Dennis Hollingsworth is the Senator for the 36th District of California, which includes portions of San Diego and Riverside Counties. He was elected to the post of Senate Republican Leader in February 2009.

Since his election to the Legislature in 2000 as a member of the Assembly and in 2002 to the Senate, Senator Hollingsworth has been a leading voice on behalf of the tax paying citizens of California. He has called for transparency and accountability, structural budget reform and an overall reduction in the size of government. He believes a healthy business environment is the best means to create and retain jobs and to stimulate the economy.

Hollingsworth has been a consistent and outspoken advocate for tough laws against child predators. He is the chair of Project KidSafe, whose mission is to advance legislative proposals intended to protect children from predators and violent offenders. In this capacity, he has authored a variety of related proposals including Assembly Bill 1858, which was signed into law in 2002 and created “SAFE Teams” which serve to coordinate law enforcement agencies in the tracking of violent sex offenders. To date, seven SAFE Team regions have been established throughout the state.

Hollingsworth’s work in the legislature has earned him the “Legislator of the Year” award from such diverse groups as the California Sexual Assault Investigators Association, the Riverside County Schools Advocacy Association, the League of Off-Road Voters, the California Rifle and Pistol Association, and the California Building Industry Association. His conservative voting record consistently earns him “A” ratings from taxpayer protection and business groups such as the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and the California Chamber of Commerce. He has also been a strong advocate for protecting homeowners and property owners from the threat of wildfires, and was a leading member of the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Fire Commission in 2003, which was established in the wake of the Cedar Fire in order to prevent future destruction and to provide recommendations on statewide prevention and readiness.

Senator Hollingsworth is President of the Proposition 22 Legal Defense Fund, and was an official proponent of Proposition 8 on the November 2008 ballot, which protected traditional marriage in California. He has also served as California State Public Sector Chairman of the American Legislative Exchange Council, the largest national organization of state legislators dedicated to the principles of free enterprise, limited government and individual liberty.

An avid outdoorsman, Senator Hollingsworth has fought increasing efforts to shut down hunting and fishing seasons in California and has worked to maintain the state’s extraordinary outdoor heritage. He helped found, and currently serves as co-chairman of the California Legislature Outdoor Sporting Caucus, a bipartisan, bicameral organization modeled after the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus in Washington, D.C. His efforts in this regard earned him the award of National State Legislator of the year from Safari Club International.

Prior to serving in the legislature, Hollingsworth was a business owner and Legislative Director for the Riverside County Farm Bureau. He attended Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo and Cornell University where he studied Dairy Science, Agricultural Management and International Relations.

Dennis and his wife, Natalie, live in Murrieta with their two sons and daughter.