Recalling the drive to her first job at Six Flags Magic Mountain and her Model United Nations trips at College of the Canyons, Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares, R-Acton, said her local swearing-in ceremony Friday at Santa Clarita City Hall was an emotional homecoming.
She relished sharing the memories with her daughter from the oath she took earlier in the month in Sacramento, when California’s Legislature approached gender parity for the first time in its history, with women serving 38 of 80 Assembly and 21 of 40 Senate districts.
Her Republican predecessors in the Senate and Assembly, Scott Wilk and Cameron Smyth, respectively, both shared optimism for what Martinez Valladares can accomplish based on their experience with her.
Santa Clarita Mayor Bill Miranda said her work was vital in establishing the Latino Business Alliance, which later became part of the SCV Chamber of Commerce.
When Martinez Valladares took the mic, she shared a candid memory from the family home during her previous Assembly term, when her then 3-and-a-half-year-old daughter was coloring with crayons and said something that both broke her heart and inspired her.
“‘Mom, when I grow up, I’m gonna save the world so you don’t have to go back to Sacramento,’” she recalled.
“This poor little girl didn’t want to leave her mommy, but also, she thinks I’m saving the world,” she added, smiling. “This is who I am. I’m somebody who cares about children, who cares about our community, who cares about our future. I’m a real person. I’m a mom. I was a business owner. A wife. A community leader. And I also happened to be elected by the best community and state Senate district in all of California.”
Martinez Valladares also knew the state was in a time of crisis, she said, recalling how the recent Lidia Fire came too close to her family’s home for comfort. She said her focus is going to be on making things easier for Californians.
“Let me just tell you, we have known for years, for over decades, that so many issues are at crisis level in California, from affordability to insurance to wildfires to housing,” she said. “We have been at crisis level on all of these issues, and they all converged just a few weeks ago with the Palisades Fire. So more than ever, it is imperative that Sacramento get it right for our community.”
Her first two pieces of legislation have this in mind, she said.
Senate Bill 17 would exclude tips from state income tax starting Jan. 1. And SB 23 would exempt veterans who are considered 100% disabled from having to pay property taxes. It would also provide the same kind of assistance to a veteran’s surviving spouse.
Earlier this month, Martinez Valladares was named to her eight committee assignments for the 2025-26 legislative session, including vice chair of the Committee on Governmental Organization, the Health Committee and the Committee on Revenue and Taxation. Her other committee assignments include the Transportation Committee, the Judiciary Committee, and the Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development. She also has been appointed to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee and the Joint Committee on Rules.
