California State Assembly
California State Assembly | |
|---|---|
| California State Legislature | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | of the California State Legislature |
Term limits | Elected before 2012: 3 terms (6 years) Elected 2012 and after: 6 terms (12 years) |
| History | |
New session started | December 7, 2020 |
| Leadership | |
Speaker | |
Speaker pro Tempore | |
Majority Leader | |
Minority Leader | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 80 |
 | |
Political groups | Majority
Democratic (59)
Minority Republican (19)
Independent (1)
Vacant (1) |
Length of term | 2 years |
| Authority | Article 4, California Constitution |
| Salary | $114,877/year + per diem |
| Elections | |
Voting system | Nonpartisan blanket primary |
Last election | November 3, 2020 |
Next election | November 8, 2022 |
| Redistricting | California Citizens Redistricting Commission |
| Motto | |
| Legislatorum est justas leges condere ("It is the duty of legislators to enact just laws.") | |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| State Assembly Chamber California State Capitol Sacramento, California | |
| Website | |
| California State Assembly | |
Coordinates: 38°34′35″N 121°29′36″W / 38.57639°N 121.49333°W The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento.
The Assembly consists of 80 members, with each member representing at least 465,000 people. Due to a combination of the state's large population and a legislature that has not been expanded since the ratification of the 1879 Constitution,[1] the Assembly has the largest population-per-representative ratio of any state lower house and second largest of any legislative lower house in the United States after the federal House of Representatives.
Members of the California State Assembly are generally referred to using the titles Assemblyman (for men), Assemblywoman (for women), or Assemblymember (gender-neutral). In the current legislative session, Democrats enjoy a three-fourths supermajority of 58 seats, while Republicans control a minority of 19 seats and Independents hold 1 seat.
Leadership[]
The Speaker presides over the State Assembly in the chief leadership position, controlling the flow of legislation and committee assignments. The Speaker is nominated by the caucus of the majority party and elected by the full Assembly. Other leaders, such as the majority and minority leaders, are elected by their respective party caucuses according to each party's strength in the chamber.
The current Speaker is Democrat Anthony Rendon (63rd–Lakewood). The majority leader is Democrat Eloise Reyes (47th–Grand Terrace), while the minority leader is Republican Marie Waldron (75th–Escondido).[2]
Terms of office[]
As a result of Proposition 140 in 1990 and Proposition 28 in 2012, members elected to the Legislature prior to 2012 are restricted by term limits to three two-year terms (six years), while those elected in or after 2012 are allowed to serve 12 years in the legislature in any combination of four-year State Senate or two-year State Assembly terms.[3]
Every two years, all 80 seats in the Assembly are subject to election. This is in contrast to the State Senate, in which only half of its 40 seats are subject to election every two years.
Meeting chamber[]
The chamber's green tones are based on the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The dais rests along a wall shaped like an "E", with its central projection housing the rostrum. Along the cornice appears a portrait of Abraham Lincoln and a Latin quotation: legislatorum est justas leges condere ("It is the duty of legislators to pass just laws"). Almost every decorating element is identical to the Senate Chamber.
