Christine T. Kehoe (born October 3, 1950) is an

American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bic ...

from

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

. 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 ...

, she served from 2004 to 2012 as a member of 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 ...

, representing the 39th district. She was previously a member of 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 ...

(2000–2004), and of

San Diego City Council The San Diego City Council is the legislative branch of government for the city of San Diego, California. The city council was first established in San Diego in 1850. The council uses a strong mayor system with a separately elected mayor who acts ...

(1993–2000).

Early life and activism

Kehoe was born in 1950 in

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany a ...

. She earned a bachelor's degree from

University at Albany, The State University of New York The State University of New York at Albany, commonly referred to as the University at Albany, UAlbany or SUNY Albany, is a public research university with campuses in Albany, Rensselaer, and Guilderland, New York. Founded in 1844, it is one ...

in 1977. She became active in politics in 1978 as a volunteer with the Center for Women's Studies and Services in San Diego. Kehoe was editor of the San Diego ''Gayzette'' during 1984–1986, and was

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the fi ...

chair for the campaign to defeat

California Proposition 64 (1986) Proposition 64 was a proposition in the state of California on the November 4, 1986 ballot. It was an initiative statute that would have restored Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) to the list of communicable diseases. The measure was def ...

and restore AIDS to the state list of communicable diseases. She was the coordinator of the

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

AIDS Assistance Fund 1987–1988, executive director of the Hillcrest Business Association 1988–1989, and a city council aide during 1989–1992. Kehoe, who is a

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

, is a strong supporter of equal rights for

gays and lesbians Sexuality and gender identity-based cultures are subcultures and communities composed of people who have shared experiences, backgrounds, or interests due to common sexual or gender identities. Among the first to argue that members of sexual m ...

. A former chair of the

California Legislative LGBT Caucus The California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus (formerly the California Legislative LGBT Caucus) is an American political organization formed in June 2002 and composed of openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members of the California State Leg ...

, she was one of five openly

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

members of the

California State Legislature 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 Legisla ...

, alongside Senator

Mark Leno Mark Leno (born September 24, 1951) is an American politician who served in the California State Senate until November 2016. A California Democratic Party, Democrat, he represented the California's 11th State Senate district, 11th Senate district ...

(D–

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

) and Assemblymembers

Tom Ammiano Tom Ammiano (born December 15, 1941) is an American politician and LGBT rights activist from San Francisco, California. Ammiano, a member of the California Legislative LGBT Caucus, served as a member of the California State Assembly from 2008 to ...

(D–San Francisco), Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and

John Pérez John A. Pérez (born September 28, 1969) is an American union organizer and politician. He has been a Regent of the University of California since November 17, 2014, previously serving as the 68th Speaker of the California State Assembly from M ...

(D–

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

City Council

Kehoe represented San Diego's 3rd City Council District from 1993 to 2000, and the 76th District in the

from 2000 to 2004. She was the city's first openly gay elected official. In 1998, she ran for the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

in the 49th Congressional District against incumbent Congressman

Brian Bilbray Brian Phillip Bilbray (born January 28, 1951) is an American Republican politician who represented parts of San Diego County in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2001 and again from 2006 to 2013. Bilbray was Chairman of the House ...

, but was defeated. As City Councilmember, she facilitated a decrease in crime in her district by initiating a public/private partnership that built a center housing a library, theater and Head Start classrooms, in addition to other community services. She was also instrumental in the construction of Interstate 15 after multiple delays.

State Assembly

Kehoe was first elected to the

in 2000, winning the

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

unopposed and the general election with 61 percent of the vote. She was re-elected without difficulty in 2002. Kehoe was elected Assembly

Speaker 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". ...

, the Assembly's second highest-ranking position. She is the second woman to hold the post.

State Senate

After two terms in the Assembly, Kehoe ran for the

in 2004 to succeed Dede Alpert in the 39th district. Alpert was termed out in 2004 after eight years in the State Senate. The district includes the

communities of City Heights, Clairemont, Del Mar, Emerald Hills, Encanto, Hillcrest, Kearny Mesa, La Jolla, Lemon Grove, Linda Vista, Mira Mesa, Mission Beach, Mission Hills, Mission Valley, Normal Heights, North Park, Ocean Beach, Old Town, Pacific Beach and Valencia Park. She was re-elected in 2008. She left office in December 2012 due to term limits.

Post-Senate career

In November 2012 she announced that she will become executive director of the California Plug-In Vehicle Collaborative effective January 1, 2013. The collaborative, founded in July 2012, promotes the acceptance and availability of all-electric cars. In 2016 Kehoe served as one of California's 55 electors in the Electoral College.http://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov//statewide-elections/2016-general/pres-elector-list.pdf

Organizations and memberships

Kehoe has been an ardent supporter of increased environmental protection for the state's resources in her appointed position on the California Coastal Commission. Kehoe is a member of the Sierra Club, the National Organization for Women (NOW), National Women's Political Caucus, Uptown Democratic Club, and California Women in Government, the San Diego Democratic Club, and the Women's Transportation Seminar. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the California Elected Women's Association for Education and Research (CEWAER).

References

External links

www.christinekehoe.orgJoin California Christine T. Kehoe
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kehoe, Christine 1950 births American environmentalists American women environmentalists American feminists Democratic Party California state senators Editors of California newspapers Legislative staff Lesbian politicians Living people LGBT state legislators in California Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly Politicians from Troy, New York San Diego City Council members University at Albany, SUNY alumni Women state legislators in California Women newspaper editors Women city councillors in California Journalists from New York (state) Activists from New York (state) Activists from California 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Candidates in the 1998 United States elections 2016 United States presidential electors American LGBT city council members LGBT people from California 21st-century LGBT people