative values, winning the thumbs up from the California Chamber of Commerce (100%) and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (A-). She even won a 62% ranking from the generally liberal California Teachers Association for her work supporting education.
Ochoa Bogh also gets the nod from the San Bernardino Board of Supervisors. Ochoa Bogh and Assemblymember Tom Lackey helped get $2.5 million in snow removal equipment for San Bernardino in the wake of last year's paralyzing snowstorm, which trapped mountain residents in their homes. This event helped inspire the three challengers to Dawn Rowe's seat on the San Bernardino Board of Supervisors.
In January 2024, Ochoa Bogh introduced Senate Bill 943, which would waive the bachelor's degree requirement for veterans who served at the rank of E-6 or higher for more than two years when applying for California state employment. "Our military personnel acquire special knowledge and skills during their time in service that are valuable and should be considered when applying for jobs," said Ochoa Bogh. The legislation would also help mitigate California's civil service workforce shortage.
Lisa Middleton worked for thirty-six years with the State Compensation Insurance Fund before retiring as Senior Vice President of Internal Affairs, responsible for internal audits, fraud investigations, public records, and governance. As a Palms Springs City Council member, she currently serves on the Riverside Transportation Commission. If elected as state Senator, Middleton has pledged to bring more tax dollars to fund much-needed infrastructure for Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Middleton's endorsements include a long list of Democratic lawmakers and powerful unions, including one of the state's most powerful and influential unions, SEIU California. Other endorsements include the Palm Springs Firefighters Association, the National Union of Healthcare Workers, and the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund.
While Middleton plans to address housing issues, she also supports the Democratic party's positions on workers' rights, paid family medical leave, reproductive rights, and raising the minimum wage. Planned Parenthood Action Fund of the Pacific Southwest and Reproductive Freedom for All California have endorsed her candidacy.
In an interview with the Bay Area Reporter, Middleton addressed the challenges of running and holding elected office as a transgender woman. In the last two years, Middleton said she's seen Republican legislators ramp up attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, stating, "[transphobia and homophobia] have exploded in the last two years. It has convinced me even more that we need to see committed, strong, capable candidates in these races."
Middleton then made clear she intends to represent all of her constituents should she win: "I will never apologize for who I am," she said, "but I am running to respond to the issues of the 950,000 people who live in the 19th District and address the concerns of the nearly 40 million people who live in California."
Voting Information
The election is March 5, 2024. The last day to register to vote was February 20, 2024.
If you are an active registered voter, you should have already received your vote-by-mail ballot.
Check your ballot for poll location if you prefer not to vote by mail.
Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by March 12, 2024.
More voter information from the California Secretary of State here.
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