Legislative Leadership
Christine chairs chairs the Senate’s Local Government Committee and the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Services and Homeland Security. She also served on the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Fire Commission.
While in the Assembly she authored legislation to form the San Diego River Conservancy and was able to have $12 million allocated for its restoration. In 2004 she was named River Park Champion by the San Diego River Park Foundation.
She is the first legislator to be chair the Legislature’s official Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Caucus.
Leading San Diego
Prior to being elected to serve California’s 39th Senate District, Kehoe served two terms in the State Assembly and seven years in the San Diego City Council representing the Third District. As a Council Member, Christine was at the forefront on environmental issues, serving as chair of the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee. She led efforts to improve and beautify San Diego, reduce street crime, and improve recreational opportunities for families.
Community Activist
Christine was a pioneer activist in 1978 as a volunteer with the Center for Women's Studies and Services. In 1980 she was San Diego County’s chair for the campaign to defeat the Lyndon LaRouche AIDS discrimination initiative.
In 1984 she became editor of the award-winning San Diego Gayzette newspaper. She was an early director of the AIDS Assistance Fund, which grew into the San Diego AIDS Foundation.
She served as the executive director of the Hillcrest Business Association, where she worked for small business owners to cut red tape and improve communication with city government.
Kehoe is 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 is also a member of the Board of Directors of the California Elected Women's Association for Education and Research (CEWAER).
Record of Accomplishment
Kehoe is known for her work to fight crime, support small businesses and improve the education of school children.
On the city council, Christine’s number one priority was to make neighborhoods clean and safe, and support our public schools.
While on the Council, Kehoe helped fund the expansion of three elementary schools as well as fund and expand the city's “6 to 6” Extended Day School Program. When she was first elected to the San Diego City Council in 1993, it was apparent that urban schools were jam-packed, under-performing, and parents were fed-up. She helped the City of San Diego become partners with Price Charities and CityLink Investment Corporation to redevelop 11 blocks in what was a troubled urban neighborhood. Today the City Heights Urban Village stands an award winning model nationwide and is at the forefront of San Diego’s efforts to revitalize aging commercial areas, preserve single-family housing, and construct new schools to make room for the population growth
She walked San Diego’s chief of police through neighborhood streets to see problems first-hand, resulting in the creation of the city’s Hate Crimes Registry. She helped concentrate efforts to remove graffiti, improve street lighting, provide better supervision of parolees, and reduce crime in Balboa Park.
In respect for her work to improve San Diego’s neighborhoods, Christine was named by the United States Secretary of Housing to chair the San Diego Regional Partnership for Home Ownership and her work was honored by the American Planning Association.
Christine is a relentless fighter for civil rights. She called hearings on the City’s Equal Opportunity Ordinance to provide stronger protection for women. She also successfully led efforts to enact domestic partner benefits for city employees. She provided major grant funding to strengthen the San Diego LGBT Center, providing services for troubled youth, persons needing crisis counseling, fighting depression and domestic violence and other health and social services for that community.
Elected to the Legislature in 2000, Christine was immediately named by her colleagues to the statewide legislative leadership team.
As a legislator, Christine works to ensure San Diego receives its fair share of sate funding for essential programs. She has acquired more than $1 million for the San Diego River. These funds are now in use restoring wetlands and wildlife habitat and improving water quality flowing to the ocean. She also acquired $1 million for improvements to Balboa Park, one of San Diego’s central points of community life.
Caught in the firestorm over electric supply during her first months in office, Christine fought back, writing legislation to increase energy supplies and fight higher energy prices. It was part of a legislative effort to create the largest, most aggressive conservation effort ever launched by a single state.
