Eloise Reyes

Senator Eloise Gomez Reyes is a daughter of immigrants, longtime attorney, and veteran legislator who represents California's 29th Senate District in the Inland Empire ^[1,2]. A self-identified Christian who grew up in a working-class family in South Colton, she became the first Latina to serve as Assembly Majority Leader before winning election to the State Senate in November 2024 ^[3,4]. Her personal story of faith, family perseverance, and community service, even as her legislative record reflects a solidly progressive voting orientation that diverges from CFC priorities on many policy questions ^[5,6]. With a 24% CFC Biblical Values Scorecard rating, Reyes's voting record has frequently diverged 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).

Reyes entered electoral politics in 2014 with an unsuccessful run for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 31st Congressional District, finishing fourth in the primary ^[4]. In 2016, she was elected to the California State Assembly representing the 47th District, defeating incumbent Democrat Cheryl Brown ^[3,4]. She quickly rose through leadership ranks: she was named co-chair of the Legislative Ethics Committee upon her swearing-in, was appointed Assistant Majority Whip in her second year, and in December 2020 was elevated to Assembly Majority Leader -- becoming the first Latina and only the fourth woman ever to hold that position ^[1,3,6].

In November 2024, Reyes won election to the California State Senate representing District 29, defeating Republican Carlos A. Garcia in the general election ^[3,4]. Her transition to the Senate was marked by a personal health crisis: she was diagnosed with cancer around the time of her election victory, and in December 2024 she was sworn into office in a hospital room, wrapped in her mother's shawl over her medical gown, with San Bernardino Superior Court Judge Glenn Yabuno administering the oath ^[10]. She balanced chemotherapy and recovery with her legislative duties through Zoom meetings and phone calls, demonstrating notable resilience ^[10].

Her 21.7% Biblical Values Scorecard rating across 30 scored floor votes reflects consistent divergence from CFC's worldview framework. Her 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.

Among her signature legislative accomplishments, Reyes authored AB 685, signed by Governor Newsom in September 2020, which required employers to notify employees of workplace COVID-19 exposures and report outbreaks to public health authorities ^[1,8]. She championed support for small businesses and rent relief for both tenants and landlords during the pandemic, and secured hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding for Inland Empire communities including resources for local parks ^[2]. From a CFC perspective, while Reyes's overall policy orientation on social issues including her support for organizations like Planned Parenthood diverges significantly from CFC's mission of defending the sanctity of life and traditional family values, her consistent advocacy for working families, children's welfare, educational opportunity, and community health services reflects genuine on the importance of strong families and thriving communities ^[2,5,9].