Anthony Portantino


Anthony J. Portantino is an American politician currently serving in the California State Senate. A Democrat, he represents the 25th Senate District which encompasses portions of the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys.
Prior to his election to the State Senate, Portantino served in the California State Assembly from 2006 to 2012, representing the 44th Assembly District. He won election to the State Senate in 2016 after defeating Republican Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich.

Political career

Portantino served two terms on the La Cañada Flintridge City Council, from 1999 until 2006. There, he was mentored by Carol Liu, who endorsed him to succeed her in the California State Assembly.
Portantino's professional experience includes working in the art department and as Property Master with the American Playhouse, was Production Designer on Grizzly Adams: The Mark of the Bear and Art Director on Unsolved Mysteries.
At the request of the Screen Actors Guild in 2010, Portantino proposed an anti-gatecrashing law that would make party crashing a misdemeanor with punishments being up to six months in jail, or a $1,000 fine, or both. He said that party crashing posed a threat to public safety. He introduced legislation to remove tattoos from victims of forced prostitution.
After his term finished in the California State Assembly, Portantino initially stated that he would run for Congress against David Dreier, even though the district had yet to be drawn. He later contemplated a run against Senator Carol Liu in State Senate District 25 but opted against it, citing personal reasons. In 2013, Portantino began actively campaigning to fill the seat of Senator Liu, who will be forced out of the District 25 position by term limits in 2016.
In May 2019, Portantino, as Senate Appropriations Committee Chair, used a pocket veto to temporarily block SB 50, a bill that would enact reforms to address the California housing shortage by reducing local control, from leaving committee to enter the Senate for debate and voting. Proponents of the bill accused Portantino of abusing his powers to deny Senate Bill 50 a debate and a vote in the Senate. The Los Angeles Times wrote that Portantino's opposition to the bill was expected, but that it was a surprise that he would not allow the bill to advance out of committee. Due to Portantino's action, the bill was not considered by the Senate until 2020; it was subsequently defeated in a floor vote.