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Lower house of the California State Legislature From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
California State Assembly | |
|---|---|
| California State Legislature | |
| |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | 6 terms (12 years) |
| History | |
New session started | December 5, 2022 |
| Leadership | |
Speaker pro tempore | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 80 |
 | |
Political groups | Majority: Minority: Vacant: (1) |
Length of term | 2 years |
| Authority | Article 4, California Constitution |
| Salary | $114,877/year + $211 per diem |
| Elections | |
| Nonpartisan blanket primary | |
Last election | November 5, 2024 |
Next election | November 3, 2026 |
| 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 | |
| Rules | |
| Standing Rules of the Assembly | |
Neither house has been expanded since the ratification of the 1879 Constitution,[1] and each of the 80 members represent at least 465,000 people, more than any other state lower house,[citation needed] and second largest of any lower house in the United States after the federal House of Representatives.[citation needed]
Members of the California State Assembly are generally referred to using the titles Assemblyman, Assemblywoman, or Assemblymember. In the current legislative session, Democrats have a three-fourths supermajority of 60 seats, while Republicans control a minority of 19 seats.
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 Robert Rivas (29th–Hollister). The majority leader is Democrat Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (4th–Winters), while the minority leader is Republican James Gallagher (3rd–Yuba City).[2]
Members are allowed, by current term limits, to serve 12 years in the legislature in any combination of four-year State Senate or two-year State Assembly terms. However, members elected to the Legislature prior to 2012 are restricted to three two-year terms (six years). Few, if any, legislators remain from this era, though the restriction could affect future candidates running after a hiatus from office.
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.
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.
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 meet the criteria of the term limits described above. 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.[3]
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 transmission of legislation to the governor.[4]
The Assembly also employs the position of chaplain, a position that has existed in both houses since the first legislative session back in 1850. Currently, the chaplain of the Assembly is Imam Mohammad Yasir Khan, the first chaplain historically that practices Islam.
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.[5]
| ↓ | |
| 60 | 19 |
| Democratic | Republican |
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) |
Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Republican | Vacant | ||
| End of previous legislature | 62 | 17 | 80 | 1 |
| Begin | 60 | 19 | 80 | 1 |
| Latest voting share | 75% | 24% | ||
| Position | Name | Party | District | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speaker | Robert Rivas | Democratic | 29th–Hollister | |
| Speaker pro Tempore | Josh Lowenthal | Democratic | 69th–Long Beach | |
| Assistant Speaker pro Tempore | Celeste Rodriguez | Democratic | 43rd–San Fernando | |
| Majority Leader | Cecilia Aguiar-Curry | Democratic | 4th–Winters | |
| Assistant Majority Leader | Robert Garcia | Democratic | 50th–Rancho Cucamonga | |
| Assistant Majority Leader for Policy and Research |
LaShae Sharp-Collins | Democratic | 79th–San Diego | |
| Majority Whip | Mark Gonzalez | Democratic | 54th–Los Angeles | |
| Assistant Majority Whips | Jessica Caloza | Democratic | 52nd–Los Angeles | |
| Michelle Rodriguez | Democratic | 53rd–Pomona | ||
| Democratic Caucus Chair | Rick Chavez Zbur | Democratic | 51st–Los Angeles | |
| Republican Leader | James Gallagher | Republican | 3rd–Yuba City | |
| Republican Floor Leader | Heath Flora | Republican | 9th–Lodi | |
| Republican Caucus Chair | Tom Lackey | Republican | 34th–Palmdale | |
| Republican Deputy Floor Leader | Kate Sanchez | Republican | 71st–Trabuco Canyon | |
| Republican Deputy Leader (Fiscal) | Diane Dixon | Republican | 72nd–Newport Beach | |
| Republican Deputy Leader (Policy) | Joe Patterson | Republican | 5th–Rocklin | |
| Republican Deputy Leader (Operations) | Juan Alanis | Republican | 22nd–Modesto | |
| Republican Deputy Leader (External Relations) | Laurie Davies | Republican | 74th–Laguna Niguel | |
| Republican Chief Whip | Tri Ta | Republican | 70th–Westminster | |
| Republican Deputy Whips | Alexandra Macedo | Republican | 33rd–Tulare | |
| Heather Hadwick | Republican | 1st–Alturas | ||
| Chief Clerk | Sue Parker | |||
| Chief Sergeant-at-Arms | Cheryl R. Craft | |||
| Chaplain | Vacant | |||
The Chief Clerk, the Chief Sergeant-at-Arms, and the Chaplains are not members of the Legislature.
Current committees, chairs and vice chairs include:[7]
| Committee | Chair | Vice Chair |
|---|---|---|
| Aging and Long-Term Care | Jasmeet Bains (D) | James Gallagher (R) |
| Agriculture | Esmeralda Soria (D) | Juan Alanis (R) |
| Appropriations | Buffy Wicks (D) | Kate Sanchez (R) |
| Arts, Entertainment, Sports, & Tourism | Chris Ward (D) | Tom Lackey (R) |
| Banking and Finance | Avelino Valencia (D) | Phillip Chen (R) |
| Budget | Jesse Gabriel (D) | Heath Flora (R) |
| Business and Professions | Marc Berman (D) | Heath Flora (R) |
| Communications and Conveyance | Tasha Boerner (D) | Josh Hoover (R) |
| Economic Development, Growth, and Household Impact | Jose Solache (D) | Leticia Castillo (R) |
| Education | Al Muratsuchi (D) | Josh Hoover (R) |
| Elections | Gail Pellerin (D) | Bill Essayli (R) |
| Emergency Management | Rhodesia Ransom (D) | Heather Hadwick (R) |
| Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials | Damon Connolly (D) | Heather Hadwick (R) |
| Governmental Organization | Blanca Rubio (D) | Alexandra Macedo (R) |
| Health | Mia Bonta (D) | Joe Patterson (R) |
| Higher Education | Mike Fong (D) | Carl DeMaio (R) |
| Housing and Community Development | Matt Haney (D) | Joe Patterson (R) |
| Human Services | Alex Lee (D) | Leticia Castillo (R) |
| Insurance | Lisa Calderon (D) | David Tangipa (R) |
| Judiciary | Ash Kalra (D) | Diane Dixon (R) |
| Labor and Employment | Liz Ortega (D) | Heath Flora (R) |
| Local Government | Juan Carrillo (D) | Tri Ta (R) |
| Military and Veterans Affairs | Pilar Schiavo (D) | Laurie Davies (R) |
| Natural Resources | Isaac Bryan (D) | Alexandra Macedo (R) |
| Privacy and Consumer Protection | Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D) | Diane Dixon (R) |
| Public Employment and Retirement | Tina McKinnor (D) | Tom Lackey (R) |
| Public Safety | Nick Schultz (D) | Juan Alanis (R) |
| Revenue and Taxation | Mike Gipson (D) | Tri Ta (R) |
| Rules | Blanca Pacheco (D) | Tom Lackey (R) |
| Transportation | Lori Wilson (D) | Laurie Davies (R) |
| Utilities and Energy | Cottie Petrie-Norris (D) | Joe Patterson (R) |
| Water, Parks, and Wildlife | Diane Papan (D) | Jeff Gonzalez (R) |
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