Greyscale Photograph of Christine Kehoe

Record Identifier:

Q0112

Record Origin:

Christine Kehoe San Diego City Council Campaign

Record Creation Date:

2021-01-26

Description Standard:

MODS

Title:

Greyscale Photograph of Christine Kehoe

Name:

Kehoe, Christine

Role:

Subject

Type of Resource:

Flat file

Language:

en_US

Extent and Media:

18 x 24 inches; 1 Poster

Physical Form:

Poster

Conditions Governing Access:

Open for research

Conditions Governing Reproduction:

Lambda Archives of San Diego does not hold copyright to this item. It is incumbent upon the researcher to procure permission to publish information from this item from the owner of copyright.

Location of Originals:

Lambda Archives of San Diego

Alternative Form Available:

TIFF available upon request (info@lambdaarchives.org)

Biography or History:

Christine Kehoe is an American politician from San Diego, CA. Born in Troy, New York in 1950, she has been active as an openly LGBTQ+ elected official and a prominent supporter of equal rights for all. In addition to her service as an elected official, Kehoe has a long history of activism and leadership in San Diego’s communities. Kehoe became active in politics around 1978 when she started to volunteer with the Center for Women’s Studies and Services in San Diego. She then held the position of editor for the San Diego Gayzette from 1984-1986 and served as the San Diego County Chair for the San Diego Says: No to Prop 64 Campaign also known as the Lyndon LaRouche AIDS discrimination initiative. This campaign fought to restore AIDS to the state list of communicable diseases. She then took the position of Coordinator for the San Diego AIDS Assistance Fund, which she held for 1987-1989. During that time she also started to work on Neil Good’s City Council Campaign as the day-to-day manager in 1987. She cites Good’s campaign as the strongest influence on her run in the 1993 City Council race. From 1988-1989 Kehoe was the Executive Director for the Hillcrest Business Association. Throughout Kehoe’s long history as a leader in the LGBTQ+ community, many of her efforts focused specifically on San Diego Pride. In 1989, after years of Pride turmoil, she helped to form the Pride 15/20 committee. Kehoe became a co-chair, along with Scott Fulkerson, and together they instituted responsible budgeting, accounting, and staffing. She continued to serve of the Lesbian and Gay Pride Council until 1991. Kehoe laid the foundation for the organization today. From 1989 to 1992, Kehoe worked as a City Council aide for John Hartley. During that time she handled transportation and land use issues as well as worked for the passage of the Human Dignity Ordinance and the establishment of the Human Relations Commission. From there Kehoe was hired by Evonne Schulze and spent a few months working in the district office of Mike Gotch. She then spent about six months working for the City of San Diego in the Economic Development Division. Starting in June 1993, Kehoe launched a full-time campaign for the 3rd District seat in the City Council of San Diego, running against Evonne Schulze. Christine Kehoe was the first openly gay person elected to the City Council of San Diego in San Diego County on November 2, 1993. She was re-elected in 1996 after winning 70% of the vote. Kehoe ran on platforms that promoted innovative police and citizen partnerships as well as revitalization of older, diverse neighborhoods in the third district she represented. In 1997, she was appointed to the California Coastal Commission where she advanced legislation for greater environmental protections for California’s natural resources. She also expanded public access to California’s shoreline. She was a member of this Commission from 1997-2000. She also served as chair of the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee, and led efforts to improve and beautify San Diego, reduce street crime, and improve recreational opportunities for families. As City Councilmember, she facilitated a decrease in crime in her district by initiating a public/private partnership that built a community center housing a library, a theater, and Head Start classrooms in addition to other community services. She was also instrumental in the construction of Interstate 15 after multiple prior delays. Kehoe was a member of the Sierra Club, the National Organization for Women (NOW), National Women's Political Caucus, Uptown Democratic Club, California Women in Government, the San Diego Democratic Club, and the Women's Transportation Seminar. She was also a member of the Board of Directors of the California Elected Women's Association for Education and Research (CEWAER). In 1998, Kehoe ran a strong but ultimately unsuccessful race for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 49th U.S. Congressional district against incumbent Congressman Brian Bilbray. She proceeded to win the primary election unopposed for the California State Assembly with 61% of the vote. She was re-elected in 2002 and represented District 76 from December 4, 2000 to December 6, 2004. During her time in the state legislature, she served as the Assembly Speaker pro Tempore, only the second woman to hold that title and she was the founding chair of the LGBT Legislative Caucus. She was one of five openly LGBT members of the California State Legislature, alongside Senator Mark Leno (D–San Francisco) and Assemblymembers Tom Ammiano (D–San Francisco), Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and John Pérez (D–Los Angeles). The caucus was established to champion legislation that advances equality and the rights of LGBT Californians. Its members have introduced and passed numerous measures related to gay rights. The caucus sponsors an annual LGBT Pride Exhibit every June and presents the LGBT Pride Recognition Awards to outstanding Californians. Kehoe is a relentless fighter for civil rights. She called hearings on the City's Equal Opportunity Ordinance to provide stronger protections for women, successfully led efforts to enact domestic partner benefits for city employees and provided major grant funding to strengthen the San Diego LGBT Community Center. As a legislator, Kehoe worked to ensure that San Diego received its share of state funding for essential programs. She secured more than $12 million for the San Diego River, which is being used to restore wetlands and wildlife habitat and improve water quality. She also acquired almost $1 million for improvements at Balboa Park. As an Assemblymember, Kehoe wrote legislation forming the San Diego River Conservancy; designating the portion of State Route 163 that runs through Balboa Park as a Historic Parkway; and outlawing unsolicited fax advertisements. She responded to California’s energy crisis by writing legislation to increase energy supplies and fight higher energy prices. Her actions were part of a legislative effort to create the largest, most aggressive conservation effort ever launched in the United States. Following her work in the State Assembly, Kehoe continued on to the California State Senate to succeed Dede Alpert in the 39th District. She represented this district from December 6, 2004, to December 3, 2012. She was unable to run for re-election in 2012 due to term limits. During her tenure in the State Senate, Kehoe served on a number of different committees. From 2009-2010, Kehoe served on the following committees: Appropriations (Chair), Banking Finance and Insurance, Energy Utilities and Communications, Local Government, Natural Resources and Water, Transportation and Housing, and Joint Legislative Budget Committee – California Legislature. In 2011-2012, Kehoe served on the following committees: Appropriations (Chair), Subcommittee on Fiscal Oversight and Bonded Indebtedness (Chair), Arts Committee, Banking and Financial Institutions, Emergency Management Committee – California Legislature (Chair), Energy/ Utilities/ Communications, Environmental Quality Committee – California State Senate, Fisheries and Aquaculture Committee – California Legislature, Governance and Finance Committee – California Senate, Natural Resources and Water Committee – California Senate, Rules Committee – California Legislature, and Transportations and Housing Committee – California Senate. As a Senator, Kehoe has established herself as an environmental leader and dedicated “good government” advocate. In 2006, she sponsored a crucial redevelopment reform bill, the most important in more than a decade. Following the 2007 wildfires in Southern California, she drafted a handful of bills to protect homeowners, compensate local governments for their wildfire fighting costs, and prevent the spread of future blazes. She also pushed through reforms to the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, strengthened the San Diego River Conservancy, and protected open spaces in the City of San Diego. Kehoe lives in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood with her partner Julie Warren.

Other descriptive data:

Politics; LGBTQ politics; Campaigns; Kehoe, Christine; Friends of Christine Kehoe