Pub. 7 2018-2019 Issue 1

12 San Diego Dealer LEGISLATOR PROFILE: SENATOR PATRICIA C. BATES P atricia C. Bates, better known as “Pat”, has served as the senator for the 36th Senate District in the California State Legislature since December 1, 2014, representing nearly 1 million people from Encinitas in San Diego County to Rancho Santa Margarita in Orange County. On April 12, 2017, Bates became the Senate Republican Leader, only the second woman to lead a party caucus in the Senate’s history – Democrat or Republican. Elected public service was not something Senator Bates sought growing up. It came gradually when she became a wife, mother and community volunteer. Her professional back- ground is one of a Los Angeles County social worker, where she learned that government has an important role in protecting public safety and health, but it must act within the limits placed upon it by the people. In the Senate, Bates’ focus is to solve everyday problems for Californians in a way that will preserve quality of life, protect taxpayers, and restore fiscal common sense to government. That was the driving force behind Laguna Niguel’s campaign for cityhood and when she became its first mayor upon the city’s incorpo- ration in 1989. She served four terms as mayor and then continued serving as a city council member until her election to the State Assembly in 1998, earning the trust of a large majority of Orange and San Diego County voters. When Senator Bates was in the Assembly, she servedasvicechairoftheAssemblyAppropriations and Assembly Health Committees, and was the foundingchairoftheRepublicanWomen’sCaucus to ensure that women from across the political spectrumwere fully represented. On January 9, 2007, Senator Bates was sworn-in as an Orange County Supervisor where she worked diligently to protect taxpayers and improve the county’s fiscal outlook; create business-friendly policies to attract jobs; main- tain high levels of public safety; shorten the timeline for delivery of transportation projects; implement pension and retireemedical liability reforms; and protect our coastal environment. In the Senate, Bates has stood up for taxpayers by defending Proposition 13 and helping lead the opposition against the massive gas and car tax increase. Pro-taxpayer groups have consistently given her highmarks for her record to defend Californians fromnumerous attempts to raise unnecessary taxes and fees. Even though Senator Bates is a Republican in a Democratic-controlled Legislature, she has worked with Democrats to advance common goals. For example, Bates jointly authored SB 197 (2017) with Senator Toni Atkins to lower the cost of building needed medical facilities that would serve veterans and military personnel. Senator Bates is a proud native of Southern California, growing up in Long Beach and moving to South Orange County four decades ago. Her husband John is an accomplished architect, and she is proud to have two adult children and four grandchildren.