Senator Bruce McPherson is an experienced leader poised to tackle California's current leadership crisis as the state's next Lt. Governor.

No stranger to public service, McPherson has served in the 15th State Senate District since 1996, and in the 27th Assembly District from 1993 to 1996.

He has led the fight against crime as Chairman of the Senate Public Safety Committee and the Sub-Committee on Criminal Procedure, and on the Senate Select Committee for School Safety. He's also Vice-Chairman of the Senate Education Committee and the Environmental Quality Committee, as well as a member of the Appropriations and Budget committees.

A long-time advocate for education, Bruce McPherson helped reduce class sizes, establish tougher graduation standards and pass two much-needed state school bonds. As Lt. Governor, he would serve on the Board of Regents for the University of California, and as a trustee for the California State School System-where he'll champion California schools at every level.

As a member of the California Coastal Conservancy, the Senate Select Committee on Forestry and the Joint Committee for Operations of Fisheries and Aquaculture, he is extremely well prepared to serve on the State Lands Commission-which is one of the many responsibilities of California's Lt. Governor. In 1997, Senator McPherson was named "Public Official of the Year" by the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

Bruce McPherson's Long history of dedicated public service has not gone unrecognized. He has received the California State University Alumni Council's "Friend of Higher Education" award (1995), the Association of California Community College Administrators' "1998 Friend of Community Colleges" and was named "Legislator of the Year" by the California School Board Association (1999), the University of California Alumni Association (1997),the California League of High Schools (2001) and the California Small Business Association (2000).

Most recently, he was presented with the "Leadership Award" by the Legal Community Against Violence and the "Public Policy Excellence Award for Public Policy" by the California Non-Profit Policy Council.

Bruce is a fourth generation Santa Cruz native. He and his wife Mary have been married 35 years. Their daughter, Tori, and her husband, Dave, have one child, Sydney. Sadly, the McPherson's son, Hunter, was murdered in an armed robbery late last year.