First published in the July 21 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
After living in La Cañada Flintridge since 1994, state Sen. Anthony Portantino has moved to Burbank.
Portantino, whose daughters received their entire K-12 educations through the LCF school system, has represented the 25th Senate District since 2016 and makes frequent appearances at local events.
Portantino will continue to represent LCF until the end of his term in 2024.
The term will be the former LCF mayor’s last in the state Legislature. Portantino has formed a campaign committee for the state superintendent of public instruction election in 2026 and said in a recent interview that he would “entertain” the notion of running, he has not yet made the final decision.
“I’ve enjoyed my time in the Legislature, and really, really loved getting to know the community and trying to represent the people to the best of my ability,” Portantino said, “and I hope to continue in some form of public service or education post-[Senate] because my passion really is for kids, and if there’s an opportunity to serve kids after the Senate, I’m going to take that seriously.”
His decision to sell his LCF home and move to Burbank, he added, was inspired by a desire to be closer to the Hollywood Burbank Airport, from which he flies to Sacramento twice a week. Living in Burbank also allows his wife, Ellen, a veteran film studio executive and consultant, to be closer to work.
But Portantino also said he’ll miss his home of nearly three decades, saying that the idea of leaving really hit him and his wife while they were attending the Fiesta Days events during Memorial Day weekend.
The family had been heavily involved in the community, Portantino explained. Besides attending LCF schools, his daughters participated in Girl Scouts, where his wife was a troop leader. Ellen Portantino was also involved as a PTA president and the National Charity League.
“Living in La Cañada has been a fantastic experience for our family,” Portantino said.
Though now a state senator, Portantino said he’s proud of the work he did in LCF as a City Council member. He helped the city adopt the Trails Master Plan, a guiding document that aimed to protect the paths, and appointed a committee that prepared LCF to apply for federal and state funding for sound walls.
The City Council’s efforts, Portantino added, were focused on improving the city — not on disputes between Democrats and Republicans.
“I think that’s one of the biggest things that makes me proud of my years, is that we were able to have … bipartisan comradery,” Portantino said. “The council wasn’t political. … We didn’t bring those national fights to the City Council.”
It’s not uncommon to see Portantino traveling through his constituent cities and Sacramento by bike — an activity Portantino said he picked up about a year and a half ago after undergoing bariatric surgery.
Five-mile bike rides soon turned into 30-mile treks, and now — after losing about 160 pounds — he says he rides every day.
In his last two years as a state legislator, Portantino said he will continue to emphasize public education, mental health resources, gun control and environmental protections. He proposed a bill that would provide state funding to schools based on average daily enrollment rather than attendance, and another bill that would help provide grants to high schools for student wellness centers.
Portantino has also sometimes broken with his fellow Democrats on a number of issues, especially regarding housing bills. In 2019, he stopped a bill that would have boosted housing around transit centers and jobs-rich areas, but reduced the amount of control cities have over development.
Portantino said he will often go see his friends and neighbors — and his other constituents — in LCF, but that he and his wife are excited to call Burbank home. And even after his time as a state legislator is over, he hopes to remain involved with community service across his service area.
“They’re really small towns, and I think that’s what I love about my district,” he added. “It’s just been an honor to represent communities, get to know communities, and at the end of the day, I’m just a dad who lives down the street, and that’s sort of how I approach my job.”
