Senator Dede Alpert
President Pro Tem John Burton
Senator Bruce McPherson
Senator John Vasconcellos
 Senator Dede Alpert
39th Senate District, San Diego County
Sen. Dede Alpert of California has devoted more than 20 years to public service
and is being recognized for her advocacy in women’s health and violence
prevention — especially among youth. She began her career serving as a Solano
Beach School District board member from 1983 until 1990, when she was elected to
the state Assembly. In 1993, she became chair of the legislative Women’s Caucus
and then moved on to the Senate in 1996. She has consistently stressed health
and safety issues for women and children. Examples of her public policy
leadership include advancing landmark legislation that has expanded access to
emergency contraception and breast cancer detection services. Sen. Alpert
created the Battered Women’s Protection Act and the Child Abuse Task Force and
has been a staunch proponent of youth mentoring and development programs —
strategies that have demonstrated success in reducing violence against youth.
 President Pro Tem John Burton
3rd Senate District, San Francisco, Marin and S. Sonoma Counties
Sen. John Burton of California has spent 40 years in public service and is being
recognized for his leadership in promoting the health and safety of California’s
most underserved populations. He began his career as a deputy attorney general
before his election to the state Assembly in 1964. He was then elected to
Congress in 1974 and returned to private life in 1983. In 1988, he returned to
the state Assembly and then moved on to the Senate in 1996. He has focused on a
range of health care issues including access to care, mental health and the
prevention of violence and substance abuse. Examples of his leadership include
championing legislation that provides health insurance coverage for California’s
workers, improved care for the mentally ill homeless and strengthened the Women,
Infant and Children (WIC) Supplemental Nutrition Program. He was elected
president pro tem in 1998 and has been a formidable force against budget cuts to
health and welfare programs. A longtime supporter of violence prevention, Sen.
Burton’s advocacy ensured that juvenile crime prevention programs received
historic levels of support.
 Senator Bruce McPherson
15th Senate District, Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties
Sen. Bruce McPherson of California has worked for more than 11 years in public
service and is being recognized for his efforts in promoting school-based health
and wellness and preventing injury and death caused by violence — especially
among youth. Before beginning his legislative career in the state Assembly in
1993, he was a journalist for the Santa Cruz Sentinel, a newspaper that was
owned by a succession of McPhersons for 118 years. He moved on to the Senate in
1993. During his legislative career he has consistently emphasized school-based
health and violence prevention strategies. His public policy leadership includes
sponsoring legislation that placed additional school nurses in public schools
throughout the state and improved school counseling programs. Another major
achievement was the After-School Safety and Enrichment Program, which greatly
increased access to supervised activities during the critical after-school hours
when research indicates that youth are most likely to be victims of violent
crime.
 Senator John Vasconcellos
13th Senate District, Santa Clara County
Sen. John Vasconcellos of California has devoted over 40 years to public service
and is being recognized for his advocacy to prevent violence against youth and
promote healthy aging. Before taking his first elected office, he practiced law
and was an aide to Governor Edmund G. “Pat” Brown. He entered the state Assembly
in 1966 and remained there until 1996 when he moved on to the Senate. His career
has been marked by a willingness to tackle entrenched, complicated problems.
Examples of his legislative legacy include improving the delivery and
coordination of care for seniors, expanding access to in-home supportive and
long-term care services and examining the impending impacts of California’s
aging society on systems of care. Sen. Vasconcellos has advanced policies to
improve school safety and enhance youth’s self esteem and resiliency to risk
factors, control access to guns and provide mental health and vocational
training services for juvenile offenders — strategies that have solid track
records for reducing violence against youth.
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