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Melissa Hurtado

Democrat, State Senate

District 16, Bakersfield

Time in office:

Senate: 2018-present

Official Website

News coverage of Melissa Hurtado

Bio

Melissa Hurtado, 38, was the youngest woman ever elected to the Senate, when she took office in 2018. Four years later, she won reelection to her newly redrawn district by a mere 13 votes over her Republican opponent, David Shepard. She’s one of the most moderate members of the Democratic caucus. Hailing from a top oil producing district, she is the lowest ranked Democrat senator on environmental group’s clean-energy scorecard. The former Sanger city council member is a Cal State Sacramento political science graduate.

Leader Badges

Ideology

Left

Moderate

Right

Bill Activity

Of 35 bills:

5 Passed

14 Failed

16 Pending

For this session year, this legislator initiated 35 bills: 5 passed, 14 failed, and 16 are currently pending.

Alignment Meter

See all-time percentage of this legislator’s alignment with any organization based on total votes.

xx%votes: xx

Influence

There are three categories of donations to legislators after they are elected that encourage a working relationship between the donor and the legislator. The three categories are: 1-Gifts, 2-Travel, 3-Behests.

Giver	Value	Date	Description
Recording Industry Association of America	$520	Nov 17, 2021	Latin Grammy's
Kern County Farm Bureau	$150	Oct 9, 2021	Ticket, Dinner
Adam Gray for Assembly 2020	$98.45	Mar 24, 2021	Dinner
California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association	$75	Sep 12, 2021	Ticket/Dinner
CSU Bakersfield Office of Events	$74	Oct 1, 2021	Tote, Pen, Water Bottle
Susan Rubio for Senate 2022	$68.99	Aug 9, 2021	Dinner
Kings Firefighters Association	$60	Dec 17, 2021	Blanket
California Tribal Business Alliance	$53	Jul 14, 2021	Food, Bev, Entertainm
Susan Rubio for Senate 2022	$37.2	May 5, 2021	RBG Collar/Tote
California Chamber of Commerce	$30	Aug 16, 2021	Lunch

Gifts

Legislators are not allowed to accept gifts of more than $10 per month from registered lobbyists. Gifts from any other single source are limited to $590 in a calendar year.

Gift Received Rating

#27/120

This legislator is ranked 27th highest for the amount of personal gifts received.

Policy

Bills Authored by Melissa Hurtado

SB 401

Political Reform Act of 1974: filing deadlines: emergency situations.

Committee: Senate Standing Committee on Elections and Constitutional Amendments

In Progress

Political Reform Act of 1974: filing deadlines: emergency situations.Committee: Senate Standing Committee on Elections and Constitutional Amendments

SB 1181

Central Valley School Safety Coordination Pilot Program.

Committee: Senate Standing Committee on Emergency Management

In Progress

Central Valley School Safety Coordination Pilot Program.Committee: Senate Standing Committee on Emergency Management

SB 1025

Office of Food Security and Affordability.

Committee: Senate Standing Committee on Human Services

In Progress

Office of Food Security and Affordability. Committee: Senate Standing Committee on Human Services

SB 1172

Bradley-Burns Uniform Local Sales and Use Tax Law: tax sharing agreements.

Committee: Senate Standing Committee on Local Government

In Progress

Bradley-Burns Uniform Local Sales and Use Tax Law: tax sharing agreements.Committee: Senate Standing Committee on Local Government

View All Bills

Committees

Most of the policy work in the state Capitol is done in “Standing” committees. Legislators also work on budget subcommittees. There are also “Special” and “Select” committees with a more narrow topic focus. And there are “Joint” committees with members from the Senate and Assembly.

Standing