John Laird (born March 29, 1950) is an American politician who is the California State Senator for District 17, since December 7, 2020,[4][5][6] and his now in his second term.

Laird, along with Mark Leno of San Francisco, was one of the first two openly gay men to serve in the California Legislature.

In 1983 Laird became one of the United States' first openly gay mayors, when he took over the mayoralty of the city of Santa Cruz, California.

He served for two years on the district staff of United States Representative Jerome Waldie, and worked during the summer of 1974 for Rep. Bill Gunter of Florida in his run for the U.S. Senate.

[9] During his time on the Council, he worked with the environmental organization Save Our Shores to lead local governments in the fight against proposed offshore oil drilling and in favor of the designation of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

He pledged to focus on a range of issues if elected, from managing the impact of climate change and wildfires, to protecting California's ocean policies, supporting the middle class and expanding access to health care, education and affordable housing.

[19] During his first term (2020-2024), Laird authored 59 bills signed into law – addressing fentanyl overdose reversal drugs, survival benefits for families of fallen officers, services for foster youth who attend community college, support for older Californians living with HIV, and protections against excessive rents for mobile home residents, and requiring propane cylinders sold in the state to be refillable or reusable by 2028.

[20][21][22] In December 2021, the California Citizens Redistricting Commission adopted new state Assembly and Senate district maps.

[28] He also has served on the Santa Cruz Community Foundation's Advisory Committee for the Lesbian and Gay Grants Partnership.