Candidate for
Lieutenant Governor; State of California

Senator Bruce McPherson has served in the 15th State Senate District since 1996, and in the 27th Assembly District from 1993 to 1996. He is Chairman of the Senate Public Safety Committee, Vice-Chairman of the Education Committee and the Environmental Quality Committee, and serves on four Joint Committees and nine Senate Select Committees, including as Chairman of the newly-formed Senate Select Committee on Anti-Terrorism Policy.

A long-time advocate for education, Senator Bruce McPherson helped reduce class sizes, establish tougher graduation standards and pass two much-needed state school bonds. Additionally, he has spearheaded the creation of literacy programs for students and is seeking to enhance athletic programs for students.

As Chairman of the Senate Public Safety Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Anti-Terrorism Policy, Senator McPherson looks forward to the opportunity to continue his hard work towards securing public safety in an increasingly tumultuous time. He is especially proud of his support of legislation aimed at assisting victims of violence, empowering law enforcement, and keeping dangerous weapons out of school and off the streets.

Senator McPherson has also been instrumental in protecting our natural resources. He has been successful in his drive to preserve California's pristine coastline by authoring legislation to help detect toxic elements in our seawater, securing funds to purchase and preserve coastal properties and by casting the deciding vote to prohibit drilling for oil off the California coastline.

McPherson's dedication has not gone unrecognized. More recently, he was honored to receive the "Legislator of the Year" award by the California School Boards Association in 1999. In 2000, the California Small Business Association named him "Legislator of the Year". In 2001, McPherson has been the recipient of the "Leadership Award" by the Legal Community Against Violence and the "Public Policy Excellence Award for Public Policy" by the California Non-Profit Policy Council. The California League of High Schools has named him "Legislator of the Year" for 2001, and the California School Boards Association has named him "2001 Outstanding Legislator of the Year."

Senator McPherson is a fourth generation Santa Cruz native. He and his wife Mary have been married 34 years. Their daughter Tori, and her husband Dave, have one child, Sydney. Sadly, the McPherson's lost their beloved son Hunter in a senseless act of violence late last year.