Meet Senator Caroline Menjivar

Senator Caroline Menjivar was elected to represent California’s 20th State Senate District in 2022. She quickly got to work advocating for Burbank and the San Fernando Valley by advancing policies that uplift working families.

In her first two years, Senator Menjivar expanded health coverage for fertility treatment, including IVF, reversed cuts to childcare funding, and created common sense tenant protections for mom-and-pop small businesses and small non-profit organizations. As the Senate Health Chair, she’s focused on expanding access to quality health care and mental health services, protecting reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ equity, and worker safety.

Senator Menjivar also serves as the Vice Chair of the California Legislative Women's Caucus and was previously the Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus Vice Chair and a California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls commissioner.

Overcoming Difficult Odds in Pursuit of Service to Our Communities and Country

Growing up in the San Fernando Valley, Senator Menjivar watched her parents, immigrants from El Salvador, wake up every morning in their small Tarzana apartment and get ready for work tending to wealthier people’s needs. The apartment’s location afforded Senator Menjivar and her sister access to quality public schools and an upbringing surrounded by a support system of her aunts, uncles, and cousins. 

She excelled academically at Encino Elementary, Portola Middle School, and Reseda High School, where she enrolled in the Police Academy Magnet and the LA Fire Department Explorer Program and earned recognition as a basketball standout. 

Adversity struck when her parents separated, and her mom became the sole provider for their family. Her mom poured her savings into buying their first home, only to fall victim to the subprime mortgage crisis. When Senator Menjivar was 19, they were evicted and found themselves housing unstable.

The economic downturn continued to interfere with Senator Menjivar’s dreams. After high school, she began pursuing a degree in Fire Technology and her Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) license while working full-time. When she was ready to apply for the City of Los Angeles Fire Department, they froze hiring. Searching for a new way to serve, she enlisted in the Marine Corps and served from 2009 – 2016.

Throughout Senator Menjivar’s teenage and young adulthood, she found herself at odds with her family’s religious values and their unacceptance of her sexual identity. Serving in the military under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy forced her to hide her relationship with her girlfriend, now wife. After the law’s repeal, she felt a huge burden lifted as she could invest herself authentically as a leader amongst her fellow Marines.

After serving on active duty, Senator Menjivar earned her Bachelor of Arts from California State University, Northridge. She continued her education at UCLA, completing a Master of Social Welfare and earning the David Bohnett Fellowship that provided an opportunity to work in the Los Angeles Mayor’s Gender Equity Office. She also served as a city council field deputy and as East Valley Representative for the Mayor's office in the communities she represents now.

As a social worker and EMT, Senator Menjivar saw firsthand the gaps in our mental health system toward vulnerable populations including the unhoused, domestic violence survivors, and senior citizens. These experiences have inspired her approach to creating policy that improves access to these crucial services.

Senator Menjivar is a leading voice for LGBTQ+ visibility and equality. Prior to her election, she volunteered her time serving on the GLSEN Los Angeles Chapter Board and The Help Group’s Kaleidoscope Advisory Board. She also organized the San Fernando Valley’s first LGBTQ+ Pride Car Parade in 2020 that has now become an annual march and community event.

Senator Menjivar is a homeowner in Panorama City, where she resides with her wife and two dogs. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, and cheering on her favorite sports teams, including the Angel City Football Club, UCLA Women’s Basketball, Dodgers, and the Green Bay Packers.