# California's 20th senatorial district

California's 20th senatorial district is one of 40 California State Senate districts. It is currently represented by Democrat Caroline Menjivar of Panorama City.

## District profile

The district encompasses most of the San Fernando Valley section of northern Los Angeles, including Burbank, Van Nuys, Reseda, Canoga Park, Tujunga, Sun Valley, Shadow Hills, Lake View Terrace, Arleta, Panorama City, Pacoima, Mission Hills, San Fernando, and Sylmar.

## Election results from statewide races

| Year | Office | Results |
| 2021 | Recall | No 64.8 – 35.2% |
| 2020 | President | Biden 65.2 – 32.5% |
| 2018 | Governor | Newsom 65.7 – 34.3% |
| 2018 | Senator | Feinstein 52.9 – 47.1% |
| 2016 | President | Clinton 67.9 – 26.8% |
| 2016 | Senator | Harris 50.6 – 49.4% |
| 2014 | Governor | Brown 61.7 – 38.3% |
| 2012 | President | Obama 68.2 – 29.8% |
| 2012 | Senator | Feinstein 68.8 – 31.2% |

## List of senators representing the district
### 1851–1861: one seat

| Senators | Party | Years served | Electoral history | Counties represented |
| District established April 16, 1852 |||||
| James M. Estill | Democratic | April 16, 1852 – May 15, 1854 | Elected in 1851. Re-elected in 1852. [data missing] | Sierra |
| John D. Scellan | Whig | January 1, 1855 – April 21, 1856 | Elected in 1854. [data missing] | Sierra |
| William T. Ferguson | Know Nothing | January 5, 1857 – April 26, 1858 | Elected in 1856. Re-elected in 1857. [data missing] | Sierra |
| William T. Ferguson | Democratic | January 5, 1857 – April 26, 1858 | Elected in 1856. Re-elected in 1857. [data missing] | Sierra |
| M. Kirkpatrick | Democratic | January 3, 1859 – April 13, 1860 | Elected in 1858. Re-elected in 1859. [data missing] | Sierra |
| Harry J. Thornton | Beckenridge Democratic | January 7, 1861 – June 19, 1861 | Elected in 1860. Resigned. | Sierra |
| Vacant | Vacant | June 19, 1861 – September 4, 1861 | Vacant seat redistricted to the 22nd district before special election. | Sierra |

### 1860–1867: two seats

| Years | Seat A | Seat A | Seat A | Seat B | Seat B | Seat B | Counties represented |
| Years | Member | Party | Electoral history | Member | Party | Electoral history | Counties represented |
| January 7, 1861 – May 15, 1862 | William D. Harriman (Dutch Flat) | Republican | Elected in 1861. Re-elected in 1862. Retired. | Philip W. Thomas (Auburn) | Union Democratic | Redistricted from the 17th district and re-elected in 1861. [data missing] | Placer |
| May 15, 1862 – December 7, 1863 | William D. Harriman (Dutch Flat) | Union | Elected in 1861. Re-elected in 1862. Retired. | Felix B. Higgins (Auburn) | Union | Elected in 1862. [data missing] | Placer |
| December 7, 1863 – April 4, 1864 | James E. Hale (Auburn) | Union | Elected in 1862. Re-elected in 1865. [data missing] | John Yule (Colfax) | Union | Elected in 1862. Re-elected in 1865. [data missing] | Placer |
| December 4, 1865 – April 2, 1866 | James E. Hale (Auburn) | Union | Elected in 1862. Re-elected in 1865. [data missing] | John Yule (Colfax) | Union | Elected in 1862. Re-elected in 1865. [data missing] | Placer |

### 1867–1876: one seat

| Senators | Party | Years served | Electoral history | Counties represented |
| Charles A. Tweed (Auburn) | Union | December 2, 1867 – April 4, 1870 | Elected in 1867. [data missing] | Placer |
| Vacant | Vacant | April 4, 1870 – December 4, 1871 | | Placer |
| Jacob H. Neff (Colfax) | Republican | December 4, 1871 – April 1, 1872 | Elected in 1871. [data missing] | Placer |
| Noble Martin (Dutch Flat) | Independent | December 1, 1873 – April 3, 1876 | Elected in 1873. [data missing] | Placer, El Dorado County, California |

