Caroline Menjivar
Caroline Menjivar (Democratic Party) is a member of the California State Senate, representing District 20. She assumed office on December 5, 2022. Her current term ends on December 7, 2026.
Menjivar (Democratic Party) ran for election to the California State Senate to represent District 20. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Menjivar completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Caroline Menjivar was born in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. She lives in Panorama City, Calif. Menjivar graduated from Reseda High School. She served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2009 to 2016.[1] Menjivar earned a B.A. in sociology from California State University, Northridge, in 2015, and a master of social work (MSW) in community organization and advocacy from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2018. Her career experience includes working as an EMT, communications manager from Ambulife ambulance, for the Los Angeles mayor's office, and as director of new program initiatives for MEND.[2][3]
Committee assignments
2023-2024
Menjivar was assigned to the following committees:
- Budget and Fiscal Review Committee
- Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee
- Environmental Quality Committee
- Senate Health Committee
- Senate Human Services Committee
- Senate Military and Veterans Affairs Committee
Elections
2022
See also: California State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for California State Senate District 20
Caroline Menjivar defeated Daniel Hertzberg in the general election for California State Senate District 20 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Caroline Menjivar (D)  | 58.5 | 88,358 |
 | Daniel Hertzberg (D) | 41.5 | 62,787 | |
| Total votes: 151,145 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for California State Senate District 20
Daniel Hertzberg and Caroline Menjivar defeated Ely De La Cruz Ayao and Seydi Morales in the primary for California State Senate District 20 on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Daniel Hertzberg (D) | 30.8 | 33,449 |
| ✔ | | Caroline Menjivar (D) | 29.8 | 32,302 |
 | Ely De La Cruz Ayao (R) | 25.5 | 27,713 | |
 | Seydi Morales (D) | 13.9 | 15,078 | |
| Total votes: 108,542 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign finance
Endorsements
To view Menjivar's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Caroline Menjivar completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Menjivar's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Caroline was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, a product of local public schools, from Encino Elementary to CSUN, Caroline has led a life of service and dedication to the Valley. Shortly after high school Caroline enlisted in the Marine Corps and served from 2009 – 2016. After serving on active duty, Caroline returned to work as an EMT in Van Nuys. She continued her education at UCLA, completing a Master of Social Welfare where she served as a therapist for domestic violence victims and earned the David Bohnett Fellowship that provided an opportunity to work in the Los Angeles Mayor’s Gender Equity Office.
Caroline previously worked as a Field Deputy with Councilwoman Nury Martinez’s office and then as East Valley Representative for Mayor Eric Garcetti. She volunteers her time serving on the GLSEN Los Angeles Chapter Board and The Help Group’s Kaleidoscope Advisory Board. Both organizations work to create more inclusive environments for LGBTQ+ youth. Additionally, she serves as the Director of DEI for the San Fernando Valley Young Democrats and the Public Relations Officer for the San Fernando Valley Marine Corps League. She currently works at MEND, a nonprofit in Pacoima, as Director of New Program Initiatives.
- I'm running for State Senate because I know what it's like to overcome difficult odds. I've experienced housing instability, lost job opportunities because of the economic downturn, and discriminatory policies that prevented me from openly loving my wife. I thrived because I had access to quality public schools and found an accepting and supportive community in the San Fernando Valley.
- Caroline Menjivar knows firsthand how inequity affects the lives of San Fernando Valley families. Throughout her life, she has overcome difficult odds in pursuit of service to our communities and country.
- I believe that your zip code, age, race, gender or sexual identity shouldn't determine your destiny. Let's rewrite the rules so every Californian receives the support they need to stay safe, healthy, and thrive.
Let's work together to create more access to:
Mental health and supportive services for all, including our unhoused neighbors
Pathways to housing
Jobs with salaries that support a family
Quality public schools and higher educational opportunities
Affordable childcare
Comprehensive health care for all
Clean air, fresh water, safe and efficient public transit, and more open spaces
Equality and justice for all
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of California scorecards, email suggestions to [email protected].
2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the California State Legislature was in session from January 1 to September 14.
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See also
2022 Elections
External links
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Candidate California State Senate District 20 |
Officeholder California State Senate District 20 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 17, 2022
- ↑ Caroline Menjivar 2022 campaign website, "Meet Caroline," accessed January 9, 2023
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Caroline Menjivar," accessed January 9, 2023
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Connie Leyva (D) |
California State Senate District 20 2022-Present |
Succeeded by - |
