Steve Glazer addressing the State Senate following
his swearing-in Thursday morning in Sacramento.
PHOTO/CalChannel

STATE SENATE | 7TH DISTRICT | Steve Glazer’s new colleagues in the State Senate–especially those backed by labor–did not turn their backs or throw tomatoes as he was sworn-in Thursday morning by Gov. Jerry Brown. In fact, Glazer’s first vote (an aye vote), a procedural bill involving the state budget, was followed by a hearty round of celebratory hoots and hollering from lawmakers.

Glazer’s special election victory in the Seventh District last week over another Democrat Susan Bonilla was highlighted by acrimony from labor unions who strongly opposed the new senator’s stance on transportation strikes. Although, Big Labor, still smarting from the bruising defeat, continued their rhetorical assault on Glazer even after Election Day, none of that ill-will was evident Tuesday on the senate floor.

The swearing-in ceremony, however, was delayed about 20 minutes until Brown arrived to deliver the oath of office to his former campaign consultant. Glazer ran Brown’s 2010 gubernatorial campaign before returning to the Orinda as a councilmember and mayor. “Always a hero of mine,” Glazer said of Brown, “for his vision, courage and dash of pragmatism in public policy-making.”

In his remarks, Glazer focused heavily on his roots growing up in Sacramento, including his first exposure to political activism during the Vietnam War and five months picking oranges and grapefruits at a kibbutz in Israel. “It gave me a great deal of appreciation for all of those who grow and harvest our food.”

Even though Glazer’s tenure in the State Senate begins today, he won’t have much time before pivoting towards another potentially hard-fought re-election campaign in 2016. That’s because the May 19 special election was called to only fill out the remainder of Mark DeSaulnier’s term following his election last November to Congress.