| Bill Leonard | |
| Birth Date: | 29 October 1947 |
| Birth Place: | San Bernardino, California, US |
| Office: | California State Board of Equalization Board Member, 2nd District |
| Governor: | Gray Davis Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| Term Start: | January 6, 2003 |
| Term End: | March 10, 2010 |
| Preceded: | Dean Andal |
| Succeeded: | Barbara Alby |
| Office1: | Member of the California Senate |
| Constituency1: | 31st district |
| Term Start1: | December 7, 1992 |
| Term End1: | November 30, 1996 |
| Preceded1: | Frank Hill |
| Succeeded1: | Jim Brulte |
| Constituency2: | 25th district |
| Term Start2: | December 5, 1988 |
| Term End2: | November 30, 1992 |
| Preceded2: | H. L. Richardson |
| Succeeded2: | Teresa Patterson Hughes |
| Office3: | Minority Leader of the California Assembly |
| Term Start3: | June 17, 1997 |
| Term End3: | November 5, 1998 |
| Preceded3: | Curt Pringle |
| Succeeded3: | Rod Pacheco |
| Office4: | Member of the California State Assembly |
| Constituency4: | 63rd |
| Term Start4: | December 2, 1996 |
| Term End4: | November 30, 2002 |
| Preceded4: | Jim Brulte |
| Succeeded4: | Robert Dutton |
| Constituency5: | 61st district |
| Term Start5: | December 6, 1982 |
| Term End5: | November 30, 1988 |
| Preceded5: | Dick Mountjoy |
| Succeeded5: | Paul A. Woodruff |
| Constituency6: | 67th district |
| Term Start6: | December 4, 1978 |
| Term End6: | November 30, 1982 |
| Preceded6: | Jerry Lewis |
| Succeeded6: | John Lewis |
| Party: | Republican |
| Spouse: | Sherry Boldizsar |
| Children: | 3 |
| Education: | University of California, Irvine |
William R. Leonard (born October 29, 1947) is a Republican U.S. politician who served as a member of the California State Board of Equalization from 2002 until his resignation in March 2010.
After earning his B.A. in history from the University of California, Irvine, Leonard worked in real estate and property management.
Leonard served on the Board of Directors of the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District before being elected to the California State Assembly in 1978 on the coattails of Proposition 13.
In 1988, after serving five terms in the Assembly, he was elected to the California State Senate, representing an 11000sqmi district. During his time in the Senate, Leonard was the longest-serving Republican Caucus Chairman, holding the post from 1990 until term limits forced him to leave the Senate in 1996.
During his time in the Senate, Leonard wrote California's Leonard Law, the only law in the United States to extend First Amendment rights to students at private colleges and universities.
In 1996, by a margin of 63%–37%, voters returned Leonard to the Assembly, where he served as Republican Leader from 1997 to 1998. He was re-elected in 1998 with 72% of the vote and in 2000 with 58% of the vote in a three-way race.
After term limits forced Leonard to leave the Assembly in 2002, he won election to represent the Second District on the five-member State Board of Equalization with 59% of the vote. He was re-elected in 2006 with 55.8% of the vote.
Leonard resigned from the State Board of Equalization in March 2010 in order to join Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration.[1]