Senator Catherine Blakespeare

Catherine Blakespear was elected in 2022 as the state senator for the 38th District, which represents northern San Diego County and southern Orange County. She previously served eight years in local government – six years as the Encinitas Mayor and two on the Encinitas City Council.

In her first two years in the Senate, Blakespear has focused on increasing the affordability and availability of housing, improving public transportation infrastructure, preventing gun violence, protecting the environment and countering climate change.

Blakespear sits on the Senate’s committees on housing, human services and transportation. She is also on the Budget and Fiscal Review Committee and Budget Subcommittee 2 on Resources, Environmental Protection and Energy. She is Chair of the Senate Committee on Elections and Constitutional Amendments and Chair of the Senate Transportation Subcommittee on LOSSAN Rail Corridor Resiliency, which is tasked with improving support for the 351-mile rail line that runs from San Diego to San Luis Obispo and faces climate change threats.

Blakespear authored 19 bills in 2023 and 2024 that have been passed by the Legislature and signed into law by the Governor. That includes environmental legislation that bans plastic bags from being provided at grocery store checkouts, and gun violence prevention legislation to ensure people undergoing mental health crises turn in their firearms. 

In addition, she has hosted and attended dozens of events in District 38 to raise awareness about critical issues, engage communities she represents and celebrate accomplished individuals and businesses. She has held two policy summits on ending homelessness, for instance, bringing together leading policymakers and experts in homelessness to find solutions to this humanitarian crisis.

Blakespear has been a champion of women’s reproductive rights since before entering public life and is proud to be 100 percent pro-choice, 100 percent of the time.

A lawyer and former journalist, Blakespear lives with her husband and two teenagers in Encinitas.