California State Senate

Coordinates: 38°34′36″N 121°29′37″W / 38.57667°N 121.49361°W / 38.57667; -121.49361

California State Senate
California State Legislature

Type
Type	Upper house of the California State Legislature
Term limits	Elected before 2012: 2 terms (8 years) Elected 2012 and after: 3 terms (12 years)
History
New session started	December 1, 2014
Leadership
President of the Senate	Gavin Newsom (D) Since January 10, 2011
President pro tempore	Kevin de León (D) Since October 15, 2014
Majority Leader	Bill Monning (D) Since December 17, 2014
Minority Leader	Jean Fuller (R) Since August 27, 2015
Structure
Seats	40

Political groups	Democratic (26) Republican (14)
Length of term	4 years
Authority	Article 4, California Constitution
Salary	$95,291/year + per diem
Elections
Last election	November 6, 2014
Next election	November 8, 2016
Redistricting	California Citizens Redistricting Commission
Motto
Senatoris est civitatis libertatem tueri ("It is a senator's duty to protect the liberty of the people.")
Meeting place

State Senate Chamber California State Capitol Sacramento, California
Website
www.sen.ca.gov

The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. The legislative body consists of 40 members, with each member representing approximately 931,000 people. Due to the state's large population and relatively small legislature, the State Senate has the largest population per representative ratio of any state legislative house. In the United States House of Representatives, California is apportioned 53 representatives, each representing approximately 704,566 people,^[1] while in the State Senate, each of the 40 Senators represents approximately 931,349 people,^[2] with the result that California state senators each actually represent more voters than California's representatives to the United States Congress do. 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 two four-year terms (eight 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]

The State Senate convenes at the California State Capitol in Sacramento.

History

Prior to 1968, state senate districts were drawn so that each county had at most one state senator. This led to the situation of a populous county such as Los Angeles County being accorded the same number of state senators (1) as less populous counties such as Humboldt County. In Reynolds v. Sims, the United States Supreme Court compelled all states to draw up districts with equal population. As such, boundaries were changed to provide more equitable representation.

Leadership

The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote. The President pro tem is elected by the majority party caucus, followed by confirmation of the full senate. 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 president pro tem is Democrat Kevin de León (22nd–Los Angeles). The minority leader is Republican Jean Fuller (16th–Bakersfield).

Meeting chamber

The red tones of the California State Senate Chamber are based on the British House of Lords, which is outfitted in a similar color. The dais rests along a wall shaped like an "E", with its central projection housing the rostrum. Along the cornice appears a portrait of George Washington and the Latin quotation: senatoris est civitatis libertatem tueri ("It is a senator's duty to protect the liberty of the people"). Almost every decorating element is identical to the Assembly Chamber.

Officers

Position		Name	Party	District
	President of the Senate	Gavin Newsom	Democratic
	President pro tempore	Kevin de León	Democratic	24th–Los Angeles
	Majority leader	Bill Monning	Democratic	17th–Carmel
	Majority whip	Lois Wolk	Democratic	3rd–Davis
	Majority caucus chair	Connie Leyva	Democratic	20th–Chino
	Majority caucus vice chair	Mike McGuire	Democratic	2nd–Healdsburg
	Minority leader	Jean Fuller	Republican	16th–Bakersfield
	Minority caucus chair	Tom Berryhill	Republican	8th–Twain Harte
	Minority caucus whip	Ted Gaines	Republican	1st–Roseville
	Minority caucus assistant whip	Patricia Bates	Republican	36th–Laguna Niguel
Secretary		Daniel Alvarez
Sergeant-at-Arms		Debbie Manning
Chaplain		Sister Michelle Gorman

The Secretary, the Sergeant-at-Arms, and the Chaplain are not members of the Legislature.

Composition

Composition of the California State Senate

Democratic Party

Republican Party


26	14
Democratic	Republican

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)		Total

	Democratic	Republican		Vacant	Suspended
End of previous legislature	25	12	37	1	2

Begin^[4]	25	14	39	1	0
December 10, 2014^[5]	26		40	0
January 2, 2015^[6]	25		39	1
January 3, 2015^[7]	13	38	2
January 5, 2015^[8]	12	37	3
March 19, 2015^[9]	13	38	2
March 22, 2015^[10]	14	39	1
May 28, 2015^[11]	14	26	40	0
Latest voting share	7001650000000000000♠65%	7001350000000000000♠35%

Seating chart

Committees

Current committees include:^[12]

