The California State Senate kicked off the new year, ushering in its new leader, Monique Limón, on Monday. The new Senate President Pro Tem is the first Latina and second woman ever to lead the California legislature’s upper house. Limón has been representing Santa Barbara in the State Senate since 2020. “I am proud to be the daughter of immigrant parents, who are here with me today,” Limón, a Democrat, said at her swearing-in ceremony Monday. She is replacing former Pro Tem Mike McGuire, who terms out of the Senate this year and is running for Congress. While speaking with reporters Monday, Limón said she intended to pick up a lot of the work McGuire helped start when it comes to affordability. She pointed to the cost of housing and healthcare as priorities.As California faces another challenging budget year while scrutiny intensifies over government spending, KCRA 3 asked Limón how she’ll ensure taxpayer dollars aren’t wasted. “More oversight on our part shows that we’re doing what we need to do, what we are able to do and ensure the public feels that we are good stewards of their money,” she said. “I promise if we could fix things right away, we would.”When asked for specifics, Limón pointed to the shakeup she undertook when it comes to the senators overseeing state spending. She changed the leaders of each of the major money committees, Budget and Appropriations, and swapped the leaders of the smaller groups that oversee different issues in the state budget. She also said more hearings, bills and other processes could be expected. “I’m very happy she’s talking about budget oversight,” said Republican State Senator Roger Niello, who is the Vice Chairman of the Senate’s Budget Committee. “We need to assess our existing programs for effectiveness and sustainability.” It’s not clear when exactly the committees will begin meeting. The schedule had not yet been made public as of Monday. KCRA 3 Political Director Ashley Zavala reports in-depth coverage of top California politics and policy issues. She is also the host of “California Politics 360.” Get informed each Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on KCRA 3.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

The California State Senate kicked off the new year, ushering in its new leader, Monique Limón, on Monday.

The new Senate President Pro Tem is the first Latina and second woman ever to lead the California legislature’s upper house. Limón has been representing Santa Barbara in the State Senate since 2020.

“I am proud to be the daughter of immigrant parents, who are here with me today,” Limón, a Democrat, said at her swearing-in ceremony Monday. She is replacing former Pro Tem Mike McGuire, who terms out of the Senate this year and is running for Congress.

While speaking with reporters Monday, Limón said she intended to pick up a lot of the work McGuire helped start when it comes to affordability. She pointed to the cost of housing and healthcare as priorities.

As California faces another challenging budget year while scrutiny intensifies over government spending, KCRA 3 asked Limón how she’ll ensure taxpayer dollars aren’t wasted.

“More oversight on our part shows that we’re doing what we need to do, what we are able to do and ensure the public feels that we are good stewards of their money,” she said. “I promise if we could fix things right away, we would.”

When asked for specifics, Limón pointed to the shakeup she undertook when it comes to the senators overseeing state spending. She changed the leaders of each of the major money committees, Budget and Appropriations, and swapped the leaders of the smaller groups that oversee different issues in the state budget. She also said more hearings, bills and other processes could be expected.

“I’m very happy she’s talking about budget oversight,” said Republican State Senator Roger Niello, who is the Vice Chairman of the Senate’s Budget Committee. “We need to assess our existing programs for effectiveness and sustainability.”

It’s not clear when exactly the committees will begin meeting. The schedule had not yet been made public as of Monday.

KCRA 3 Political Director Ashley Zavala reports in-depth coverage of top California politics and policy issues. She is also the host of “California Politics 360.” Get informed each Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on KCRA 3.