The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. It consists of 80 members, with each member representing at least 465,000 people. Due to the state's large population and relatively small legislature, the State 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. 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.
Members of the assembly are generally referred to using the titles assemblyman (for men), assemblywoman (for women), or assemblymember (for all genders).
The State Assembly convenes at the California State Capitol in Sacramento.
In the current session, the Democrats control 54 seats, forming a supermajority of the chamber. Republicans control 25 seats. There is 1 vacant 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 elected by the majority party caucus, followed by confirmation of 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 (63rdâ€"Paramount). The majority leader is Democrat Ian Calderon (57thâ€"Whittier), while the minority leader is Republican Chad Mayes (42ndâ€"Yucca Valley).
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.
Employees
The Chief Clerk, the Sergeant-at-Arms, and the Chaplain are not members of the Legislature. The Sergeant-at-Arms protects the members of the California State Assembly. This position has existed since December 15, 1849, when Samuel N. Houston became the Assembly's first Sergeant-at-Arms.
Current session
Composition
Officers
The Chief Clerk, the acting Chief Sergeant-at-Arms, and the Chaplains are not members of the Legislature.
Seating chart
Committees
Current committees include:
Standing
- Assembly Committee on Accountability and Administrative review
- Assembly Committee on Aging And Long-Term Care
- Assembly Committee on Agriculture
- Assembly Committee on Appropriations
- Assembly Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media
- Assembly Committee on Banking and Finance
- Assembly Committee on Budget
- Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 1 on Health and Human Services
- Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Education Finance
- Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 3 on Resources and Transportation
- Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on State Administration
- Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on Public Safety
- Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 6 on Budget Process Oversight and Program Evaluation
- Assembly Committee on Business, Professions and Consumer Protection
- Assembly Committee on Communications and Conveyance
- Assembly Committee on Education
- Assembly Committee on Elections and Redistricting
- Assembly Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials
- Assembly Committee on Governmental Organization
- Assembly Committee on Health
- Assembly Committee on Higher Education
- Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development
- Assembly Committee on Human Services
- Assembly Committee on Insurance
- Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy
- Assembly Committee on Judiciary
- Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment
- Assembly Committee on Local Government
- Assembly Committee on Natural Resources
- Assembly Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection
- Assembly Committee on Public Employees, Retirement and Social Security
- Assembly Committee on Public Safety
- Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation
- Assembly Committee on Rules
- Assembly Committee on Transportation
- Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce
- Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs
- Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife
Joint
- Joint Committee on Arts
- Joint Committee on Fairs, Allocation and Classification
- Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture
- Joint Committee on Legislative Audit
- Joint Committee on Rules
- Joint Legislative Budget
- Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management
- Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies
Recent sessions
- California State Legislature, 1997â€"98 session
- California State Legislature, 1999â€"2000 session
- California State Legislature, 2001â€"02 session
- California State Legislature, 2003â€"04 session
- California State Legislature, 2005â€"06 session
- California State Legislature, 2007â€"08 session
- California State Legislature, 2009â€"10 session
- California State Legislature, 2011â€"12 session
- California State Legislature, 2013â€"14 session
- California State Legislature, 2015â€"16 session
- California State Legislature, 2017â€"18 session
See also
- Bill (proposed law)
- California State Assembly districts
- California State Assembly election, 2012
- California State Assembly election, 2014
- California State Assembly election, 2016
- 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
External links
- Official website of the California State Assembly
- Democratic Caucus
- Republican Caucus
- Sergeant-at-Arms
- Map of the state assembly districts
- California legislative district maps from 1849 to the present
- California State Assembly at Ballotpedia