Anthony J. Portantino (born January 29, 1961) is an American politician currently serving in the California State Senate. A Democrat, he represents the 25th Senate District which encompasses portions of the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys. Portantino was a member of the California State Assembly from 2006 to 2012, representing the 44th Assembly District. Political career Portantino served two terms on the La Cañada Flintridge City Council, from 1999 until 2006. There, he was mentored by Carol Liu, who endorsed him to succeed her in the California state assembly. Portantino's professional experience includes working in the art department and as property master with the American Playhouse; production designer on Grizzly Adams and the Legend of Dark Mountain; and art director on Unsolved Mysteries. At the request of the Screen Actors Guild in 2010, Portantino proposed an anti-gatecrashing law that would make party crashing a misdemeanor with punishments being up to six months in jail, or a $1,000 fine, or both. He said that party crashing posed a threat to public safety. He introduced legislation to remove tattoos from victims of forced prostitution. After his term ended in the California state assembly, Portantino initially stated that he would run for Congress against David Dreier, even though the district had yet to be drawn. He later contemplated a run against Carol Liu in state senate district 25 but opted against it, citing personal reasons. In 2013, Portantino began actively campaigning to fill Liu's seat, as she was term limited in 2016. In 2022, he authored a bill that would provide $1.65 billion in tax credits through 2030 ($330 million per year) for film production in California. Political positions LGBTQ+ rights In response by the 2012 decision of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn Proposition 8, Portantino stated “My brother fought this battle for three decades. He spent his life fighting for equality and civil rights. It was a lifelong dream of his to be treated like everyone else.” In 2022, Portantino attended Glendale Pride. Portantino attended a December 2022 candlelight vigil hosted by glendaleOUT to mourn and remember LGBTQ+ deaths. The vigil raised funds for the Transgender Law Center and Pink Armenia. Armenia and Artsakh Portantino, who has been collaborating with the Governor Gavin Newsom’s office to educate state officials and colleagues on the historic significance of the project, thanked the Governor for signing California's 2022-2023 State Budget,