California State Sen. removed from Latino Caucus for switching to GOP

(The Center Square) - The California State Senator who switched from the Democratic to Republican party mid-session claims she has been stripped of her committee assignments and the Latino Caucus as “retribution” for leaving the Democratic Caucus.

While Senate Democratic leaders say it’s standard to remove individuals from committees to figure out how to maintain appropriate party balance in committees, the Latino Caucus says State Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil, R-Jackson, a Latina woman, was removed from the group just for being a Republican.

Alvarado-Gil switched parties last week, with Republican leaders largely welcoming her, and others calling her an insincere political operator. Alvarado-Gil’s rural district is one of the most conservative in the state, having not voted for a Democratic president since 1992; she and another Democrat made it to the general election, guaranteeing the seat would have a Democratic senator, after an overwhelming number of Republican candidates split the Republican vote in California’s top-two “jungle” primary.

“In a stunning display of political retribution, Democrats in the California State Senate have responded to Senator Alvarado-Gil’s decision to leave the Democratic Party by stripping her of all her committee assignments and removing her from the Latino Caucus,” wrote Alvarado-Gil’s office in a statement. “Despite these punitive actions, Senator Alvarado-Gil remains committed to representing the people of California, and her Senate District 4.”

Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire, D-North Coast, rebutted Alvarado-Gil’s claims, saying the senator was removed from her assignments to maintain party balance in committees.

“Given Senator Alvarado-Gil’s party affiliation change, we have removed her from committees and will be re-evaluating the balance of our Democratic and Republican committee memberships in the days ahead to ensure they reflect the balance of representation in the Senate,” said McGuire in a statement to The Center Square.

The California Latino Legislative Caucus, meanwhile, says Alvarado-Gil was removed because she became a Republican, and later, in an apparently contradictory statement, that the caucus benefits from diverse viewpoints.

“I am disappointed to hear of Senator Alvarado-Gil’s decision to become a Republican and embrace a party whose Presidential candidate consistently denigrates and targets our nation’s Latino community,” said State Sen. Lena Gonzalez, D-Long Beach, who serves as vice chair of the CLLC, in a statement. “Regrettably, Senator Alvarado-Gil’s party change makes her ineligible to remain a member of the Latino Caucus. As the caucus has grown to a record number in recent years, we have benefitted from increasingly diverse viewpoints — particularly those representing our rural communities.”

“Anyone Latino who dares think differently than they do need not apply. As California Republican Party Chair and a proud Latina, I’m disgusted,” said CAGOP Chair Jessica Patterson on X.

According to a new poll from Equis Research on Latino voters, 37% support Trump for president, while 56% support Vice President Kamala Harris.