With California’s budget negotiations over, leadership of the Senate’s Republican minority has shifted to Bob Dutton.
Dutton, from Rancho Cucamonga, has been minority leader-elect since January, after the caucus chose him to replace Dennis Hollingsworth, who is leaving office after the November election because of term limits.
The transfer from Hollingsworth to Dutton, originally set for Sept. 1, was delayed during the long negotiations over the state budget. Lawmakers finally passed the spending plan Oct. 8 — 100 days into the fiscal year.
“Sen. Hollingsworth has been a strong leader,” Dutton said in a statement. “He successfully navigated the Senate Republican caucus through this budget storm by negotiating a spending plan that includes no new taxes.”