Candidate qualifications[]
To run for the Assembly, a candidate must be a United States citizen and a registered voter in the district at the time nomination papers are issued, and may not have served three terms in the State Assembly since November 6, 1990. According to Article 4, Section 2(c) of the California Constitution, the candidate must have one year of residency in the legislative district and California residency for three years.[4]
Employees[]
The chief clerk of the Assembly, a position that has existed since the Assembly's creation, is responsible for many administrative duties. The chief clerk is the custodian of all Assembly bills and records and publishes the Assembly Daily Journal, the minutes of floor sessions, as well as the Assembly Daily File (the Assembly agenda). The chief clerk is the Assembly's parliamentarian, and in this capacity gives advice to the presiding officer on matters of parliamentary procedure. The chief clerk is also responsible for engrossing and enrolling of measures, and the transmitting passed legislation to the governor.[5]
Since 2016, the chaplain and the alternate chaplain of the Assembly have been Revs. Patti Oshita and Bob Oshita, married couple and both Jodo Shinshu Buddhist spiritual leaders. The chaplain from 2003 to 2016 was Father Constantine Pappademos, a Greek Orthodox priest.[6]
The position of sergeant-at-arms of the Assembly has existed since 1849; Samuel N. Houston was the first to hold this post, overseeing one deputy. The sergeant-at-arms is mostly tasked with law enforcement duties, but customarily also has a ceremonial and protocol role. Today, some fifty employees are part of the Assembly Sergeant-at-Arms Office.[7]
Current session[]
Composition[]
| ||
| 59 | 1 | 19 |
| Democratic | Ind | Republican |
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)
|
Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Republican | Independent | Vacant | ||
| End of previous legislature | 61 | 17 | 1 | 79 | 1 |
| Begin | 60 | 19 | 1 | 80 | 0 |
| Jan. 29, 2021 | 59 | 19 | 1 | 79 | 1 |
| Mar. 11, 2021 | 58 | 19 | 1 | 78 | 2 |
| Apr. 19, 2021 | 59 | 19 | 1 | 79 | 1 |
| Apr. 23, 2021 | 58 | 19 | 1 | 78 | 2 |
| May 28, 2021 | 59 | 19 | 1 | 79 | 1 |
| Latest voting share | 74% | 24% | 1% | ||
Past composition of the Assembly[]
Officers[]
| Position | Name | Party | District | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speaker | Anthony Rendon | Democratic | 63rd–Lakewood | |
| Speaker pro tempore | Kevin Mullin | Democratic | 22nd–South San Francisco | |
| Assistant speaker pro tempore | Rebecca Bauer-Kahan | Democratic | 16th–Orinda | |
| Majority leader | Eloise Reyes | Democratic | 47th–Grand Terrace | |
| Assistant majority leader | Al Muratsuchi | Democratic | 66th–Rolling Hills Estates | |
| Majority whip | Jesse Gabriel | Democratic | 45th–Encino | |
| Assistant majority whips | Tasha Boerner Horvath | Democratic | 76th–Encinitas | |
| Chris Ward | Democratic | 78th–San Diego | ||
| Democratic caucus chair | Mike Gipson | Democratic | 64th–Carson | |
| Republican leader | Marie Waldron | Republican | 75th–Escondido | |
| Republican floor leader | Heath Flora | Republican | 12th–Ripon | |
| Republican caucus chair | Jay Obernolte | Republican | 33rd–Big Bear Lake | |
| Republican chief whip | Phillip Chen | Republican | 55th–Yorba Linda | |
| Republican whip | Devon Mathis | Republican | 26th–Visalia | |
| Acting Chief Clerk | Sue Parker | |||
| Acting Chief Sergeant-at-Arms | Alisa Buckley | |||
| Chaplain | Reverend Patti Oshita (Buddhist Churches of America) | |||
The Chief Clerk, the acting Chief Sergeant-at-Arms, and the Chaplains are not members of the Legislature.
Members[]
| District | Name | Party | Residence | First elected | Term limited | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Megan Dahle | Republican | Bieber | 2019† | 2030 | ||
