Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego)

Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins represents the 39th Senate District, which includes San Diego, Coronado, Del Mar, and Solana Beach, and parts of unincorporated Rancho Santa Fe.

Atkins was born and raised in southwestern Virginia—the daughter of a miner and a seamstress—and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Emory & Henry College in Virginia.

From her eight-year tenure on the San Diego City Council to her years in the Legislature, Atkins has dedicated her career to serving as a champion for affordable housing and homelessness, the environment, healthcare, veterans, women, and the LGBTQ community.

She was the first San Diegan and first lesbian Speaker of the Assembly, and in March 2018, became the first woman and openly LGBTQ person to lead the California State Senate. She is the first person in 150 years, and the third person in California history, to lead both houses of the Legislature.

Atkins lives in the South Park community of San Diego with her spouse, Jennifer, and their dogs, Joey and Mia.