Meet Catherine
Principled Leadership. Proven Results.
Catherine Blakespear is a mom, fourth-generation San Diegan, attorney, and former journalist who has spent over a decade standing up for her community. She currently represents Senate District 38, covering northern San Diego County and southern Orange County.
Catherine got her start in public service on the Encinitas Traffic and Public Safety Commission before being elected to the Encinitas City Council in 2014. She went on to serve three terms as Mayor, and also served on the boards of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, Regional Solid Waste Association, San Elijo Joint Powers Authority, and San Dieguito Water Board.
As Mayor, Catherine made Encinitas the first city in the county to deliver 100% renewable power and passed a tough climate action plan to reduce emissions. When the pandemic hit, she delivered emergency financial assistance to help local businesses keep their doors open.
Catherine was elected to the State Senate in 2022, and in her first term has authored 24 bills that have been signed into law by the Governor. She chairs the Senate Environmental Quality Committee and the Senate Transportation Subcommittee on LOSSAN Rail Corridor Resiliency, focused on improving the 351-mile rail line running from San Diego to San Luis Obispo. Catherine is also working for us on the Senate’s committees on the budget, governmental organization, and transportation.
Her legislative accomplishments include closing developer loopholes that were being exploited to circumvent local zoning, eliminating plastic bags at grocery store checkouts, preserving solar tax breaks for homeowners, expanding funding for wildlife habitat conservation, and making California’s medical aid-in-dying law permanent. She has been one of the Legislature’s most effective voices on gun violence prevention, authoring legislation to ensure people in mental health crises turn in their firearms and co-authoring bills to toughen enforcement of California’s Red Flag laws.
Catherine has also hosted multiple policy summits on ending homelessness, bringing together policymakers and experts to find real solutions to this crisis.
Catherine is endorsed by Sierra Club California and chairs the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, where she leads the fight to protect our coastlines, expand open space, and keep California at the forefront of climate action.
On reproductive rights, Catherine is 100% pro-choice, 100% of the time. She is rated 100% by Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California.
Honors and Recognition
- Named the 2021 Partner of the Year by the non-profit transit agency Facilitating Access to Coordinated Transportation (FACT), in gratitude for her role as Chair of SANDAG. “Mayor Blakespear has truly been a partner in every sense, consistently supporting our mission of improving access to transportation for the people who need it most.”
- Given the 2020 Climate Courage Award from the Climate Action Campaign. “Mayor Blakespear has demonstrated her commitment to bold climate action by tackling some of our region’s largest sources of emissions: transportation, energy, and housing.”
- Awarded the 2020 Chair’s Award at the 40th annual Roosevelt Honors by the San Diego County Democratic Party for “bravery in doing the right thing on homelessness, housing, and transit, even when it’s unpopular.”
- Designated by the San Diego Housing Federation for their 2020 Ruby Award for Outstanding Government Agency or Elected Official. “Her newsletters and thoughtful, nuanced approach to explaining the importance of housing… to residents should be a model for leaders across the region.”
- Received the 2019 Walk the Walk Momentum Award from Circulate San Diego for being “a leader in creating protected safe bicycle facilities in her city, and for pushing to bring Encinitas into compliance with state housing laws.”
