Monique Limón

Senator Monique Limon (D-Santa Barbara) represents California's 21st Senate District, encompassing Santa Barbara County, much of Ventura County, and part of San Luis Obispo County ^[1,2]. The daughter of Mexican immigrants, she rose from local school board member and educator to become the 50th President pro Tempore of the California State Senate in 2025, making history as the first Latina, first woman of color, and first mother to lead the chamber ^[3,4]. With a 13% CFC Biblical Values Scorecard rating, Limón's voting record has consistently placed her 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).

Monique Limon was born on October 30, 1979, and raised in Santa Barbara, California, the daughter of immigrants from Mexico ^[1,2]. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Education from Columbia University ^[2,5]. Her academic roots run deep: she has also pursued doctoral research in education policy at UC Santa Barbara under advisor Dr. Sharon Conley ^[6]. Limon's early career was defined by more than fourteen years of service in higher education, including roles as the Student Program Advisor for the California Student Opportunity and Access Program (CAL-SOAP) at Santa Barbara City College and as Assistant Director of the McNair Scholars Program at UC Santa Barbara, where she mentored hundreds of students in their transitions to college and graduate school ^[5,7].

Limon's path into public service began at the local level. She served six years on the Santa Barbara Unified School District Board of Education, first elected in 2010, and also served as a commissioner on the Santa Barbara County Commission for Women, where she worked to expand awareness of public and private resources for women in the county ^[1,2,5]. In 2016, she was elected to represent Assembly District 37, succeeding Das Williams. During her four years in the Assembly, she chaired the Banking and Finance Committee and served as Vice Chair of the Legislative Women's Caucus. She authored notable legislation including a 2017 bill signed by Governor Jerry Brown to develop a model Native American studies curriculum for California high schools ^[2,6]. She won reelection in the Assembly by a commanding sixty-point margin in 2018 ^[1].

On the issues central to the California Family Council's mission, Limón's voting record has consistently diverged from CFC's worldview framework. Her 13% CFC Biblical Values Scorecard rating reflects a pattern of voting that has supported abortion access expansion over the sanctity of life, government-directed education over parental authority, and progressive social mandates over religious liberty protections.