SACRAMENTO, Calif. — State Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil has been removed from all her committee assignments following her decision to switch party affiliations from Democrat to Republican.
Committee assignments in the legislature are decided by Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire, who said Alvarado-Gil’s decision to switch parties was disappointing.
“Given Senator Alvarado-Gil’s party affiliation change, we have removed her from committees and will be re-evaluating the balance of our Democratic and Republican committee memberships in the days ahead to ensure they reflect the balance of representation in the Senate,” McGuire said.
Alvarado-Gil served on five different committees, including being the chair of the Senate’s Health and Human Services Committee. She also served on the Agriculture, Business and Professions, Government Organization, Insurance and Military and Veterans committees.
“This is yet another act of retribution by the Democratic Caucus. There’s still plenty of work for me to do, and I continue to fight for the people of California regardless if I’m on a committee or not. My goal now is to get my bills to cross over the finish line and get them signed by the governor.” Alvarado-Gil said.
Her switch gives Republicans nine senators in the 40-person house. She made the decision because she no longer shares the same values as the Democratic Party.
“It's not a very popular decision to leave a supermajority party where perhaps, you know, you have a lot more power and ability,” she told the Associated Press. “But this is a decision that is right for the constituents that voted me into office.”
Her decision was welcomed by the Californian Republicans, including Senate minority leader Brian Jones.
“Senate Republicans are committed to addressing the real issues facing communities across the state and look forward to adding an eager spit fire like Marie to the cause,” Jones wrote on X
Alvarado-Gil represents a rural district in Northern California that encompasses parts of Modesto, Turlock and Madera. She was elected in 2022 and will not be up for reelection until 2026.
