MELISSA HURTADO (D) (b.3/6/88) was elected to the State Senate in November 2018, defeating incumbent Republican Andy Vidak. At the time of her election, she was serving her first term on the Sanger City Council, winning election to the city's 1st City Council district in 2016, defeating her opponent 68.2%/31%. Hurtado is an IRS  registered tax preparer and also worked as a community organizer for public employees. After the 2021 redistricting put Hurtado's Sanger residence in a district contested by another Democratic incumbent, she relocated to Bakersfield, ran in the new district, and won re-election by 13 votes against Republican David Shepard in a race that was a top target for both parties that year.