Sen. Laphonza Butler’s path from behind the scenes to front-and-center political leader - Los Angeles Times
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Sen. Laphonza Butler’s path from behind the scenes to front-and-center political leader

Laphonza Butler during her swearing-in ceremony to the U.S. Senate at Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. on Oct. 3, 2023
Laphonza Butler during her swearing-in ceremony to the U.S. Senate in Washington on Oct. 3.
(Stephanie Scarbrough / Associated Press)
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Good morning. It’s Tuesday, Oct. 17. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

  • Sen. Laphonza Butler’s path to the Senate
  • Jewish-Palestinian couples deal with war
  • Nine concert film favorites to watch
  • And here’s today’s e-newspaper

From behind the scenes to front-and-center politician

California’s U.S. Sen. Laphonza Butler is two weeks into the job and has kept busy, though she’s working remotely this week after announcing she tested positive for the cornonavirus.

It’s been a whirlwind several weeks for state and national politics after the death of 90-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein in late September. Butler was tapped by Gov. Gavin Newsom to finish out the longtime senator’s term.

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Butler, 44, spent years working as “a behind-the-scenes operative” in California politics, Times reporters Noah Bierman, Taryn Luna, Matt Hamilton and Seema Mehta wrote. But now she’s front and center as one of the Golden State’s leading politicians. And as my colleagues report, it’s not clear yet if she’ll serve out the next 15 months and then move on — or if she aims to make her appointed seat an elected one.

Most recently, Butler led the Democratic group Emily’s List, which aims to elect pro-choice women to office. A look at her political path could help Californians understand how she intends to approach the job — whether short-term or long-haul. That path began in California in 2009 and her ascent was “rapid,” Times reporters explained:

“Butler moved up through the ranks of its powerful labor unions, along with later stints in corporate lobbying and national politics. She wielded her clout quietly, forging connections with politicians and mentors whom she impressed, including [Kamala] Harris and Gov. Gavin Newsom.”

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Butler, who grew up in Mississippi, graduated with a degree in political science in 2001 and soon took a job organizing with SEIU. She spent the next several years moving up through the organization, eventually leading the local SEIU ULTCW (United Long Term Care Workers Union) in Los Angeles.

The following years saw her make some key political allies, including Mark Ridley-Thomas, Newsom and Kamala Harris, whom Butler aided in her campaigns for attorney general and later president.

Her record of advocating for labor issues and championing workers’ rights was later clouded by controversy. In 2018, Butler joined a political consulting firm and advised ride-hail giant Uber during contentious negotiations with drivers over their job protections and status as contractors. Some felt betrayed by Butler’s role in the talks.

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“Laphonza has her own path that started solidly in labor and then switched sides to one of the worst labor violators in the world,” Nicole Moore, president of Rideshare Drivers United, told The Times. “You can’t do that. I mean, what are your principles then?”

After that, Butler took a job with Airbnb, also a controversial decision given the company’s perceived danger to hotel union workers. But a year later, she moved on to lead Emily’s List.

Some union leaders have come to her defense, though.

“We should all focus on her years in the trenches with workers,” Tia Orr, state SEIU director, told my colleagues. “And the life-changing victories she championed to lift up the most marginalized workers in the country — not a short stint on her resume.”

So, given her political connections and history of organizing in California, will she run in 2024?

“I have no idea. I genuinely don’t know,” Butler told The Times the day before she was sworn in by Harris on the Senate floor. “I want to be focused on honoring the legacy of Sen. Feinstein. I want to devote my time and energy to serving the people of California. And I want to carry her baton with the honor that it deserves.”

She’d be up against California Democrats with some name recognition: Reps. Adam B. Schiff of Burbank, Katie Porter of Irvine and Barbara Lee of Oakland.

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As The Times’ Mehta, Hamilton and Benjamin Oreskes recently reported, Butler’s slate of meetings across the state “suggested a candidate in waiting, quietly maneuvering for a future campaign — not a caretaker gliding through the final year of Feinstein’s term.”

For the moment, Butler is in pondering mode. And based on her busy first week of meetings with labor groups, prominent Democratic donors and other political advocates, there’s a lot to ponder.

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For your downtime

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Going out

  • 🌸 Glue beads to trash, talk about your feelings. This is the way to craft joy.
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Staying in

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And finally ... a great photo

Show us your favorite place in California! Send us photos you have taken of spots in California that are special — natural or human-made — and tell us why they’re important to you.

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Joshua Tree National Park.
(Marcy Person)

Today’s great photo is from Marcy Person of Dana Point: Joshua Tree National Park. Marcy writes:

After moving to CA 2 years ago, this was my first trip to the desert. The rock formations are truly awe inspiring.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Elvia Limón, multiplatform editor
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Laura Blasey, assistant editor

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