Current Position: Governor since 2019
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Positions: Lt. Governor from 2010 – 2018; Mayor San Francisco from 2003 – 2010

Gavin Newsom founded the boutique winery PlumpJack Group with billionaire heir and family friend Gordon Getty as an investor. The company grew to manage 23 businesses, including wineries, restaurants, and hotels.

As lieutenant governor, Newsom hosted The Gavin Newsom Show from 2012 to 2013. He also wrote the 2013 book Citizenville, which focused on using digital tools for democratic change.

In 2023, Newsom launched Campaign for Democracy, a PAC to take on authoritarian leaders. It is thought to be a starting point for a possible 2028 presidential bid.

The California State Legislature is a bicameral state legislature consisting of a lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members; and an upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members. Both houses of the Legislature convene at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The California state legislature is one of just ten full-time state legislatures in the United States.

The Democratic Party currently holds veto-proof supermajorities in both houses of the California State Legislature. The Assembly consists of 60 Democrats and 19 Republicans, with one independent, while the Senate is composed of 30 Democrats and 9 Republicans, also with one vacancy. Except for a brief period from 1995 to 1996, the Assembly has been in Democratic hands since the 1970 election. The Senate has been under continuous Democratic control since 1970.

Source: Wikipedia

Current Position: US Senator since 2021
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Positions: Secretary of State from 2015 – 2020; State Senator for 20th District from 2006 – 2014; President Los Angeles City Council from 2001 – 2006

Quotes: 
The sad fact is that basic scientific illiteracy and rampant misinformation is ending lives prematurely from COVID 19, and contributing to climate catastrophes here at home and around the world.

Senate gives standing ovation to Sen. Alex Padilla after passionate speech about equality

Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Padilla to the United States Senate after then-Senator Kamala Harris was elected Vice President of the United States.

Current Position: US Senator since 2023
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Positions: State Senator from 2010 – 2012; State Delegate from 2002 – 2008

Laphonza Romanique Butle is an American labor union official and politician serving as the junior United States senator from California since 2023. Butler began her career as a union organizer, and served as president of California SEIU State Council from 2013 to 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, she was a regent of the University of California system from 2018 to 2021, and the president of EMILY’s List from 2021 to 2023.

On October 1, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom chose Butler to fill the United States Senate seat left vacant by the death of Dianne Feinstein. She is the first LGBT African American to serve in the Senate.

The US onAir Network will be working with volunteers from California universities, colleges, and nonprofit organizations to oversee the curation and moderation of posts, aircasts (online discussions), and in person events for the California onAir Hub …  related to federal, state, and local elections and government.

Our first outreach will be to UC Davis partly because of its proximity to the state capital. We have identified many of UC Davis’s civic engagement, academic, internship and research programs related to making democracy and civic responsibility a focus of higher learning on their campus … for students, faculty, staff, and local community. This post, over time, will have similar information on other collaborating organizations in the state.

Contact ben.murphy@onair.cc for more information on how to involve your organization.

California is a state in the Western United States. It is bordered by Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west, Oregon to the north, and the Mexican state of Baja California to the south. With over 39.5 million residents across a total area of approximately 163,696 square miles (423,970 km2), it is the most populous and the third-largest U.S. state by area. It is also the most populated subnational entity in North America and the 34th most populous in the world. The Greater Los Angeles area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nation’s second and fifth most populous urban regions respectively, with the former having more than 18.7 million residents and the latter having over 9.6 million.

Sacramento is the state’s capital, while Los Angeles is the most populous city in the state and the second most populous city in the country (after New York City). Los Angeles County is the country’s most populous, while San Bernardino County is the largest county by area in the country. San Francisco, which is both a city and county, is the second most densely populated major city in the country (after New York City) and the fifth most densely populated county in the country, behind four of New York City’s five boroughs.

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