John Laird

Senator John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) is a veteran Democratic lawmaker representing Senate District 17 on California's Central Coast, currently serving his second and final Senate term after being re-elected in November 2024 with 67.4% of the vote ^[1,2]. Born in 1950 and raised in Vallejo by two parents who were educators, Laird has built one of the longest public service resumes in the Legislature, spanning city council, the State Assembly, eight years as Secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency under Governor Jerry Brown, and now the State Senate, where he chairs the powerful Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee ^[3,4]. While CFC and Senator Laird diverge significantly on social policy matters including LGBTQ+ advocacy and abortion, his legislative work on fentanyl overdose prevention, support for foster youth in community colleges, and survival benefits for families of fallen officers reflects areas where family-centered values intersect with his policy priorities ^[1,5]. With a 15% CFC Biblical Values Scorecard rating, Laird's voting record has consistently placed him at considerable distance from the California Family Council's worldview framework on the sanctity of life (Chapter 6), parental authority in education (Chapter 8), and religious liberty (Chapter 9).

John Laird was born on March 29, 1950, in Santa Rosa, California, and raised in Vallejo, where he attended local public schools including Hogan High School ^[3]. His father was a teacher, coach, and later principal in the local school system, and his mother earned her teaching credential as a re-entry student, eventually teaching elementary school until retirement ^[6].

Laird's elected career began in 1981 when he won a seat on the Santa Cruz City Council, where he served nine years and two terms as mayor (1983-1984 and 1987-1988), becoming one of the first openly gay mayors in the United States ^[1,2,3]. During his council tenure, he worked with the environmental organization Save Our Shores to oppose offshore oil drilling and support the designation of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary ^[1].

His 10.7% Biblical Values Scorecard rating across 103 scored floor votes reflects consistent divergence from CFC's worldview framework. His voting record has supported abortion access expansion over the sanctity of human life, government-directed education over parental authority and school choice, and progressive social mandates over religious liberty protections.

Laird was re-elected in November 2024 with 67.4% of the vote, carrying all four counties in his district, which encompasses Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Monterey Counties and the majority of San Luis Obispo County ^[1,2]. This is his final term due to term limits.