Standing

Senate Committee on Agriculture
Senate Committee on Appropriations
- Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Fiscal Oversight and Bonded Indebtedness
Senate Committee on Banking and Financial Institutions
Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review
- Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 1 on Education
- Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Resources
- Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 3 on Health and Human Services
- Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on State Administration and General Government
- Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on Corrections
Senate Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development
Senate Committee on Education
- Senate Education Subcommittee on Sustainable School Facilities
Senate Committee on Elections and Constitutional Amendments
Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications
Senate Committee on Environmental Quality
Senate Committee on Governmental Organizations
Senate Committee on Governance and Finance
Senate Committee on Health
Senate Committee on Human Services
Senate Committee on Insurance
Senate Committee on Judiciary
Senate Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations
Senate Committee on Legislative Ethics
Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water
- Senate Natural Resources and Water Subcommittee on Urban Rivers
Senate Committee on Public Employment and Retirement
Senate Committee on Public Safety
Senate Committee on Rules
Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing
Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs

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

Offices

Senate Office of Research
Senate Office of Demographics
Senate Office of Floor Analysis
Senate Office of International Relations
Senate Office of Oversight and Outcomes

References

↑ "Apportionment Data". United States Census Bureau.
↑ "Senate Roster". State of California.
↑ "Article 4. Legislative". California Constitution. California Legislative Counsel. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
↑ Vacant since September 22, 2014 when Democrat Rod Wright (District 35) resigned to serve a jail sentence after conviction for perjury and voter fraud.
↑ Democrat Isadore Hall, III sworn in to succeed Wright.
↑ Democrat Mark DeSaulnier (District 7) resigned to take office in Congress.
↑ Republican Mimi Walters (District 37) resigned to take office in Congress.
↑ Republican Steve Knight (District 21) resigned to take office in Congress.
↑ Republican Sharon Runner sworn in to succeed Knight.
↑ Republican John Moorlach sworn in to succeed Walters.
↑ Democrat Steve Glazer sworn in to succeed DeSaulnier.
↑ "California Senate Committees". Open States. Sunlight Foundation. 2014-04-09. Retrieved 2014-04-09.

External links

Official website of the California State Senate
Map of the state senate districts
California legislative district maps from 1849 to the present

Legislatures of the United States

United States Congress	United States House of Representatives United States Senate

State legislatures	Alabama (H, S) Alaska (H, S) Arizona (H, S) Arkansas (H, S) California (A, S) Colorado (H, S) Connecticut (H, S) Delaware (H, S) Florida (H, S) Georgia (H, S) Hawaii (H, S) Idaho (H, S) Illinois (H, S) Indiana (H, S) Iowa (H, S) Kansas (H, S) Kentucky (H, S) Louisiana (H, S) Maine (H, S) Maryland (H, S) Massachusetts (H, S) Michigan (H, S) Minnesota (H, S) Mississippi (H, S) Missouri (H, S) Montana (H, S) Nebraska Nevada (A, S) New Hampshire (H, S) New Jersey (GA, S) New Mexico (H, S) New York (A, S) North Carolina (H, S) North Dakota (H, S) Ohio (H, S) Oklahoma (H, S) Oregon (H, S) Pennsylvania (H, S) Rhode Island (H, S) South Carolina (H, S) South Dakota (H, S) Tennessee (H, S) Texas (H, S) Utah (H, S) Vermont (H, S) Virginia (H, S) Washington (H, S) West Virginia (H, S) Wisconsin (A, S) Wyoming (H, S)

Other legislatures	District of Columbia American Samoa (H, S) Guam Northern Mariana Islands (H, S) Puerto Rico (H, S) U.S. Virgin Islands

Members of the California State Senate

President of the Senate: Gavin Newsom (D)
President pro Tempore: Kevin de León (D)
Majority Leader: Bill Monning (D)
Minority Leader: Jean Fuller (R)

Ted Gaines (R)
Mike McGuire (D)
Lois Wolk (D)
Jim Nielsen (R)
Cathleen Galgiani (D)
Richard Pan (D)
Steve Glazer (D)
Tom Berryhill (R)
Loni Hancock (D)
Bob Wieckowski (D)

Mark Leno (D)
Anthony Cannella (R)
Jerry Hill (D)
Andy Vidak (R)
Jim Beall (D)
Jean Fuller (R)
Bill Monning (D)
Robert Hertzberg (D)
Hannah-Beth Jackson (D)
Connie Leyva (D)

Sharon Runner (R)
Ed Hernandez (D)
Mike Morrell (R)
Kevin de León (D)
Carol Liu (D)
Ben Allen (D)
Fran Pavley (D)
Jeff Stone (R)
Bob Huff (R)
Holly Mitchell (D)

Richard Roth (D)
Tony Mendoza (D)
Ricardo Lara (D)
Janet Nguyen (R)
Isadore Hall III (D)
Patricia Bates (R)
John Moorlach (R)
Joel Anderson (R)
Marty Block (D)
Ben Hueso (D)

Authority control	WorldCat Identities VIAF: 126111045 LCCN: n79062926 GND: 254565-2 BNF: cb11862582z (data)

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