| 2 | Jim Wood | Democratic | Santa Rosa | 2014 | 2026 | ||
| 3 | James Gallagher | Republican | Yuba City | 2014 | 2026 | ||
| 4 | Cecilia Aguiar-Curry | Democratic | Winters | 2016 | 2028 | ||
| 5 | Frank Bigelow | Republican | O'Neals | 2012 | 2024 | ||
| 6 | Kevin Kiley | Republican | Rocklin | 2016 | 2028 | ||
| 7 | Kevin McCarty | Democratic | Sacramento | 2014 | 2026 | ||
| 8 | Ken Cooley | Democratic | Rancho Cordova | 2012 | 2024 | ||
| 9 | Jim Cooper | Democratic | Elk Grove | 2014 | 2026 | ||
| 10 | Marc Levine | Democratic | Greenbrae | 2012 | 2024 | ||
| 11 | Jim Frazier | Democratic | Discovery Bay | 2012 | 2024 | ||
| 12 | Heath Flora | Republican | Ripon | 2016 | 2028 | ||
| 13 | Carlos Villapudua | Democratic | Stockton | 2020 | 2032 | ||
| 14 | Tim Grayson | Democratic | Concord | 2016 | 2028 | ||
| 15 | Buffy Wicks | Democratic | Oakland | 2018 | 2030 | ||
| 16 | Rebecca Bauer-Kahan | Democratic | Orinda | 2018 | 2030 | ||
| 17 | David Chiu | Democratic | San Francisco | 2014 | 2026 | ||
| 18 | Vacant | ||||||
| 19 | Phil Ting | Democratic | San Francisco | 2012 | 2024 | ||
| 20 | Bill Quirk | Democratic | Hayward | 2012 | 2024 | ||
| 21 | Adam Gray | Democratic | Merced | 2012 | 2024 | ||
| 22 | Kevin Mullin | Democratic | South San Francisco | 2012 | 2024 | ||
| 23 | Jim Patterson | Republican | Fresno | 2012 | 2024 | ||
| 24 | Marc Berman | Democratic | Palo Alto | 2016 | 2028 | ||
| 25 | Alex Lee | Democratic | San Jose | 2020 | 2032 | ||
| 26 | Devon Mathis | Republican | Visalia | 2014 | 2026 | ||
| 27 | Ash Kalra | Democratic | San Jose | 2016 | 2028 | ||
| 28 | Evan Low | Democratic | Campbell | 2014 | 2026 | ||
| 29 | Mark Stone | Democratic | Scotts Valley | 2012 | 2024 | ||
| 30 | Robert Rivas | Democratic | Hollister | 2018 | 2030 | ||
| 31 | Joaquin Arambula | Democratic | Fresno | 2016
|
2028 | ||
| 32 | Rudy Salas | Democratic | Bakersfield | 2012 | 2024 | ||
| 33 | Thurston Smith | Republican | Hesperia | 2020 | 2032 | ||
| 34 | Vince Fong | Republican | Bakersfield | 2016 | 2028 | ||
| 35 | Jordan Cunningham | Republican | Paso Robles | 2016 | 2028 | ||
| 36 | Tom Lackey | Republican | Palmdale | 2014 | 2026 | ||
| 37 | Steve Bennett | Democratic | Ojai | 2020 | 2032 | ||
| 38 | Suzette Martinez Valladares | Republican | Santa Clarita | 2020 | 2032 | ||
| 39 | Luz Rivas | Democratic | North Hollywood | 2018
|
2030 | ||
| 40 | James Ramos | Democratic | Highland | 2018 | 2030 | ||
| 41 | Chris Holden | Democratic | Pasadena | 2012 | 2024 | ||
| 42 | Chad Mayes | Independent | Yucca Valley | 2014 | 2026 | Changed party affiliation on December 6, 2019[8] | |
| 43 | Laura Friedman | Democratic | Glendale | 2016 | 2028 | ||
| 44 | Jacqui Irwin | Democratic | Thousand Oaks | 2014 | 2026 | ||
| 45 | Jesse Gabriel | Democratic | Encino | 2018
|
2030 | ||
| 46 | Adrin Nazarian | Democratic | Sherman Oaks | 2012 | 2024 | ||
| 47 | Eloise Reyes | Democratic | Grand Terrace | 2016 | 2028 | Majority Leader | |
| 48 | Blanca Rubio | Democratic | Baldwin Park | 2016 | 2028 | ||
| 49 | Ed Chau | Democratic | Arcadia | 2012 | 2024 | ||
| 50 | Richard Bloom | Democratic | Santa Monica | 2012 | 2024 | ||
| 51 | Wendy Carrillo | Democratic | Boyle Heights | 2017
|
2030 | ||
| 52 | Freddie Rodriguez | Democratic | Pomona | 2013
|
2024 | ||
| 53 | Miguel Santiago | Democratic | Los Angeles | 2014 | 2026 | ||
| 54 | Isaac Bryan | Democratic | Los Angeles | 2021
|
2032 | ||
| 55 | Phillip Chen | Republican | Yorba Linda | 2016 | 2028 | ||
| 56 | Eduardo Garcia | Democratic | Coachella | 2014 | 2026 | ||
| 57 | Lisa Calderon | Democratic | Whittier | 2020 | 2032 | ||
| 58 | Cristina Garcia | Democratic | Bell Gardens | 2012 | 2024 | ||
| 59 | Reggie Jones-Sawyer | Democratic | Los Angeles | 2012 | 2024 | ||
| 60 | Sabrina Cervantes | Democratic | Riverside | 2016 | 2028 | ||