### 1876–1878: two seats

| Years | Seat A | Seat A | Seat A | Seat B | Seat B | Seat B | Counties represented |
| Years | Member | Party | Electoral history | Member | Party | Electoral history | Counties represented |
| December 6, 1875 – April 3, 1876 | Samuel G. Hilborn (Vallejo) | Republican | Elected in 1875. Redistricted to the 19th district. | William M. Hill (Sonoma) | Democratic | Elected in 1875. [data missing] | Solano, Sonoma |
| December 3, 1877 – April 1, 1878 | Vacant | Vacant | Seat vacant due to Hillborn winning a seat for the 19th district. | William M. Hill (Sonoma) | Democratic | Elected in 1875. [data missing] | Solano, Sonoma |

### 1880–present: one seat

| Senators | Party | Years served | Electoral history | Counties represented |
| William L. Anderson (Santa Rosa) | Democratic | January 5, 1880 – January 8, 1883 | Elected in 1879. Re-elected in 1880. [data missing] | Lake, Napa, Sonoma |
| Dennis Spencer (Napa) | Democratic | January 8, 1883 – January 3, 1887 | Elected in 1882. Re-elected in 1884. [data missing] | Lake, Napa, Sonoma |
| Thomas J. Pinder (San Francisco) | Democratic | January 3, 1887 – January 5, 1891 | Elected in 1886. Re-elected in 1888. [data missing] | San Francisco |
| George H. Williams (San Francisco) | Republican | January 5, 1891 – January 2, 1893 | Elected in 1890. Redistricted to the 24th district. | San Francisco |
| John T. Broderick (San Francisco) | Republican | January 2, 1893 – January 7, 1895 | Redistricted from the 26th district and re-elected in 1892. [data missing] | San Francisco |
| Eugene F. Bert (San Francisco) | Republican | January 7, 1895 – January 2, 1899 | Elected in 1894. [data missing] | San Francisco |
| Frank W. Burnett (San Francisco) | Republican | January 2, 1899 – January 5, 1903 | Elected in 1898. [data missing] | San Francisco |
| Frank French (San Francisco) | Republican | January 5, 1903 – February 27, 1905 | Elected in 1902. Expelled for accepting bribes. | San Francisco |
| Vacant | Vacant | February 27, 1905 – January 7, 1907 | | San Francisco |
| Thomas J. Kennedy (San Francisco) | Democratic | January 7, 1907 – January 2, 1911 | Elected in 1906. Lost re-election. | San Francisco |
| Edward F. Bryant (San Francisco) | Republican | January 2, 1911 – January 4, 1915 | Elected in 1910. Retired to become San Francisco Tax Collector. | San Francisco |
| William S. Scott (San Francisco) | Progressive | January 4, 1915 – January 8, 1923 | Elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1918. Retired to become a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. | San Francisco |
| William S. Scott (San Francisco) | Republican | January 4, 1915 – January 8, 1923 | Elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1918. Retired to become a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. | San Francisco |
| P. J. Gray (San Francisco) | Republican | January 8, 1923 – April 23, 1930 | Elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1926. Died. | San Francisco |
| Vacant | Vacant | April 23, 1930 – January 5, 1931 | | San Francisco |
| Bradford S. Crittenden (Stockton) | Republican | January 5, 1931 – January 8, 1951 | Elected in 1930. Re-elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1946. [data missing] | San Joaquin |
| Verne W. Hoffman (Lodi) | Republican | January 8, 1951 – January 3, 1955 | Elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1954. Retired to run for State Assembly. | San Joaquin |
| Alan Short (Stockton) | Democratic | January 3, 1955 – January 2, 1967 | Elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1962. Redistricted to the 6th district. | San Joaquin |
| William E. Coombs (Rialto) | Republican | January 2, 1967 – October 19, 1973 | Elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1970. Resigned. | San Bernardino |
| Vacant | Vacant | October 19, 1973 – January 23, 1974 | | San Bernardino |
| Ruben Ayala (Chino) | Democratic | January 23, 1974 – November 30, 1974 | Elected to finish Coombs's term. Redistricted to the California's 32nd State Senate district. | San Bernardino |
| Alan Robbins (Los Angeles) | Democratic | December 2, 1974 – November 19, 1991 | Elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1990. Resigned after being indicted due to the BRISPEC sting operation. | Los Angeles |
| Vacant | Vacant | November 19, 1991 – July 2, 1992 | | Los Angeles |
| David Roberti (Los Angeles) | Democratic | July 2, 1992 – November 30, 1994 | Resigned from the 23rd district and assumed seat to finish Robbins's term. Retired due to term limits. | Los Angeles |
| Herschel Rosenthal (Los Angeles) | Democratic | December 5, 1994 – November 30, 1998 | Redistricted from the 22nd district and re-elected in 1994. Retired due to term limits. | Los Angeles |
| Richard Alarcon (Los Angeles) | Democratic | December 7, 1998 – November 30, 2006 | Elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2002. Retired to run for State Assembly. | Los Angeles |
| Alex Padilla (Los Angeles) | Democratic | December 4, 2006 – November 30, 2014 | Elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2010. Retired to run for Secretary of State. | Los Angeles |
| Connie Leyva (Chino) | Democratic | December 1, 2014 – December 5, 2022 | Elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2018. Retired to run for San Bernardino County Supervisor. | Los Angeles, San Bernardino |
| Caroline Menjivar (Los Angeles) | Democratic | December 5, 2022 – present | Elected in 2022. | Los Angeles |

