Al Muratsuchi

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Al Muratsuchi
Muratsuchi headshot.jpg
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 66th district
Assumed office
December 5, 2016
Preceded byDavid Hadley
In office
December 3, 2012 – November 30, 2014
Preceded byKevin Jeffries
Succeeded byDavid Hadley
Personal details
Born (1966-09-04) September 4, 1966 (age 55)
Okinawa Prefecture, Japan
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Hiroko Higuchi
Children1
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley (BA)
University of California, Los Angeles (JD)
ProfessionAttorney
Prosecutor
Websitewww.alforassembly.com

Albert Yasuro Muratsuchi (born September 4, 1964) is an American politician serving the California State Assembly. A Democrat, he represents the 66th Assembly District, encompassing parts of the South Bay region of Los Angeles.

Prior to his service in the Assembly, he was a deputy California Attorney General, trustee for the Torrance Unified School District, and trustee for the Southern California Regional Occupation Center. First elected to the Assembly in 2012 to represent the 66th Assembly District, Muratsuchi was narrowly defeated in his 2014 bid for reelection by Republican David Hadley in a major upset . In a 2016 rematch with Hadley, he reclaimed his old Assembly seat. In 2018, he was reelected by a decisive margin over former Torrance Mayor Frank A. Scotto. In 2020, he was reelected by a wide margin over conservative blogger Arthur C. Schaper.

Personal life[]

Muratsuchi was born on September 4, 1964, and grew up on U.S. military bases in Okinawa, Japan. His father, a 2nd-generation Japanese American, was a civilian employee of the United States Army, and his mother came from Gifu Prefecture.[1] Due to his father's job he was raised on various military bases overseas.[2] He attended the University of California, Berkeley and UCLA School of Law.[2][1]

Career[]

Muratsuchi was a prosecutor in the California Department of Justice and served as a Deputy Attorney General.[3] He also served as the regional director of the Japanese American Citizens League Pacific Southwest District.[2]

Political career[]

Legislative committee assignments[]

Chairman of the Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies, Chairman of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance, and Chairman of the Assembly Select Committee on Aerospace. Member of: Assembly Committee on Natural Resources, Assembly Judiciary Committee, Assembly Budget Committee, and Veterans Affairs.

Appointments to Board and Commission: California Coastal Conservancy, Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission, Governor Brown's Military Council, Inter-agency Veterans Council.

Environment[]

In 2020, Muratsuchi introduced AB-345, which would have required a minimum setback distance of 2,500 between oil wells and public areas where children are present and public notices of potential consequences to local communities. He has said that there was strong opposition from oil and gas industry trade unions, whom the Los Angeles Times has noted are major supporters of Democratic candidates. The bill failed in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee in a 5–4 decision. State Senator Robert Hertzberg, who made the pivotal vote, said that he opposed the bill because Governor Gavin Newsom has already signed a bill in 2019 with similar intentions of setting up buffer zones. However, Muratsuchi has noted that Newsom has not made a definite commitment to do so.[4]

Election results[]

2012[]

See also: 2012 California State Assembly election
California State Assembly election, 2012
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Al Muratsuchi 27,360 40.5
Republican Craig Huey 26,298 38.9
Republican Nathan Mintz 13,914 20.6
Total votes 67,572 100.0
General election
Democratic Al Muratsuchi 102,136 54.8
Republican Craig Huey 84,372 45.2
Total votes 186,508 100.0
Democratic gain from Republican

2014[]

See also: 2014 California State Assembly elections
California's 66th State Assembly district election, 2014
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican David Hadley 30,996 50.5
Democratic Al Muratsuchi (incumbent) 30,439 49.5
Total votes 61,435 100.0
General election
Republican David Hadley 54,401 50.3
Democratic Al Muratsuchi (incumbent) 53,695 49.7
Total votes 108,096 100.0
Republican gain from Democratic

2016[]

See also: 2016 California State Assembly election
California's 66th State Assembly district election, 2016
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Al Muratsuchi 53,295 48.7
Republican David Hadley (incumbent) 48,755 44.6
Democratic Mike Madrigal 7,307 6.7
Total votes 109,357 100.0
General election
Democratic Al Muratuschi 105,336 54.1
Republican David Hadley (incumbent) 89,308 45.9
Total votes 194,644 100.0
Democratic gain from Republican

2018[]

See also: 2018 California State Assembly election
California's 66th State Assembly district election, 2018
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Al Muratsuchi (incumbent) 47,976 50.9
Republican Frank A. Scotto 40,727 43.2
Democratic Caney Arnold 5,612 6.0
Total votes 88,703 100.0
General election
Democratic Al Muratsuchi (incumbent) 108,627 60.5
Republican Frank A. Scotto 71,057 39.5
Total votes 179,684 100.0
Democratic hold

2020[]

2020 California's 66th State Assembly district election
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Al Muratsuchi (incumbent) 56,546 64.3%
Republican Arthur C. Schaper 31,391 35.7%
Total votes 87,937 100%

References[]

  1. ^ a b 【キラリ大地で】アメリカ　アル・ムラツチ氏　那覇生まれ「心の古里」. Ryūkyū Shimpō (in Japanese). 2015-11-23. Archived from the original on 2015-12-03. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  2. ^ a b c "Obama endorses Muratsuchi in 66th Assembly District race". nichibei.org. November 3, 2016.
  3. ^ "Muratsuchi Retakes 66th Assembly District Seat". Rafu Shimpo. November 15, 2016.
  4. ^ Willon, Phil (August 13, 2020). "California oil production limits stall in Legislature, leaving the issue to Newsom". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-10-19.

External links[]

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