Toni Gayle Atkins (born August 1, 1962) is an American politician serving as the 51st and current President pro tempore of the California State Senate since 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the 69th Speaker of the California State Assembly from 2014 to 2016. She has represented the 39th State Senate district since 2016, encompassing most of San Diego. Upon her election as Speaker of the State Assembly, she became the third woman and first acknowledged lesbian to be elected to the position, as well as the first lawmaker from San Diego holding the office. She served on the San Diego City Council from 2000 to 2008, including a term as Acting Mayor of San Diego in 2005. She also served as Acting Governor of California for nine hours on July 30, 2014, which made her California's "first openly gay governor." In 2018, she succeeded Kevin de León as State Senate President pro tempore. This made her the first woman and the first openly LGBT person to lead the California State Senate. By 2021, Atkins had started fundraising for a planned 2026 run for California lieutenant governor. Early life and education Atkins spent her early years in Max Meadows, Virginia, moving to Roanoke at the age of seven. Her father was a miner and her mother a seamstress; she grew up in a home with no running water. She graduated from Emory & Henry College in 1984 and earned a BA in political science, focusing on community organizing. In 2004, Atkins completed Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government as a David Bohnett LGBTQ Victory Institute Leadership Fellow. Atkins relocated to San Diego in 1985. San Diego City Council When she first came to San Diego, she joined the staff of Womancare Health Center as Director of Clinic Services. She then served for a number of years as council representative and policy analyst to City Councilmember Christine Kehoe. When Kehoe was elected to the state legislature, Atkins was elected to Kehoe's City Council seat on November 7, 2000. She was reelected in March 2004, without the need for a November runoff. In April 2005 Mayor Dick Murphy resigned after criticism of his handing of the city's fiscal problems. Councilmember Michael Zucchet, who was deputy mayor, took over, but three days later, resigned along with Councilmember