Palm Springs Councilmember Lisa Middleton to run for state Senate in 2024

In what could be a history-making move, Palm Springs City Councilmember Lisa Middleton announced her bid to represent several Coachella Valley cities in the California Senate, about a year before the primary election for the seat in 2024.

“I’m running to make a difference in Sacramento and be an effective voice for the 19th District by fighting for pragmatic, common-sense solutions that will improve the lives of all Californians,” Middleton said in a statement Tuesday. “I’m not running to represent the blue team or the red team — I’m running to represent the people (of) Riverside and San Bernardino counties.”

If her campaign succeeds, Middleton, a Democrat who was first elected to the Palm Springs City Council in 2017 and became California’s first transgender mayor after rotating into the position, would make history as the state's first openly transgender legislator.

Middleton initially aimed to run for a Senate seat in last year’s election, but her plans changed due to the state’s redistricting process. After the change of course in late 2021, she told The Desert Sun she still intended to run in 2024.

While the Coachella Valley previously fell into a single district, the redrawn maps adopted in late 2021 instead split the area into two. Most cities — Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Palm Desert, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells — are in the new Senate District 19, where Middleton plans to run.

Meanwhile, Indio and Coachella have been drawn into the new Senate District 18, which covers eastern Riverside County, Imperial County, a sliver of eastern San Bernardino County and the entire southern boundary of San Diego County. That seat is now represented by Sen. Steve Padilla of Chula Vista, after his win in last year's election.

Senate District 19 also includes several cities in San Bernardino County, such as Yucaipa, Barstow and Yucca Valley. In her statement, Middleton said it’s time for communities in both counties “to receive our fair share of California’s budget.”

“Our region is one of the fastest growing regions of the country,” Middleton said. “To win the 21st century, we need a local and regional infrastructure built for the 21st century. We cannot wait to address climate change. It is past time we ensure opportunity for all does in fact include everyone.”

Middleton, who graduated from UCLA and got her Masters in Public Administration from USC, worked as an auditor and later as a senior vice president of internal affairs for the State Compensation Insurance Fund of California before her time on the Palm Springs council. In April 2019, Middleton was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to serve on the California Public Employees’ Retirement System’s Governing Board of Administrators.

It’s unclear who else might run for the state Senate seat next year, though current Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, R-Yucaipa, whose current district includes several cities that will be in the new one, has a campaign committee open to potentially run in 2024.

California’s upcoming primary election is set for March 5, 2024.

Tom Coulter covers the cities of Palm Desert, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells. Reach him at thomas.coulter@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Springs City Councilmember Lisa Middleton to run for state Senate