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Patricia Wiggins
Patricia Wiggins (b. 1940) is a former Democratic member of the California State Senate, representing District 2 from 2006 to 2010.
In late March 2010, Wiggins took a partial leave from the legislature to deal with an undisclosed medical condition. It was announced that she would be present for important votes, but otherwise would be dealing with medical issues.[1] On August 15, 2013, Wiggins passed away at the age of 73 from the same medical condition that caused her to leave office in 2010. She was survived by her husband, Guy Conner, two stepsons and four grandchildren.[2]
Wiggins was a member of the California State Assembly from 1998 to 2004 and also served on the Santa Rosa City Council.
Biography
Wiggins earned her B.A. from the University of California-Los Angeles in 1977. Her professional experience includes working as a bookkeeper for a variety of companies from 1960 to 1979 and as a computer systems analyst.
Committee assignments
Wiggins served on these legislative committees:
Joint committees
- Joint Committee on Fisheries & Aquaculture
- Joint Legislative Audit Committee
Select committees
- Committee on California's Wine Industry (Chair)
- Committee on High School Graduation
- Committee on Schools in Communities
- Committee on Earthquake and Disaster Preparedness
Standing committees
- Local Government (Chair)
- Energy, Utilities and Communications
- Governmental Organization
- Natural Resources and Water
- Public Employees and Retirement
- Revenue and Taxation
- Veterans Affairs
On March 24, 2010, Wiggins was removed from all of the standing committees she had been serving on and was removed as chair of the Joint Committee on Fisheries & Aquaculture. She continued to sit on the select committees.[1]
Issues
Sponsored legislation
Wiggins sponsored legislation in 2009 that:
- Mandated a written record of horse transactions.
- Provided favorable tax credits for those who install solar panels.
- Mandated that nonprofit corporations who provide contract services for the state government be paid for their work within 45 days.[3]
Wiggins supported the five May 19 statewide ballot propositions that voters soundly rejected.
Elections
2010
- See also: California State Senate elections, 2010
Wiggins was eligible but did not seek re-election in 2010.
2006
In 2006, Wiggins was elected to the California State Senate, District 2. She finished with 187,035 votes while her opponent, Lawrence Wiesner, finished with 97,611 votes.[4] Wiggins raised $373,958 in campaign funds.
| California State Senate, District 2 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
 Patricia Wiggins (D)
|
187,035 | |||
| Lawrence Wiesner | 97,611 | |||
Campaign finance summary
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Legislative scorecard
Capitol Weekly, California's major weekly periodical covering the state legislature, publishes an annual legislative scorecard to pin down the political or ideological leanings of every member of the legislature based on how they voted on an assortment of bills in the most recent legislative session. The 2009 scores were based on votes on 19 bills, but did not include how legislators voted on Proposition 1A (2009). On the scorecard, "100" is a perfect liberal score and "0" is a perfect conservative score.[5][6]
On the 2009 legislative scorecard, Patricia Wiggins ranked as a 100. She was one of eight state senators the publication identified as voting in what they defined as a "liberal" way in every vote they ranked.[7]
Noteworthy events
Swearing
In August 2008, Wiggins swore at a Sacramento-area pastor during a legislative hearing. Pastor Robert Jones of Oak Park United Methodist Church was testifying in front of a legislative committee about the possible impact on his community of legislation. Jones said, "Our community doesn’t want to suffer more than any other community, the poor and the underrepresented, so we invite the committee to invite those people from the community to participate in the process."[8]
About two minutes into his testimony, Wiggins interrupted, saying, "Excuse me, but I think your arguments are bull----."[8]
Calls for resignation
Wiggins announced in August 2009 that she would not seek re-election, citing an unspecified health issue. Two major newspapers in her hometown called for her resignation.[9]
On February 17, 2010, Wiggins began yelling about an empty water pitcher at a committee meeting, and she reportedly appeared confused and disoriented at times.[9]
Partial leave
In late March 2010, it was announced that Wiggins would be taking partial leave from the legislature to attend to her medical issues. Wiggins' Press Secretary said in an email, "Everything she has done to date has been at the advice of, and in consultation with, her doctors."[9]
On March 24, the Senate Rules Committee voted to remove her from the Senate Local Government, Senate Veterans Affairs and Joint Legislative Audit committees and to remove her as chair of the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture.[1]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Patricia Wiggins California Senate. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- California State Legislature
- California State Senate
- California Senate Committees
- California state legislative districts
External links
- Patricia Wiggins' campaign website
- Official website of State Senator Pat Wiggins (dead link)
- Legislative profile of Pat Wiggins on Project Vote Smart
- Biographical profile of Pat Wiggins on Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions in 2008, 2006, 2002, 2000 and 1998
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sacramento Bee, "Sen. Pat Wiggins to take partial leave from the Legislature," March 24, 2010
- ↑ times-standard.com, "Updated: Wiggins died today at 73," August 15, 2013
- ↑ Redwood Times, "Wiggins pens more legislation," May 6, 2009
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official 2006 General election results," accessed December 8, 2014
- ↑ Capitol Weekly, "Capitol Weekly's Legislative Scorecard," December 17, 2009
- ↑ Fox and Hounds Daily, "Random Thoughts on the Political Scene," December 18, 2009
- ↑ Capitol Weekly," Downloadable 2009 Capitol Weekly State Legislative Scorecard
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Napa Valley Register, "Sen. Wiggins swearing at pastor caught on video," August 11, 2008
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Times Standard, "Pressed to resign, Calif. State Senator Wiggins' decision carries host of political implications," March 3, 2010
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
California State Assembly District 7 1998-2004 |
Succeeded by Noreen Evans |
| Preceded by Wesley Chesbro |
California State Senate District 2 2006–2010 |
Succeeded by Noreen Evans |
