Bill Monning
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William Wheeler Monning (born April 2, 1951) is an American politician who was elected to the
California State Senate The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature, the lower house being the California State Assembly. The State Senate convenes, along with the State Assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Cal ...
in 2012. A
Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...
, he served in the 17th Senate District which encompasses the Central Coast. Monning was reelected to the Senate in 2016 for a second and final term. Education, the environment and public health are areas of particular interest to Senator Monning. Before his election to the State Senate in 2012, Monning served in the
California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...
, representing the 27th Assembly District.


Early life and education

Bill Monning was born and raised in Southern California. He attended
Flintridge Preparatory School Flintridge Preparatory School, familiarly known as Flintridge Prep or simply Prep, is a coeducational day school for grades 7-12. Founded in 1933, it is located in La Cañada Flintridge, California, United States. Facilities School facilities inc ...
from fifth to twelfth grade and participated in athletics including football, basketball, baseball and swimming. His college years were spent in the San Francisco Bay Area where he attended the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
from 1969 to 1972 and the
University of San Francisco School of Law The University of San Francisco School of Law (USF Law) is the law school of the private University of San Francisco. Established in 1912, it received American Bar Association accreditation in 1935 and joined the Association of American Law Sc ...
from 1973 to 1976. During this time he also did volunteer work for the
United Farm Workers The United Farm Workers of America, or more commonly just United Farm Workers (UFW), is a labor union for farmworkers in the United States. It originated from the merger of two workers' rights organizations, the Agricultural Workers Organizing ...
legal department and participated in marches and other activities with farm workers' movements in
Delano Delano or DeLano may refer to: Places in the United States * Delano, California * Delano, Wichita, Kansas, a neighborhood in Wichita and former community before merging with Wichita * Delano, Minnesota * Delano, Nevada * Delano, Pennsylvania * De ...
, Salinas and
Modesto Modesto () is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton ...
, meeting other activists including Jerry Cohen,
Cesar Chavez Cesar Chavez (born Cesario Estrada Chavez ; ; March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993) was an American labor leader and civil rights activist. Along with Dolores Huerta, he co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), which later merged ...
and
Dolores Huerta Dolores Clara Fernández Huerta (born April 10, 1930) is an American labor leader and civil rights activist who, with Cesar Chavez, is a co-founder of the National Farmworkers Association, which later merged with the Agricultural Workers Organiz ...
. These experiences with the UFW were influential, "working with the legal department as a volunteer . . . really solidified my interest and purpose in attending law school." Monning received a
B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
at the University of California, Berkeley and a J.D. degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law. He served as a Senior Fulbright Specialist, receiving
Fulbright The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...
scholarships to teach and research in Peru and Chile. Additionally, he was a member of the
Monterey County Monterey County ( ), officially the County of Monterey, is a county located on the Pacific coast in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, its population was 439,035. The county's largest city and county seat is Salinas. Montere ...
Court-directed mediation panel and served for four years as Executive Director of the
Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemi ...
winning organization,
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) is a non-partisan federation of national medical groups in 63 countries, representing doctors, medical students, other health workers, and concerned people who share the goal of ...
.


Career as attorney

After entering the
California State Bar The State Bar of California is California's official attorney licensing agency. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, prescribing appropriate disciplin ...
, Monning first worked as a staff attorney for the
United Farm Workers of America The United Farm Workers of America, or more commonly just United Farm Workers (UFW), is a labor union for farmworkers in the United States. It originated from the merger of two workers' rights organizations, the Agricultural Workers Organizing ...
, AFL-CIO (1976 – 1978). He then became Directing Attorney for
California Rural Legal Assistance California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. (CRLA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal service and political advocacy organization created to help California's low-income individuals and communities. CRLA represents all types of individuals and communiti ...
, Migrant Farm Worker Project (1978 -1982). From 1982 through 1987 Monning was the Director of the Salvadoran Medical Relief Fund, and from 1987 through 1991 he was Executive Director for the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW). From 1993 until his election to the State Assembly in 2008 he worked in private practice (Labor and Employment law) and taught at both the
Monterey Institute of International Studies The Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS), formerly known as the Monterey Institute of International Studies, is an American graduate school of Middlebury College, a private college in Middlebury, Vermont. Established ...
(currently Middlebury Institute of International Studies) as professor of International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution and as a professor at the
Monterey College of Law Monterey College of Law (MCL) is a private, non-profit law school founded in 1972 in Monterey, California. The school is approved by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California but is not accredited by the American Bar Associat ...
. Monning is also the former president and co-founder o
Global Majority
Inc.


