Anthony Portantino

In response by the 2012 decision of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn Proposition 8, Portantino stated “My brother fought this battle for three decades. He spent his life fighting for equality and civil rights. It was a lifelong dream of his to be treated like everyone else.”[9]

In 2022, Portantino attended Glendale Pride.[10]

Portantino attended a December 2022 candlelight vigil hosted by glendaleOUT to mourn and remember LGBTQ+ deaths. The vigil raised funds for the Transgender Law Center and Pink Armenia.[11]

Portantino, who has been collaborating with the Governor Gavin Newsom’s office to educate state officials and colleagues on the historic significance of the project, thanked the Governor for signing California's 2022-2023 State Budget, which allocates $10 million in new funding for the Armenian American Museum.[12]

During a 2022 meeting with the Armenian National Committee of America, Portantino expressed a desire to improve trade relations between California and Armenia.[13]

In 2017, Portantino voted against SB 35, which streamlined the housing construction process in California.[14]

In February 2019, Portantino introduced a bill to create a “California Housing Crisis Awareness” specialized license plate program to raise an estimated $300,000 per year to fund affordable housing, before administrative costs. The bill later died in committee.[15][16]

In May 2019, Portantino, as Senate appropriations committee chair, used a pocket veto to temporarily block SB 50, a bill that would enact reforms to address the California housing shortage by reducing local control (such as allowing more apartment construction near public transit and in suburbs), from leaving committee to enter the Senate for debate and voting.[17][18] Proponents of the bill accused Portantino of abusing his powers to deny Senate Bill 50 a debate and a vote in the Senate.[19] The Los Angeles Times wrote that Portantino's opposition to the bill was expected, but that it was a surprise that he would not allow the bill to advance out of committee.[20] Due to Portantino's action, the bill was not considered by the Senate until 2020.[17]

In 2021, Portantino killed a bill that would have put an end to minimum parking requirements for certain new housing construction near transit stations.[21]

In October 2021, Portantino criticized the construction of 98 townhouses on the location of a bowling center and recreation center in Burbank. Portantino questioned the legality of the housing development.[14]