23 Facts About Carole Migden

Carole Migden was previously a member of the California State Assembly, where she became the first freshman, first woman, and first lesbian to chair the Committee on Appropriations.

Carole Migden was Chairwoman of the California Board of Equalization, the nation's only publicly elected tax commission.

Carole Migden chaired the San Francisco Democratic Party for eight years and is a former member of the Democratic National Committee.

Carole Migden was, at the time, the only openly lesbian state legislator from Northern California.

In 2009, Carole Migden was appointed State Commissioner of the California Integrated Waste Management Board, promoting green technology and a zero-based waste policy.

Carole Migden was the first woman and the first lesbian to chair that committee.

Carole Migden served for four years as a conferee on the state's Joint Budget Conference Committee, which writes the final version of California's state budget.

Carole Migden has authored legislation to improve foster care that created new programs such as transitional housing, increased savings accounts, and adoption incentives for parents adopting teenagers.

Carole Migden has authored legislation providing for rapid HIV testing, protection of health care workers from needle injuries and enabling of HIV positive people to have healthy children.

Staunchly opposed to the war in Iraq, Carole Migden became one of the first critics of the war and passed a Senate resolution making California the first state in the nation to formally oppose the surge of troops in Iraq.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed two bills pushed forward by Carole Migden to resolve the issue.

Carole Migden has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Adelphi University and a Master of Arts degree from Sonoma State University.

On May 23,2007, Carole Migden announced that she was diagnosed with leukemia in 1997.

Carole Migden underwent rigorous and difficult chemotherapies for two years before finally becoming a participant in clinical trial, which ultimately got FDA approval for Gleevec, which has proven to be a watershed cancer drug.

Carole Migden has been in complete remission for many years.

In 1996, Carole Migden ran a stop sign by the State Capitol and crashed into a 1990 Dodge Spirit sedan owned by Teresa Latham.

On May 18,2007, Carole Migden crashed her SUV into a sedan which was stopped at a red light, injuring Ellen Butawan and her 3-year-old daughter, who were sent to the emergency room.

Carole Migden claimed that her "wild ride" occurred during state business, so that the Department of General Services paid $335,000 to Butawan in July 2009.

In 1998 Carole Migden was named "Rookie of the year" award by the California Journal, giving her top honors in the categories of integrity, intelligence, hardest working and most influential.

In 1999, Carole Migden received "Legislator of the Year" honors from the California School Employees Association.

In 2001, Carole Migden was named "Legislator of the Year" by the California National Organization for Women.

Carole Migden was the first legislator to lose a renomination since Assemblyman Brian Setencich lost his primary race in 1996.

Carole Migden came into the race with $647,000 in the bank from past races, but according to the Fair Political Practices Commission, she did not properly transfer campaign funds.