Retired Senator Melissa Melendez (R-Lake Elsinore) reflects on the future in her new role as president of Golden State Policy Council, a conservative think tank aimed at putting academic research to legislative use.
Her new role keeps her in the midst of California politics in hopes of giving Republicans a stronger platform, according to KUSI NEWS, although no longer as a senator representing California’s 28th Senate District.
Melendez, who retired from the Senate early this month, shed some light on her leadership post and what it may mean for California during a recent interview.
"The Golden State Policy Council (GSPC) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, non-partisan research institute. Our mission is to defend liberty by promoting free enterprise, personal responsibility and limited government in California by educating and affecting policymakers and the California public policy debate with academically sound research and outreach," Melendez said.
On its website, the GSPC describes itself as a “do” tank, putting ideas into real-life practice by educating legislators regardless of party affiliation with policy research, testifying before legislative committees and leading the public debate toward effective, free-market solutions to many issues facing the “Golden State”.
Melendez went on to explain how GSPC's funding policy is designed to protect the think tank from bias.
The council refuses to "accept government funds or contributions to influence the outcomes of our research", instead relying on funds from individuals, foundations and corporations, she said. The goal, according to the website, is not to deepen the political divide at a time when Coachella Valley residents are suffering from the high cost of living and the impacts of Sacramento regulations, but to find practical solutions to improve life for all Californians.
The people of Coachella Valley will specifically benefit, she said, from her leadership in GSPC.
"Our goal is to build and maintain trusted, respectful relationships with community members, partners, local coalitions, elected officials and other decision-makers that share our strategic priorities to improve the affordability and quality of life for all Californians, especially those residing in the Coachella Valley," Melendez said.
The success of GSPC's model, the Texas Public Policy Foundation, has fed high hopes for its future.
In the interview, Melendez said, "While there are many free-market think tanks across the country at a national and state level, we are modeled after the Texas Public Policy Foundation, located in Austin, Texas. Like GSPC, they started off small, and have grown into a powerful organization that has effected remarkable change, specifically in the areas of public safety and energy issues."
Melendez represented California’s 67th Assembly District from 2012 to May 2020 and then was elected to represent California’s 28th Senate District in May 2020, according to her biography. She is a veteran of the U.S. Navy, where she served her country for 10 years and became fluent in Russian. She was one of the first women approved to fly aboard an EP-3 reconnaissance aircraft overseas. Melendez now lives in Lake Elsinore with her husband Nico, a fellow Navy veteran, and their five children.