## Contents

* 1994
* 1998
* 2002
* 2006
* 2010
* 2014
* 2018

### 2018

2018 California State Senate election :
| Primary election |||||
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Connie Leyva (incumbent) | 40,112 | 47.0 |
| | Republican | Matthew Munson | 30,233 | 35.4 |
| | Democratic | Paul Vincent Avila | 14,985 | 17.6 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 85,330 | 100.0 |
| General election |||||
| | Democratic | Connie Leyva (incumbent) | 137,748 | 69.5 |
| | Republican | Matthew Munson | 60,578 | 30.5 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 198,326 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 2014

2014 California State Senate election :
| Primary election |||||
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Matthew Munson | 14,124 | 33.0 |
| | Democratic | Connie Leyva | 9,096 | 21.2 |
| | Democratic | Alfonso "Al" Sanchez | 7,958 | 18.6 |
| | Democratic | Shannon O'Brien | 6,769 | 15.9 |
| | Democratic | Sylvia Robles | 4,843 | 11.3 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 42,790 | 100.0 |
| General election |||||
| | Democratic | Connie Leyva | 56,943 | 62.4 |
| | Republican | Matthew Munson | 34,256 | 37.6 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 91,199 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 2010

California State Senate election, 2010 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Alex Padilla (incumbent) | 94,356 | 68.4 |
| | Republican | Kathleen "Suzy" Evans | 37,420 | 27.1 |
| | Libertarian | Adrian Galysh | 6,245 | 4.5 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 138,051 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 2006

California State Senate election, 2006 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Alex Padilla | 84,459 | 74.85 |
| | Libertarian | Pamela Brown | 28,377 | 25.15 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 112,836 | 100.00 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 2002

California State Senate election, 2002 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Richard Alarcon (incumbent) | 88,902 | 100.00 |
| Invalid or blank votes | Invalid or blank votes | Invalid or blank votes | 35,228 | 28.38 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 124,130 | 100.00 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 1998

California State Senate election, 1998 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Richard Alarcón | 82,258 | 65.94 |
| | Republican | Ollie M. McCaulley | 34,120 | 27.35 |
| | Libertarian | Linda Starr | 8,372 | 6.71 |
| Invalid or blank votes | Invalid or blank votes | Invalid or blank votes | 11,473 | 8.42 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | | 100.00 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 1994

California State Senate election, 1994 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Herschel Rosenthal (incumbent) | 75,345 | 58.46 |
| | Republican | Dolores Bender White | 53,528 | 41.54 |
| Invalid or blank votes | Invalid or blank votes | Invalid or blank votes | 14,694 | 10.23 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 143,567 | 100.00 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |