{{short description|American politician|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{BLP sources|date=October 2012}} {{Use American English|date=June 2022}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2022}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Betsy Butler | image = BetsyButler.jpg | alt = | state_assembly = California | district = 53rd | term_start = December 6, 2010 | term_end = November 30, 2012 | predecessor = Ted Lieu | successor = John Pérez | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1963|06|14}} | birth_place = Sacramento, California, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | party = Democratic | spouse = | children = | alma_mater = San Diego State University<br />University of California, Los Angeles | occupation = | profession = | signature = | website = http://betsybutler.com | footnotes = | caption = Butler in 2011 }}
'''Betsy Butler''' (born June 14, 1963) is an American politician who served in the California State Assembly. She is a Democrat. Butler is the former Executive Director of the Women's Law Center. She serves as Chair of the California Commission on Aging, appointed in 2015 by the President pro tempore of the California State Senate, Kevin de León, and elected chair in 2018 and again in 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=Members of Commission |url=https://ccoa.ca.gov/AboutCCoA/Commissioners/ |website=California Commission on Aging |publisher=State of California |accessdate=9 January 2020}}</ref> She also serves on the Los Angeles County Probation Commission, appointed by Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis in 2016.<ref>"[http://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/probation/243413_CommissionMinutes02-25-16-approved.pdf Minutes of Regular Meeting: February 25, 2016]" (PDF) Count of Los Angeles Probation Commission. 2016-2-25. Retrieved 9-2-2020</ref> Prior to being elected to the State Assembly, Butler was a fundraiser for the California League of Conservation Voters and the Consumer Attorneys of California. She began her career in public service with Lt. Governor Leo T. McCarthy and was an appointee of President Bill Clinton in the International Trade Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C. She has been a board member of Equality California, the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles, and the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project Los Angeles County.
==Early life== Butler was born in Sacramento, California and graduated from Del Campo High School. She is a graduate of San Diego State University and from the executive program at the University of California, Los Angeles.<ref>https://www.cwlc.org/dev2019/2016/12/betsy-butler/</ref>
==Political career==
Butler was elected to the California State Assembly in 2010 to what was then the 53rd Assembly District.
Under the 2011 redistricting lines, the 53rd Assembly District changed significantly and Butler announced she would run for re-election in 2011 for the new open 50th Assembly District which includes Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Malibu and Beverly Hills.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.betsybutler.com/ButlerPressRelease11.pdf |title=Assemblymember Butler Announces Re-Election Campaign in the 50th Assembly District (Press Release) |date=2011-08-09 |accessdate=2011-08-16 |publisher=Betsy Butler}}</ref> She narrowly lost reelection to Richard Bloom.
==Legislative measures== {{expand section|date=November 2012}}
===Banning Bisphenol A===
Authored by Butler and signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown, AB 1319 – The Toxin-Free Infants and Toddlers Act<ref>{{cite web | url=http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201120120AB1319&search_keywords | title=Bill Text - AB-1319 Product safety: Bisphenol A }}</ref> — prohibited the manufacture, sale or distribution of baby bottles and sippy cups that contain Bisphenol A (BPA).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.topangamessenger.com/story_detail.php?ArticleID%3D5162 |title=State Assembly Candidate Forum May 6 - Topanga Messenger |accessdate=2012-11-14 |url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304132355/http://www.topangamessenger.com/story_detail.php?ArticleID=5162 |archivedate=2016-03-04 }}</ref>
===Issues relating to senior citizens===
Butler also authored, and had signed into law, bills to protect the elderly against identity theft (AB 332<ref>{{cite web | url=http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201120120AB332&search_keywords | title=Bill Text - AB-332 Elder abuse }}</ref>) and to allow seniors and dependent adults to publicly speak out against their abusers (AB 2149).<ref>{{cite web | url=http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201120120AB332&search_keywords | title=Bill Text - AB-332 Elder abuse }}</ref>
===Veteran issues===
During her term in the Assembly, Butler was named the 2011 Legislator of the Year<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.smmirror.com/articles/News/Vietnam-Veterans-Of-America-Name-Betsy-Butler-2011-Legislator-Of-The-Year/33474 | title=Vietnam Veterans of America Name Betsy Butler 2011 Legislator of the Year | date=November 12, 2011 }}</ref> by the Vietnam Veterans of America and the 2012 Legislator of the Year by the American Veterans (AMVETS) AB 2371,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201120120AB2371&search_keywords | title=Bill Text - AB-2371 Veterans: Criminal defendants: Mental health issues and restorative relief }}</ref> AB 2490<ref>{{cite web | url=http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201120120AB2490&search_keywords | title=Bill Text - AB-2490 Veterans: Correctional counselors }}</ref> and AB 1940.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201120120AB1940&search_keywords | title=Bill Text - AB-1940 Prostitution: Human trafficking: Sealing and destruction of arrest records }}</ref>
===Consumer protection===
Governor Brown also signed Butler's legislation protecting consumers from fraudulent businesses (AB 2118)<ref>{{cite web | url=http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201120120AB2118&search_keywords | title=Bill Text - AB-2118 Household goods carriers }}</ref> and green growth legislation designed to increase the use of electric and hybrid vehicles (AB 475).<ref>{{cite web | url=http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201120120AB475&search_keywords | title=Bill Text - AB-475 Vehicles: Offstreet parking: Electric vehicles }}</ref>
===Worker safety=== In 2012 Butler introduced AB 2346, The Farm Worker Safety Act, to safeguard California farmworkers from abusive work conditions<ref>{{cite web | url=http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201120120AB2346&search_keywords | title=Bill Text - AB-2346 Agricultural employee safety: Heat-related illness }}</ref> and ensure shade and water is readily available. The measure was vetoed by the governor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_21795869/contest-between-two-democrats-10th-district-assembly-seat |title=Contest between two Democrats for 10th District Assembly seat getting down and dirty - San Jose Mercury News |website=www.mercurynews.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304090930/http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_21795869/contest-between-two-democrats-10th-district-assembly-seat |archive-date=2016-03-04}}</ref>
===Environmental===
Butler introduced AB 972 to place a moratorium on hydraulic fracking.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201120120AB972&search_keywords | title=Bill Text - AB-972 Oil and gas: Hydraulic fracturing: Moratorium }}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [http://betsybutler.com/ Betsy Butler, Democrat for California Assembly (campaign website)] * [http://www.joincalifornia.com/candidate/13746 Join California Betsy Butler]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Betsy}} Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly Category:Politicians from Sacramento, California Category:San Diego State University alumni Category:UCLA Anderson School of Management alumni Category:Women state legislators in California Category:21st-century American women politicians Category:21st-century members of the California State Legislature