South Lake Tahoe's new state senator stops by town to meet the community

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - California Senate District 4 is big, stretched out over 13 counties including 22 cities from Truckee to Cameron Park, down to Modesto, over to Death Valley, and up to Mammoth and South Lake Tahoe. The new California State Senator for the district, Marie Alvarado-Gil, returned to South Lake Tahoe this week to meet with constituents, this time at South Lake Brewing Company.

Alvarado-Gil is the first woman to ever serve the region and the Democrat to do so in 30 years. This is her first foray into state politics and she is quickly finding its where she belongs.

"My heart is in the district," said the Senator at South Lake Brewing Co.

She got into politics after being an advocate for special needs children. Two of her three children are special needs, and as a single parent, she found her voice through them.

Alvarado-Gil grew up in California, the daughter of immigrants who worked hard in their new country. Life wasn't always easy and she ended up in the foster care system twice, and once lived with a grandmother in Mexico. She earned her undergraduate animal science degree from UC Davis. After time away from education to raise her children, she returned to earn a master's degree from UC San Francisco in public education.

The Senator quickly jumped into work once elected in November 2022, with focuses on public safety, business & agriculture, human services, and education. In the past, she opened a home for teenage girls and understands their needs for success as well as the roadblocks they face. She is working on funding for foster youth as well as getting new resources for schools.

Alvardo-Gil was on a whirlwind tour of the district this week, getting to know residents in her mainly rural area. She is from Jackson, so not far from El Dorado County, has offices in Sacramento, Modesto, and Sutter Creek, and is looking for a mobile office that would serve South Lake Tahoe.

"I listen to the people," said the Senator as she laid out her plans to reach everyone. People can reach her via her website, by emailing her at Senator.Alvarado-Gil@senate.ca.gov, or schedule an appointment with Emily DeWolfe at emily.dewolfe@sen.ca.gov.

She will also be back in South Lake Tahoe for a Firewise event in May.

From her newsrooms: Senator Alvarado-Gil recently took a major step toward disrupting organized crime in the illicit fentanyl trade by introducing SB 226, which would make it a felony to possess fentanyl while carrying a loaded, operable firearm. In March she announced that she's introducing SB 739, new legislation that will impact more than 284,000 students that attend charter public schools by extending the charter renewal period by an additional two years, a protection that was first put in place by Governor Newsom and the Legislature in 2021 to mitigate disruption to students early in the pandemic, particularly in low-income communities.

The Senator has been in office for just a few months but is already serving on several legislature committees, offices, and caucuses: Human Services Committee where she is the chair, Agricultural Committee, Business, Professionals & Economic Development Committee, Governmental Organization Committee, Insurance Committee, Military & Veteran's Affairs Committee, Joint Committee on Fairs, Allocation & Classification, Senate Democratic Caucus, CA Latino Legislative Caucus, Democratic Women's Caucus, Problem Solver's Caucus, CA's Wine Industry Committee, and Senate Liason to the Advisory Commission Special Education.

The counties she serves: Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Inyo, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne counties.