California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed a Maryland resident to the California Senate as a replacement for the late Dianne Feinstein who recently passed away at the age of 90. Newsom pledged to commit to a diversity hire and appoint a black woman to the senate, however, he picked one who's registered to vote in Maryland instead of finding someone born and bred in the state of California. Various reports say that Feinstein's replacement, Laphonza Butler, hasn't lived in California since 2021, but now she'll be expected to represent the state for at least the next 15 months. NY Post added some other context about Laphonza Butler's status as a California resident, stating the following:
“Butler is a longtime California resident and homeowner. She moved to the DC area when she became president of Emily’s List. Butler has already re-registered [to vote] in California,” a spokesperson for Newsom’s office told The Post Monday.Butler’s X, formerly Twitter, account previously indicated that she lived in Maryland before being scrubbed around the time Newsom’s announcement went public.Some iterations of her Wikipedia page also had her living in Maryland as well, though that appears to have been edited to reflect her Los Angeles roots.
