Inland state Senate candidate hopes to be California's very first openly transgender legislator

Sincerity is often demanded from political leaders. It's something Lisa Middleton found out to ask of herself.

" I think the lessons that I have actually gained from my life are the importance of being open and sincere with who you are," said Middleton, who made history in 2017 as the very first honestly transgender individual elected to public office in California. "And I invested far too many decades attempting to hide who I was."

Being transgender "is one of the more distinct parts of my identity," she included. "And it's something that I am proud of and I am proud to represent the transgender neighborhood and the bigger LGBTQ community."

Middleton, a Palm Springs city councilmember who in 2021 ended up being California's first openly transgender mayor, wishes to make history again as California's very first openly transgender state legislator, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund and the LGBTQ civil liberties group Equality California.

On Tuesday, March 21, she revealed her objective to run as a Democrat in 2024 for the 19th state Senate District, an open seat representing parts of Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

The San Gorgonio Pass, cities in the Coachella Valley and San Bernardino County's high desert and parts of Colton, Grand Terrace, Hemet, Highland, Loma Linda and Redlands remain in the district, which was produced in 2021 political redistricting.

State Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, R-Yucaipa, who represents much of those neighborhoods, has actually filed paperwork mentioning her intention to run in the 19th. Democrats hold an approximately 2-percentage-point edge over the GOP in the district's voter registration.

A retired State Compensation Insurance Fund employee who served on Palm Springs Planning Commission, Middleton stated she's running because "I think I can make a difference in Sacramento."

" I prepare to be an extremely pragmatic candidate and an issue solver and we've got some significant issues that require to be resolved," she stated.

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If chosen, Middleton stated she had actually work to upgrade the Inland Empire's transportation infrastructure, which she sees as strained by imports from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to the region's booming logistics sector.

" They are essentially on the same freeways (and) in the exact same transportation networks that existed when I was growing up in the 1950s and 1960s in Bell Gardens," Middleton stated.

As demand for big Inland storage facilities continues, "we need to start planning for this type of growth," Middleton said. "And that is going to require the state getting involved in that preparation procedure."

As state senator, Middleton, who functioned as a vice president of the League of California Cities, stated she 'd concentrate on "the essentials" such as ensuring the area can manage emergencies like the recent blizzard that stranded San Bernardino Mountains residents.

California ought to play a larger role in helping the homeless, Middleton said.

" We need to be much, far more associated with preventing people from winding up on our streets and providing the kind of assistance for those who have psychological health problems and dependency concerns (so) they do not spiral down into homelessness."

While she lives in Palm Springs, Middleton said she's familiar with other parts of the 19th District, having actually lived in Loma Linda in the 1980s.

" I am not gon na sit here and assure that I can agree with everyone in my district 100% of the time," she said. "What I can promise is that I will constantly be listening and I will always be working."