Career as politician

In 2008 Bill Monning ran for and won the California State District 27 Assembly seat being vacated by termed out John Laird. When asked in an interview with the
National Lawyers Guild The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) is a progressive public interest association of lawyers, law students, paralegals, jailhouse lawyers, law collective members, and other activist legal workers, in the United States. The group was founded in 193 ...
about why he decided to run for the Assembly in 2008, Monning cited California's structural budget limitations saying California was, "only one of three states in the union that require a 2/3 vote in both houses to pass a budget." This limitation made it difficult to secure adequate funding for such needs as healthcare and education. Monning hoped to work with community groups and other legislators to effect reform in this and other areas including electoral, campaign finance and economic justice. In 2012 Monning was elected to the California State Senate after the incumbent, Sam Blakeslee, R-San Luis Obispo, chose not to run in the newly drawn 17th Senate district. Monning became Senate Majority leader in 2014 when he was appointed by then State Senate
President pro tempore A president pro tempore or speaker pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer. The phrase ''pro tempore'' is Latin "for the time being". ...
Kevin de León Kevin Alexander Leon (born December 10, 1966), known professionally as Kevin de León and colloquially as KDL, is an American politician serving as the Los Angeles City Council member for district 14 since 2020. A member of the Democratic Party, ...
, D-Los Angeles. Monning was reelected to the Senate in 2016 for a second and final term. In 2016 Monning seriously considered running to fill the seat being vacated by retiring Congressmen
Sam Farr Samuel Sharon Farr (born July 4, 1941) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for California's 17th (1993–2013) and 20th congressional districts (2013–17). He is a member of the Democratic Party. He was elected to Co ...
but felt he could be more effective in working on climate policy and other important issues as a leader in Sacramento as opposed to being a member of the minority party in Washington. In 2019 Monning was appointed to the
California Coastal Conservancy The California State Coastal Conservancy (CSCC, SCC) is a non-regulatory state agency in California established in 1976 to enhance coastal resources and public access to the coast. The CSCC is a department of the California Natural Resources Agenc ...
by California Senate President pro tempore
Toni Atkins Toni Gayle Atkins (born August 1, 1962) is an American politician serving as the 51st and current President pro tempore of the California State Senate since 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the 69th Speaker of the ...
.


Electoral history

Monning, Hsla-Coron, Cohen and Mason 2017.jpg, Bill Monning, Mary Hsla-Coron, Jerry Cohen and Mel Mason - panel discussion "What can we learn from 1960's activism to inform today's resistance movements?" Monning with Book.jpg, Monning with book - ''Vision for a Healthy California'' Bill Monning March for Science 2017.webm, Bill Monning
March for Science The March for Science (formerly known as the Scientists' March on Washington) is an international series of rallies and marches held on Earth Day. The inaugural march was held on April 22, 2017, in Washington, D.C., and more than 600 other cit ...
2017 Monterey, CA Bill Monning on Climate Change.webm, Recorded at a peace rally in Carmel, CA 2017


Legislation


Soda tax (SB 622)

On February 22, 2013, he introduced SB 622, which would impose a 12 cent tax on each can of soda, as well as create the Children's Health Promotion Fund, which would direct the money the tax raised to childhood obesity-preventing measures such as improving the quality of school lunches. About three months later, the bill died in committee.


Farmworker Protection

Monning authored a bill to protect California farm workers from sexual harassment and violence. Signed by Governor
Jerry Brown Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. (born April 7, 1938) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 34th and 39th governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected Secretary of S ...
on September 28, 2014, SB 1087 followed a 2013 investigation by
Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the Latino public and includes ...
, UC Berkeley's Investigative Reporting Program FRONTLINE, and the
Center for Investigative Reporting The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) is a nonprofit news organization based in Emeryville, California. It was founded in 1977 as the nation’s first nonprofit investigative journalism organization, and has since grown into a multi-plat ...
. The investigation found that hundreds of female agriculture workers said they had been harassed and assaulted in the fields with minimal response from their supervisors or from law enforcement. The law took effect on January 1, 2015. "Female farmworkers are among the most vulnerable and invisible of the state's farm worker population," said Monning. " B 1087will require sexual harassment prevention training for farm labor contractors, supervisors, and employees, and is the first step to help protect these workers from unwanted sexual advances and sexual violence." Senator Monning successfully authored another bill, SB 168 in 2013, to help agricultural workers get back wages and penalties owed by state-licensed farm labor contractors. According to Monning, some California contractors had fraudulently dissolved and moved their assets to new corporations, leaving farm workers without anyone to file a claim against. "This measure is modeled after previous legislation in the garment manufacturing and car wash industries to address fraudulent successor business scams," said Monning "The workers most affected and victimized by such unscrupulous practices are farm workers."


Death with Dignity

In 2015, Monning co-sponsored, with
Lois Wolk Lois Wolk (born May 12, 1946) is an American politician and former member of the California State Senate. A Democrat, she represented the 3rd Senate District, which encompasses the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta region and portions of th ...
(D-Davis), SB 128, the
California End of Life Option Act California End of Life Option Act is a law enacted in June 2016 by the California State Legislature which allows terminally ill adult residents in the state of California to access medical aid in dying by self-administering lethal drugs, provided ...
. The bill was modeled after Oregon's Death With Dignity Act (1994). The law authorizes adults with six months or less to live to request a doctor's prescription for life-ending medication. It passed the California Senate easily, but stalled in the Assembly. In a legislative session in September dedicated to healthcare, several amendments were introduced, and eventually the bill passed in the Assembly 42-33, and the Senate 23-14 It was co-authored by Assembly Member Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton). California governor
Jerry Brown Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. (born April 7, 1938) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 34th and 39th governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected Secretary of S ...
signed the California End of Life Option Act on October 5, 2015, and it went into effect on June 9, 2016. California thus became the fifth state to pass a Death With Dignity law. In a 2018 interview with the ''Monterey County Weekly'' Monning claimed that the End of Life Option Act was "one of his greatest legislative achievements". He was very moved by the testimony of terminally ill people in Sacramento, "They knew that they weren't going to be able to benefit from it (the Act), and yet they still came, facing their terminal conditions, making sure that those who followed them would have options that they didn't have".


Climate Change

Senator Monning believes climate change is the largest long-term threat to humanity and that it will also negatively affect public health and coastal communities. In the 2015 – 2016 legislative session Senator Monning co-authored* Senate Bill 350, the Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act of 2015. This complex bill was intended to increase the state's energy efficiency, reduce petroleum use in vehicles and set new standards for California's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). Under this bill the state of California would be required to generate half of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. The bill was signed by Governor Jerry Brown October 7, 2015. Other sponsors of the bill were primary sponsor Senator Kevin de León, Senator
Loni Hancock Loni Hancock (born Ilona Harrington; April 10, 1940) is an Americans, American politician and a former member of the California State Senate. A California Democratic Party, Democrat, she represented the California's 9th State Senate district, 9 ...
, Senator
Mark Leno Mark Leno (born September 24, 1951) is an American politician who served in the California State Senate until November 2016. A Democrat, he represented the 11th Senate district, which includes San Francisco and portions of San Mateo County. Bef ...
, Assemblyman Das Williams and Assemblyman
Kevin McCarty Kevin M. McCarty (born January 6, 1972) is an American politician currently serving in the California State Assembly. He is a Democrat representing the 7th Assembly District, which encompasses a portion of the Sacramento metropolitan area, ...
.


Personal life

He and his wife, Dana T. Kent, a family physician, reside in Carmel, California and have two daughters: Laura and Alexandra.


Bibliography

* ''Vision for a Healthy California'', Foreword by
Mike Farrell Michael Joseph Farrell Jr. (born February 6, 1939) is an American actor, best known for his role as List of M*A*S*H characters#B.J. Hunnicutt, Captain B.J. Hunnicutt on the television series ''M*A*S*H (TV series), M*A*S*H'' (1975–83). Farrell ...
, Gui Mundo Publishing Company, 2010, * ''Voices of Change: The People's Oral History Project Interviews with Monterey County Activists and Organizers 1934-2015'', Author Gary Karnes, Foreword by Senator Bill Monning, Co-authors Karen Araujo and Juan Martinez, Park Place Publications, January 15, 2016,


References


External links

*
Join California Bill Monning
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monning, Bill 1951 births 21st-century American politicians American Unitarians California lawyers Democratic Party California state senators Living people Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly People from Carmel-by-the-Sea, California University of California, Berkeley alumni University of San Francisco School of Law alumni