Lawmakers representing east San Diego County now hold the top two positions among the Republican minority in the state Senate.
Sen. Brian Jones, the minority leader, announced Monday that Sen. Kelly Seyarto will assume the role of Republican Caucus Chair.
Jones’ district encompasses much of central and east county north of Interstate 8, while Seyarto represents the mountains and deserts from Julian and Borrego Springs north, as well as much of southwest Riverside County.
“Congratulations to Kelly on his new role as Senate Republican Caucus Chair,” said Jones. “I look forward to working with him on our priorities to fix California. As a retired firefighter, Kelly is a fearless advocate for protecting the public and tackling fentanyl in our communities.”
Seyarto succeeds Sen. Janet Nguyen from Orange County, who was the first Vietnamese American to serve as caucus chair. Jones said she stepped down to concentrate on serving constituents while campaigning for Orange County Supervisor.
“We are sorry to see Janet leaving leadership but are fully supportive of her choice to devote her time to her constituents and her campaign,” Jones said.
Seyarto served as mayor and councilmember of the city of Murrieta before being elected to the Assembly and then the state Senate.
“I look forward to working with all of my colleagues while we continue to work toward a better California by focusing on important issues like public safety, taxpayer protections, and infrastructure improvements to support our communities,” he said.
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