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Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, at far right, stands with Adam Schiff, second from right, as he and other newly elected senators take the oath of office administered by Vice President Kamala Harris. | Photo courtesy of Sen. Alex Padilla's office
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Adam Schiff, California’s newest U.S. senator, took the oath of office Monday.
Schiff, a Democrat, replaces Sen. Laphonza Butler, who was appointed after longtime Sen. Diane Feinstein’s death on Sept. 29, 2023.
Schiff defeated Republican Steve Garvey in the November election, and Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed the former longtime congressman from Burbank to serve the remaining few weeks of the Feinstein-Butler term in office. Schiff, 64, served nearly 25 years in the House of Representatives and won more than 65% of the vote in the Senate race.
“I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve all Californians as their next United States Senator,” Schiff said in a statement. “My family came to the Golden State when I was a child in the hope of finding a strong economy, safe neighborhoods and good schools. And we found all that we could hope for in each of these respects.
“I will be a tireless advocate for Californians in every part of the state and work across the aisle to deliver on day one,” Schiff said.
Alex Padilla, California’s senior U.S. senator, escorted Schiff across the Senate floor to where Vice President Kamala Harris administered the oath.
“Throughout his career, Adam has been a tireless champion for middle-class families, working to lower the cost of housing and health care while protecting our fundamental freedoms,” Padilla said in a statement. “As California and the nation prepare for the challenges ahead, I’m glad to have Adam Schiff as a trusted partner in the Senate.”
In a Jan. 3 ceremony, Schiff will be sworn in again for his full six-year term.
“The work ahead of us will not be easy — nothing worth doing ever is,” Schiff said. “But my promise is to work every day to deliver results, and make California’s future brighter for all of us in this Golden State.”
“I recognize that I stand on the shoulders of giants,” Schiff said in his statement. “Former Sen. Dianne Feinstein leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of courage and effectiveness. Nobody can ever fill her immense shoes, but I will continue to be inspired by her example.”
Newsom appointed Butler in October 2023 to Feinstein’s seat and on Sunday the governor announced that Schiff would take the office Monday “to ensure Californians have their duly elected representative seated as soon as possible.”
Butler resigned from the Senate effective Sunday, according to Newsom’s office.
Laura Friedman, a former assemblywoman and Glendale City Council member, will succeed Schiff representing the 30th Congressional District. She soundly defeated Republican Alex Balekian in November.
Also on Monday, Schiff said he did not want President Joe Biden to issue a preemptive pardon to protect possible targets from prosecution by President-elect Donald Trump’s Justice Department.
Trump had said members of Congress — one of whom was Schiff — who investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot involving Trump supporters should be imprisoned. The president-elect said he would leave decisions up to incoming Attorney General Pam Bondi, a Trump appointee.
Schiff said a preemptive pardon would set a partisan precedent and was unnecessary.
On Friday, Schiff cast his final House vote and thanked his constituents in Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Hollywood and nearby areas.
“I’m really looking forward to serving you in the U.S. Senate, and I want to thank the people all over California for that opportunity,” Schiff posted on social media. “We have so much to do.”
He noted meetings with Senate Republicans and Democrats and his observation of a “real culture” of finding common ground.
Butler is a longtime adviser to Harris and was California’s first openly LGBTQ person in the U.S. Senate, the first Black lesbian to openly serve in Congress and the third Black female senator.
“As I end this journey as the junior senator representing 40 million Californians, it is a day that I want to thank them and thank Governor Newsom for giving me the honor and privilege of serving our great state,” Butler said in a 14-minute departing speech on the Senate floor.
She said it was a “remarkable honor” to follow in Feinstein’s footsteps and walk the same hallways as former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, the first Black woman to serve as assistant majority leader, and Harris.
“As policymakers, it is up to us to plant seeds that will inspire future generations to understand and imagine what is possible,” Butler posted on social media. “While my time in the Senate is over, my work to plant those seeds will continue on.”
In a statement Sunday, Newsom said, “When Senator Laphonza Butler took her seat in the Senate a year ago, she brought with her a lifetime of lessons learned from organizing and advocating for opportunity and justice. In just a short time, she has left an indelible mark — proving that true leadership isn’t measured by the length of service, but by the depth of impact.”
Newsom’s office added that while in the Senate, Butler advocated for policies to bolster worker protections, increase wages, expand affordable housing and create economic opportunities for all state residents.
