Newly appointed Democratic California Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón said she expects to bring a new oversight shakeup to the state amid growing calls for investigations into wasteful and fraudulent spending of taxpayer dollars.
Pressure to examine California’s potential fraud and government waste intensified after independent journalist Nick Shirley released a video investigating Somali-run day care centers in Minnesota. During a press interview Monday, KCRA3 Political Director Ashley Zavala asked Limón whether, under her new leadership, lawmakers would ensure Californians’ tax dollars are being used effectively.
“I’m going to tie this question back to the last question also about how do we build on what’s been done. I remember Pro Tem Emeritus Atkins and Pro Tem Emeritus McGuire have both really talked also about our ability as a legislature to do more oversight. I will say that Speaker Rivas has also been saying this, and I think that this is part of it,” Limón said. More oversight on our part ensures that we’re doing what we need to do to be able to ensure that the public feels that we are good stewards of their money, our money. We all pay taxes.”
“I think that that’s going to be important, and I think that when the public tells us and signals to us that this is something they care about, that they have questions about something, it is our responsibility. I don’t see that as a bad thing,” Limón added. “It’s our responsibility to say what are we going to put in place to make sure that the existing checks and balances that we have work, And if they don’t work, let’s figure out how to course correct and make sure that they work so that the people who entrust us to do this job feel like we are doing that good job, and we are transparent in that way. It’s hard. This is a big state.”
Limón went on to say that while there are “brilliant minds” among lawmakers to address the state’s issues, she recognizes that Californians are “signaling” concerns and that legislators need to be able to explain how they “came to this conclusion, how we came to this outcome, and what the process was.”
California has been plagued by homelessness, crime and unfinished projects that have consumed large amounts of taxpayer dollars. In addition to the heavy spending, the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office admitted in November 2025 that it botched the deficit estimate by roughly $5 billion.
Zavala then asked whether the Democrat had any specific ideas on how she would lead potential oversight efforts, to which Limón pointed to the leaders already in place.
“I think that right now I’m very excited about the leaders that we’ve appointed specifically in the budget areas, so you will see new subcommittee chairs, as well as a budget chair who will build and work with others who will be able to do more oversight. I think there are already ideas about what oversight looks like. It’s not just bills,” Limón said. “It’s also hearings. It’s the ability to work with some of our state agencies to make sure not just that we’re getting answers, but sometimes that the process to get that answer is something that’s not in place.”
“I’ve learned that good and well. I had to run my first year of bill just to get a website up to have information that is public information up. I learned, ‘Oh, I needed to identify the problem first, and then I needed to be able to run a bill.’ I still don’t understand why I had to run a bill to create a website, but we had to,” Limón continued. “So I think that you’re going to see more of that, and it’s also going to be, I think, up to the caucus on how else we provide oversight in addition to hearings and bills and processes and procedures.”
Limón was formally sworn in Monday as Senate president pro tempore after officially assuming the leadership role in November 2025, following former leader Mike McGuire stepping down, according to CapRadio.
During her speech, Limón pushed back on the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal migrants in the state, saying she carries a copy of her passport on her phone and alleging that people have been targeted by federal officials based on the “way they look.”
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