| 61 | Jose Medina | Democratic | Riverside | 2012 | 2024 | ||
| 62 | Autumn Burke | Democratic | Marina del Rey | 2014 | 2026 | ||
| 63 | Anthony Rendon | Democratic | Lakewood | 2012 | 2024 | Speaker | |
| 64 | Mike Gipson | Democratic | Carson | 2014 | 2026 | ||
| 65 | Sharon Quirk-Silva | Democratic | Fullerton | 2016 | 2026 | Previously served from 2012 to 2014. | |
| 66 | Al Muratsuchi | Democratic | Rolling Hills Estates | 2016 | 2026 | Previously served from 2012 to 2014. | |
| 67 | Kelly Seyarto | Republican | Murrieta | 2020 | 2032 | ||
| 68 | Steven Choi | Republican | Irvine | 2016 | 2028 | ||
| 69 | Tom Daly | Democratic | Anaheim | 2012 | 2024 | ||
| 70 | Patrick O'Donnell | Democratic | Long Beach | 2014 | 2026 | ||
| 71 | Randy Voepel | Republican | Santee | 2016 | 2028 | ||
| 72 | Janet Nguyen | Republican | Garden Grove | 2020 | 2028 | Previously served in the Senate from 2014 to 2018 | |
| 73 | Laurie Davies | Republican | Laguna Niguel | 2020 | 2032 | ||
| 74 | Cottie Petrie-Norris | Democratic | Laguna Beach | 2018 | 2030 | ||
| 75 | Marie Waldron | Republican | Escondido | 2012 | 2024 | Minority Leader | |
| 76 | Tasha Boerner Horvath | Democratic | Encinitas | 2018 | 2030 | ||
| 77 | Brian Maienschein | Democratic | San Diego | 2012 | 2024 | Changed party affiliation on January 24, 2019[9][10] | |
| 78 | Chris Ward | Democratic | San Diego | 2020 | 2032 | ||
| 79 | Akilah Weber | Democratic | La Mesa | 2021
|
2032 | ||
| 80 | Lorena Gonzalez | Democratic | San Diego | 2013
|
2024 | ||
elected in a special election
Seating chart[]
| Speaker Rendon | ||||||||||||||||
| Vacant | Voepel | Valladares | Lackey | Davies | Waldron | Reyes | Bauer-Kahan | Calderon | Holden | Petrie-Norris | Irwin | |||||
| Dahle | Bigelow | Cooper | Smith | Flora | Wicks | Gipson | Bloom | Lee | Nazarian | Levine | ||||||
| Chen | Cunningham | Patterson | Gallagher | Grayson | Daly | Ting | Gray | Maienschein | McCarty | Seyarto | Nguyen | |||||
| Kiley | Fong | Wood | Cooley | Quirk-Silva | L. Rivas | Friedman | Bennett | Low | Burke | Choi | Mathis | |||||
| Medina | Rodriguez | Frazier | Jones-Sawyer | R. Rivas | Kalra | Weber | Bryan | Muratsuchi | Chiu | Nazarian | Levine | |||||
| Gonzalez | Boerner Horvath | Quirk | Bauer-Kahan | O'Donnell | Friedman | Aguiar-Curry | Eggman | Cervantes | Salas | Arambula | Ramos | |||||
| Berman | Gabriel | E. Garcia | Rendon | Mullin | Gloria | Mayes | Stone | |||||||||
Committees[]
Current committees, chairs and vice chairs include:[11]
| Committee | Chair | Vice Chair |
|---|---|---|
| Accountability and Administrative Review | Cottie Petrie-Norris (D) | Jim Patterson (R) |
| Aging and Long-Term Care | Adrin Nazarian (D) | Randy Voepel (R) |
| Agriculture | Robert Rivas (D) | Devon Mathis (R) |
| Appropriations | Lorena Gonzalez (D) | Frank Bigelow (R) |
| Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, & Internet Media | Sharon Quirk-Silva (D) | Suzette Martinez Valladares (R) |
| Banking and Finance | Tim Grayson (D) | Phillip Chen (R) |
| Budget | Phil Ting (D) | Vince Fong (R) |
| Business and Professions | Evan Low (D) | Heath Flora (R) |
| Communications and Conveyance | Miguel Santiago (D) | Jim Patterson (R) |
| Education | Patrick O'Donnell (D) | Kevin Kiley (R) |
| Elections | Marc Berman (D) | Kelly Seyarto (R) |
| Emergency Management | Freddie Rodriguez (D) | Kelly Seyarto (R) |
| Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials | Bill Quirk (D) | Thurston Smith (R) |
| Governmental Organization | Jim Frazier (D) | Frank Bigelow (R) |
| Health | Jim Wood (D) | Frank Bigelow (R) |
| Higher Education | Jose Medina (D) | Steven Choi (R) |
| Housing and Community Development | David Chiu (D) | Kelly Seyarto (R) |
| Human Services | Lisa Calderon (D) | Laurie Davies (R) |
| Insurance | Tom Daly (D) | Chad Mayes (I) |
| Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy | Sabrina Cervantes (D) | Jordan Cunningham (R) |
| Judiciary | Mark Stone (D) | James Gallagher (R) |
| Labor and Employment | Ash Kalra (D) | Heath Flora (R) |
| Local Government | Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D) | Tom Lackey (R) |
| Military and Veterans Affairs | Jacqui Irwin (D) | Randy Voepel (R) |
| Natural Resources | Luz Rivas (D) | Heath Flora (R) |
| Privacy and Consumer Protection | Jesse Gabriel (D) | Kevin Kiley (R) |
| Public Employment and Retirement | Jim Cooper (D) | Randy Voepel (R) |
| Public Safety | Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D) | Tom Lackey (R) |
| Revenue and Taxation | Autumn Burke (D) | Janet Nguyen (R) |
| Rules | Ken Cooley (D) | Jordan Cunningham (R) |
| Transportation | Laura Friedman (D) | Vince Fong (R) |
| Utilities and Energy | Chris Holden (D) | Jim Patterson (R) |
| Water, Parks, and Wildlife | Eduardo Garcia (D) | Megan Dahle (R) |
Recent sessions[]
- California State Legislature, 1997–98 session
- California State Legislature, 1999–2000 session
- California State Legislature, 2001–02 session
- California State Legislature, 2003–04 session
- California State Legislature, 2005–06 session
- California State Legislature, 2007–08 session
- California State Legislature, 2009–10 session
- California State Legislature, 2011–12 session
- California State Legislature, 2013–14 session
- California State Legislature, 2015–16 session
- California State Legislature, 2017–18 session
- California State Legislature, 2019–20 session
See also[]
- Bill (proposed law)
- California State Assembly districts
- 2018 California State Assembly election
- California State Capitol
- California State Capitol Museum
- California State Legislature
- California State Senate
- Districts in California
- List of speakers of the California State Assembly
- Members of the California State Legislature
References[]
- ^ "California Constitution of 1879, prior to any amendments" (PDF). California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- ^ "Officers of the California State Assembly | Assembly Internet". assembly.ca.gov. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
- ^ "California Constitution Article IV; Legislative". California Office of Legislative Counsel. Archived from the original on February 23, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
- ^ "California Constitution Article IV § 2". California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
- ^ About Us, Office of the Chief Clerk, California State Assembly.
- ^ Melanie Mason, Buddhist reverend is newest chaplain for California Assembly, Los Angeles Times (December 20, 2016).
- ^ History Archived June 16, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, Sergeant-at-Arms Office, California State Assembly.
- ^ "Inland Assemblyman Chad Mayes leaves GOP, will seek re-election as independent". Press Enterprise. December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ "California Republican Party gets even smaller: A GOP lawmaker defects to the Democrats". The Sacramento Bee. January 24, 2019.
- ^ "Assemblyman Brian Maienschein Switches Parties, From Republican to Democrat". KNSD (NBC San Diego). January 24, 2019.
- ^ "Committees". August 28, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
External links[]
- Official website of the California State Assembly
- Interactive map of the state assembly districts
- California legislative district maps from 1849 to the present
- California State Assembly at Ballotpedia
| show Members of the California State Assembly |
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| show Authority control  |
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- 1849 establishments in California
- California State Legislature
- State lower houses in the United States