Senator Abel Maldonado

Republican who represented California's 15th Senate District.

Abel O. Maldonado Jr., born August 21, 1967, in Santa Maria, California, is a Republican politician and agriculturalist of Mexican ancestry. Son of immigrant parents, he grew up working in the fields and built a successful farming business growing strawberries on 7,000 acres. He served as the 48th Lieutenant Governor of California from April 2010 to January 2011, the last Republican to hold the office as of 2025. Married to Laura , he has four children: daughter Ericka and sons Nicolas, Marcus, and Galdino. Notable achievements include being named "Hero of the Taxpayer" by Americans for Tax Reform, leading reforms on California Workers' Compensation and school bus seat belts, authoring Proposition 14 , and co-authoring AB 540 for in-state tuition for certain undocumented students. As a moderate in a swing district, he was the first Republican State Senator to vote for the 2007 budget during a deadlock and advocated for agricultural policies and sustainable farming.

Education and Political Experience

• Education: Graduated from Santa Maria High School; attended California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, earning a BS in Crop Science .
• Political Experience:
  • Santa Maria City Council
  • Mayor of Santa Maria
  • California State Assembly, 33rd District
  • California State Senate, 15th District , covering San Luis Obispo County, most of Monterey County, eastern Santa Cruz County, parts of northwestern Santa Barbara County, and southwestern Santa Clara County
  • Lieutenant Governor of California