Meet California’s New US Senator: Laphonza Butler

Laphonza Butler has been sworn in to fill the Senate seat of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who passed away last week at age 90. California Gov. Gavin Newsom had selected Laphonza Butler to succeed Feinstein, the longest-serving female senator in history.

Butler, the former president of EMILY’s List, is known for her work as a union leader but was also a director at Airbnb and advised Uber during its conflict over workers’ rights.

A historic appointment

Butler is now the third female Black senator in US history. She is also the first openly LGBTQ person to represent California in the Senate and the first Black open lesbian to serve in Congress in American history.

She is also the second Black woman to represent California in the Senate, following Vice President Kamala Harris, for whom Butler was a longtime senior advisor.

“An advocate for women and girls, a second-generation fighter for working people, and a trusted adviser to Vice President Harris, Laphonza Butler represented the best of California, and she’ll represent us proudly in the United States Senate,” said Newsom.

“Laphonza will carry the baton left by Senator Feinstein, continue to break glass ceilings, and fight for all Californians in Washington D.C.”

“I am honored to accept Gov. Newsom’s nomination to be a US Senator for a state I have long called home,” said Butler in a press release. “For women and girls, workers and unions, for struggling parents waiting for our leaders to bring opportunity back to their homes, for all of California, I’m ready to serve.”

Journey To The Senate

Laphonza Butler has been a fixture in Democratic politics for several years.

Born in Magnolia, Mississippi, Butler came from a working-class home and received a bachelor’s degree in political science and government in 2001 from Jackson State University.

Butler spent nearly 15 years as the leader of the state’s largest labor union, Service Employees International Union SEIU Local 2015 – which represents more than 325,000 nursing home and home-care workers.

During her time as president of the union, she pushed for policies that included raising the state minimum wage to $15 and increasing income tax rates paid by the state’s wealthiest residents.

In 2019, she left the union to become a partner at SCRB Strategies, a top political consultancy firm in California, now known as Bearstar Strategies. The firm’s clientele includes Newsom and Vice President Harris.

In 2021, Butler was appointed the president of EMILY’s List, a political action committee that works to elect Democratic female candidates who support abortion rights. She was the first woman of color to lead the organization.

“At EMILYs List, Laphonza has added to the organization’s powerful legacy and left us in a strong position to continue the work we’ve done for nearly 40 years, helping Democratic pro-choice women run, win, and change the world,” said EMILY’s List Board Chair Rebecca Haile.

Advising Uber and Airbnb

While at SCRB Strategies, Butler carried out consulting work for Airbnb and Uber, drawing criticism from her former peers in the labor movement. 

From 2019 to 2020, SCRB Strategies was paid $185,000 to advise Uber and act as its liaison during its clash with labor groups and California Democrats.

The clash was over a bill that would have allowed gig workers to be classified as employees with the right to benefits rather than independent contractors. According to Bloomberg, Butler was an asset to Uber during this fight.

Many members of labor unions in California “were really angry and really felt like this was treachery” when Ms Butler consulted for Uber, said Veena Dubal, a professor at the University of California, Irvine School of Law.

In September 2020, Butler was then named the director for public policy and campaigns at Airbnb, the online home-sharing platform, where she worked for a year.

In her role, she advocated policy positions favorable to Airbnb to the US Congress, according to Snopes.

Featured image credit: Stephanie Scarbrough / AP