Sheila Kuehl

Infobox State Senator


name = Sheila Kuehl
imagesize = 170
state_senate = California
district = 23^rd
term_start = 2000
Term_end =
preceded = Tom Hayden
state_assembly2 = California
district2 = 41^st
term_start2 = 1994
term_end2 = 2000
preceded2 = Terry Friedman
succeeded2 = Fran Pavley
birth_date = February 9, 1941
birth_place = Tulsa, Oklahoma
nationality = USA
party = Democrat
residence = Santa Monica, California
alma_mater = Harvard Law School
profession = Attorney
website = [http://dist23.casen.govoffice.com Sen. Sheila Kuehl] Infobox actor
name = Sheila Kuehl
birthname = Sheila James Kuehl
othername = Sheila James; Sheila Ann Kuehl
yearsactive = 1950s – 1980s

Sheila James Kuehl (born February 9, 1941 in Tulsa, Oklahoma) is an American politician, and a former child actress. She is currently a Democratic member of the California State Senate, representing the highly urbanized 23rd district in Los Angeles County and parts of southern Ventura County. A former member of the California State Assembly, she was elected to the Senate in 2000. Term limits will prevent her seeking a third Senate term in 2008.

Biography

As a young actress with the stage name Sheila James, she played Jackie, Stuart Erwin's tomboy daughter, in the television show "Trouble With Father", which was later retitled "The Stu Erwin Show". She is better known for her portrayal of the "irrepressible" Zelda Gilroy in the long-running 1950s TV show "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis". The runninggag was Zelda's roaring crush on Dobie, and his resistance to her advances. The program spawned two sequels, the pilot Whatever Happened to Dobie Gillis (1978) and TV movie Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis (1988). In these, Dobie had married Zelda and had a son named Georgie, who was like Dobie had been at his age. Kuehl reprised her Zelda role in both updates.

James co-starred in the short-lived television series "Broadside", a female version of the hit show McHale's Navy during the 1964-65 season. After the show's cancellation, she changed her focus to academics and, as Sheila Kuehl, was accepted into Harvard Law School. She graduated in 1978. In 1975, during her first year at the law school, she chaired the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the first group of women to be admitted to Harvard Law School, in 1950.

Politics

Kuehl was first elected to the California State Assembly in 1994, becoming the first openly gay person elected to the California legislature. She was later a founder member of the California Legislative LGBT Caucus. She served as Speaker pro tempore during the 1997–98 legislative session, becoming the first woman in California history to hold the position. After three terms in the Assembly, she was elected to the California State Senate in 2000, beating Assemblyman Wally Knox in the Democratic primary. Re-elected in 2004 with 65.7% of the vote, she has repeatedly been voted the "smartest" member of the California Legislature. [cite web |url= http://out.com/exclusives.asp?id=23607 |title= Out's Power 50: Sheila Kuehl |accessdate=2008-06-02]

In 2006, she sponsored a bill that would prohibit the adoption by any school district in California of any instructional material that discriminates against persons based on their gender or sexual orientation. [cite web | url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20060407-0734-rights-gays-textbooks.html | title=California braced for battle over gays in textbooks | date=April 7, 2006 | first=Jim | last=Christie | publisher=The San Diego Union-Tribune | accessdate=2007-07-29 ]

Throughout her career as a legislator, Kuehl has taken a leadership role on health care policy. Her foremost objective has been securing passage of legislation to establish a single-payer health care system in California. [cite web | url=http://dist23.casen.govoffice.com/SB840 | title=SB 840 The California Universal Healthcare Act | date=June 12, 2007 | accessdate=2007-07-29 ] SB 840 passed both houses of the legislature in 2006, but was vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger; it was reintroduced in 2007 and again passed the state Senate, with a vote pending in the Assembly. [ cite web | url=http://www.dist23.casen.govoffice.com/index.asp?Type=B_PR&SEC={FB09811F-A6ED-4042-9D4A-DFC306B532A9}&DE={30426154-2E35-454C-B5A5-BE31361ED2D3} | title=SB 840 Passes Senate Floor, Heads to Assembly Health | date=June 7, 2007 | accessdate=2007-07-29 ]

Kuehl has been criticized by some for regressing reform of California paternity law. [cite news | url=http://www.reason.com/news/show/29035.html | title=Injustice by Default - How the effort to catch "deadbeat dads" ruins innocent men's lives | date=February 2004 | first=Matt | last=Welch | work=Reason | accessdate=2007-07-29 ] [cite web | url=http://www.canadiancrc.com/articles/ABC_Duped_Dads_02OCT02.htm | title=Duped Dads - Men Fight Centuries-Old Paternity Laws | date=October 2, 2002 | first=Geraldine | last=Sealey | publisher=ABC News, U.S.A at Canadian Children's Rights Council | accessdate=2007-07-29 ]

Announced intention to kill healthcare plan

On January 28, 2008, "The New York Times" reported that Kuehl planned to vote against a health care plan sponsored by Governor Schwarzenegger and supported by a majority of Democrats in the Assembly, while opposed by a majority of Republicans. Her opposition along with the opposition of Senator Leland Yee led the "Times" to predict that California's widely touted healthcare bill – widely but inaccurately called "universal" coverage – would be effectively killed.cite web |url= http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/28/us/28healthcare.html |title= California Governor’s Plan for Health Care in Trouble |accessdate=2008-01-28|last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= 2008-01-28 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher= |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ]

References

External links

* [http://dist23.casen.govoffice.com/ Kuehl's official Senate website]
*imdb name|473861