Trivia

Unsold pilot: Starred in a sitcom pilot for a series called "Zelda", based on her character from the hit TV series Dobie Gillis (1959). The project was dropped when rumors began to circulate that she was a lesbian. When she was passed over for a promotion in favor of a man with less experience she began to see major obstacles for women in the job market. She went back to school, received a law degree from the Harvard Law School and became an advocate for equal rights as an attorney specializing in feminist causes before being elected to the California State Assembly in 1994. (1962)

Completed two four-year terms in the California State Senate, winning her seat in 2000 and again in 2004 after serving for 6 years in the State Assembly where she was the first openly-gay or lesbian person to be elected to the California Legislature. (2009)

Reelected to the California State Senate by a landslide victory (November 2004)

The cartoon character of 'Velma Dinkley' in various "Scooby-Doo" incarnations was modeled after Kuehl's Dobie Gillis (1959) character Zelda Gilroy.

Elder sister of actress Jeri Lou James; their parents were Arthur Kuehl, a Catholic who was an airplane construction worker at Douglas Aircraft, and Lillian (Krasner) Kuehl, who was Jewish.

She has filed a "Statement of Intention" to run for California Secretary of State in 2010. (January 2007)

Termed out of the State Senate, she was appointed to the California Integrated Waste Management Board, overseeing California's recycling laws. (December 2008)

With the death of Dwayne Hickman on January 9, 2022, she, Darryl Hickman, and Tuesday Weld are the only living cast members of "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" (1959).

Elected to the California State Senate for a four-year term. (November 2000)

Ms. Kuehl is a member of the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors (for District 3).

In 1957 -1959 she was a student at UCLA later returning to a staff position.