Pat Bates has served the people of Orange County in numerous key roles. She helped turn Laguna Niguel into an incorporated city in 1989 and won a seat on its first city council, earning election as the first mayor. From 1998 to 2004, Bates served as a California State Assemblymember. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed her to serve on his California Performance Review Commission to provide recommendations on reforming state government. Bates is a Founder of the California Women’s Leadership Association (CWLA).

In 2006, Bates became the fourth woman to win the election to the Orange County Board of Supervisors. She served from 2007 to 2014 and worked to protect taxpayers and improve the county’s fiscal outlook; create business-friendly policies to attract jobs; maintain high levels of public safety; shorten the timeline for delivery of transportation projects; implement pension reforms; and protect the environment.

In the Senate, Bates champions taxpayers by defending Proposition 13 (which limits property tax increases) from efforts to gut it and opposing unnecessary tax and fee increases. She is a strong supporter of law enforcement has authored several key public safety measures to make every community safer. Bates knows how to get things done. She successfully worked across party lines to lower the cost of building needed medical facilities that serve veterans and military personnel afflicted with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related conditions.

Protecting the environment in a fiscally responsible manner is one of Bates’ priorities. She has supported measures to address ocean acidification; integrate scientific data concerning the impact of climate change into state infrastructure engineering, and reinforce opposition to new oil leases near the coast.