(KTXL) — Toni Atkins, who serves as the California State Senate President pro Tempore, became the first person in her position to sign a bill into law Thursday.
Atkins is serving as acting governor while Gov. Gavin Newsom and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis are out of state.
One of the bills Atkins signed, Assembly Bill 410, aims to improve braille signs on public mobility devices such as electric scooters and bikes.
“It is historic and I’m just really honored,” Atkins said at the signing.
Atkins (D-San Diego) will become the second woman in state history to sign a bill into law after Kounalakis signed an extension to eviction protections last year, when she was serving as acting governor while Newsom was out of state.
Newsom has been out of state since Friday, spending part of his time away helping President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign.
Atkins joined the California Legislature as an Assemblymember in 2010. In 2018, Atkins became both the first female and the first openly LGBTQ+ Senate President pro Tempore.
