Former State Sen. Cathie Wright has died. She was 82.
Wright, who represented the Santa Clarita Valley in the California Legislature for 20 years, died Saturday at about 9 a.m. from complications related to dementia.
The conservative Republican lawmaker lived in Simi Valley, where she launched her political career in the 1970s as a member of the City Council.
In her later years, Wright was cared for by her daughter Victoria, who is running for Congress locally under her middle name of Cathie.
“I was at her side,” Wright’s daughter said in a statement, “and it will surprise no one who knew her that, despite her illness, she was lucid at the time and remained fierce and resilient until the end. Her granddaughter – my daughter Marissa – and I will miss her laughter, her wisdom and her strength and spirit.”
“She was an outstanding legislator and tireless crusader for justice, and she was foremost my beloved mother, so I am taking a break from my congressional campaign,” her daughter said.
Wright, born May 18, 1929, in Forge, Penn., was in hospice care for the past couple of weeks, her former district director Michael P. Murphy said Saturday.
Wright was Simi Valley’s mayor when she ran for and won an Assembly seat that was vacated in 1980 when its previous occupant, Bob Cline, mounted an unsuccessful bid for state Senate.
During her time in the Assembly, Wright carried several pieces of legislation that impacted the Santa Clarita Valley, including a bill that added the valley’s four water purveyors to the board of the Castaic Lake Water Agency. The intent was that by bringing the purveyors to the table, they would work together to craft a valley-wide water management plan – something the local water community now does every five years.
Murphy – now the city of Santa Clarita’s intergovernmental relations officer – noted that Wright was an early and ardent supporter of the creation of the city of Santa Clarita, which incorporated in 1987.
“She was one of the first elected officials to really get on board with cityhood,” Murphy said.
In 1992 Wright ascended to the state Senate when former LAPD Chief Ed Davis retired after 12 years in that post. She was reelected in 1996 and term-limited out of office in 2000.
As a senator she was instrumental in bringing funding to College of the Canyons, particularly for a new library and Media & Fine Arts building, which were constructed in the mid-1990s.
In 1994, Wright won the Republican primary race for lieutenant governor but was defeated in the general election by then-Controller Gray Davis, a Democrat who would go on to become governor.
Wright is survived by her daughter Victoria and granddaughter Marissa of Simi Valley.
A public memorial will be held Friday, April 20, at Reardon’s Funeral Home, 2636 Sycamore Drive, Simi Valley, followed by Catholic services at St. Peter of Claver Parish, 5650 Cochran St., Simi Valley. Times have not yet been determined.
Victoria Catherine Wright of Simi Valley, daughter of onetime state Sen. Cathie Wright, who represented the Santa Clarita Valley in Sacramento in the 1980s and '90s, issued the following statement Sunday announcing her bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, in this year's congressional election. The candidate…
If the congressional race worked the same way as the supervisorial race, Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon would be all done campaigning in 2012 because he captured just over 50 percent of the vote Tuesday night: 50.2 percent, to be precise. But it doesn't work that way. Under California's new "top…
In this episode: Disney fans and their childhood characters celebrate the opening of a new store. Also: An elderly man found dead in Escondido Canyon; Local weather outlook. Former State Sen. Cathie Wright dies at 82; Sheriff's volunteers honored. Finally: Schools to adopt Transitional Kindergarten; Santa Clarita Athletic Club hosts Business/Fitness…
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Cathy was a wonderful legislator and I was privileged to know the Senator. And as a neighbor, I know how she was a caring and loving person. She will be greatly missed. David LaTourette
The South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued a residential No Burn Day Alert on the effective day(s), for all those living in the South Coast Air Basin, which includes Orange County and non-desert portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties including the Santa Clarita Valley.
Taste of the Town, Santa Clarita's premier outdoor food and wine event that serves as an important fundraiser for the Child & Family Center will be held on Sunday, May 4.
The regular meeting of the Saugus Union School District Governing Board of Trustees will be held Tuesday, Feb. 4 beginning at 6:30 p.m. The board will first meet in closed session at 5:30 p.m.
The regular meeting of the William S. Hart Union High School District’s Governing Board will be held Wednesday, Feb. 5, beginning with a closed session at 6:15 p.m., followed by an open session at 7 p.m.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond issued a public statement and “Dear Colleague” letter to all California local educational agencies on Friday, Jan. 31, reaffirming Title IX protections for students.
College of the Canyons athletics staff member and Pasadena City College alumnae Kim Streeter is being recognized for her contributions to the Lancers women's basketball program with induction into the California Community College Women's Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued a residential No Burn Day Alert on the effective day(s), for all those living in the South Coast Air Basin, which includes Orange County and non-desert portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties including the Santa Clarita Valley.
Taste of the Town, Santa Clarita's premier outdoor food and wine event that serves as an important fundraiser for the Child & Family Center will be held on Sunday, May 4.
According to the NAIA baseball preseason poll, Missouri Baptist University is the No. 16 ranked team in the nation. But The Master's claimed a 5-3 win over the Spartans in the season opener at Lou Herwaldt Stadium in Santa Clarita Thursday, Jan. 30.
The city of Santa Clarita has received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada for its Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for Fiscal Year 2022-23.
The Master's University women's basketball team picked up a big road win with a 75-70 victory over the OUAZ Spirit Thursday, Jan. 30 in Surprise, Ariz.
Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo (D-Chatsworth) signed onto a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) opposing its vote on Thursday, Jan. 30, approving Southern California Edison’s latest rate hike proposal.
The deadline to provide feedback on the Los Angeles County Homeless Initiative’s proposed spending plan for FY 2025-26 has been extended to Tuesday, Feb. 4.
All For Kids is seeking foster families and now offers two virtual ways for individuals and couples to learn how to help children in foster care while reunifying with birth families or how to provide legal permanency by adoption.
Providence hospitals across Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties saved 159 lives in 2024 and improved the lives of 451 people by helping to coordinate organ, eye and tissue donations from patients who couldn’t be saved.
A womans only "Galentine's Day Hike" will be held 6:30-10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 15 at Placerita Canyon Nature Center, 19152 Placerita Canyon Road Newhall, CA 91321.
The Bike Park of Santa Clarita will host a Youth Mountain Bike Demo Day on Sunday, Feb. 2, 10 a.m.-noon. The event is free and no registration is required.
Join a group of local Santa Clarita acoustic musicians who’ve been playing together since the 1970s, Sunday, 1-4 p.m. Feb. 2 at the Old Town Newhall Library, 24500 Main St., Newhall, CA 91321 for an acoustic jam event.
The College of the Canyons Athletics Department has announced its 2025 Hall of Fame class of inductees with the next Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony taking place Wednesday, March 19, at the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center.
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1 Comment
Cathy was a wonderful legislator and I was privileged to know the Senator. And as a neighbor, I know how she was a caring and loving person. She will be greatly missed. David LaTourette