As California’s Adam Schiff sworn in on US Senate floor, Laphonza Butler makes quiet exit
Sen. Laphonza Butler ended her 14-month stint as a U.S. senator just as she came — quietly.
As an appointed, interim U.S. senator from California, she posted a solid record of voting with Democrats and against most conservative causes.
“We knew going in with service of less than a year that she wouldn’t be terribly productive,” said Ross Baker, a congressional expert at Rutgers University, who met Butler earlier this year.
“She was basically there to fill a gap,” he said.
Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said she was a “true partner” who worked with him on issues of most concern to constituents. He cited her work on several concerns, notably disaster aid and judgeships.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, who named Butler to the job last year, was effusive about her service. “In just a short time, she has left an indelible mark — proving that true leadership isn’t measured by the length of service, but by the depth of impact.,” he said in a statement.
Butler, D-Calif., was active in causes largely associated with Democrats long before reaching the Senate. She was a labor leader who also headed Emily’s List, a national political organization that raises funds to elect women who back abortion rights.
Butler, who replaced the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein in October 2023, formally resigned Sunday. Adam Schiff was sworn in Monday evening on the Senate floor by Vice President Kamala Harris, another former California senator. Schiff, who has represented the Los Angeles area in the House for 24 years, last month won elections to serve the rest of Butler’s term as well as a full six-year term starting in January.
After taking the oath, Schiff said, “I recognize that I stand on the shoulders of giants,” citing Pelosi, Padilla, Feinstein, Butler and former Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. He praised Feinstein for her “courage and effectiveness,” and cited Boxer “for believing in me.”
Butler was the Senate’s only Black woman member. Next year the Senate will have two Black women serving in the same Congress for the first time, Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland and Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware. Both are Democrats.
Out of the spotlight
Butler largely stayed out of the spotlight, and would not talk to The Sacramento Bee for this story. The Bee also asked about her future plans and received no response.
Last month, she told supporters in Los Angeles she was not certain what’s next. “I don’t know. I’m gonna be a mom to a 10-year-old who has picked up this new habit of competitive cheer,” she said.
She also told the group she is staying in the Washington area for now, at least until her 10-year-old daughter finishes next year’s school term, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Butler, 45, will be able to use the senator title the rest of her life, which presumably will help her stature in Democratic circles.
Her office did send details of what they called a “productive” term. She did get some attention from conservatives. Heritage Action for America, a conservative group, gave her an 18% lifetime rating, somewhat higher than the average Senate Democrat. The group liked her vote against legislation that continued to give spy agencies broad power to conduct surveillance.
That vote was an outlier, because on issue after issue, she was a strong Democrat. Butler sponsored 33 bills and co-sponsored another 333 others. Her office says she helped more than 2,000 Californians with casework.
A member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, she protested the Republican-led impeachment this year of Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Republicans wanted him to do more to strengthen border security. Butler called the impeachment effort “a farcical substitute for doing the hard work.”
One of Butler’s most prominent roles was to recommend federal judges. Traditionally presidents use the advice of a state’s senators to decide who to appoint.
Butler was a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. In September, she urged the Senate to confirm Michelle Court as a federal judge in the state’s Central District.
“It is commonly said that ‘justice delayed is justice denied,’ and at this moment the people of California’s Central District are indeed being denied justice as a direct result of these judicial vacancies,” Butler told colleagues. The Senate confirmed Court.
Butler was active in promoting reproductive rights, access to health care in underserved areas, and creating legal pathways and promoting humane treatment for vulnerable migrant populations.
Saying goodbye to the Senate
Butler gave her farewell speech to the Senate Thursday, praising “the working families of SEIU and our labor movement.” Butler had been president of SEIU California, which represents home care, nursing home worker and others
“I couldn’t end this term without thanking them for sharing me and inviting me into their stories of courage and hope for what is possible in our great country,” she said.
“My final prayer as a member of this august body is that we realize that as policymakers we are generations’ Head Start teachers,” recalling her experience with the preschool program when she was young.
“Every single day we can plant seeds that will grow in the hearts and minds of young leaders,” Butler said, “and we get to decide the seeds we plant.”
This story was originally published December 9, 2024 at 9:00 AM.
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