California State Senate

The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. Alongside the California State Assembly, which is the lower house, it meets at the California State Capitol in Sacramento.

Since the 1879 constitution, the size of the Senate has stayed the same, with 40 senators. Each senator represents about 931,349 people, which is more than the number of people any other state legislative house represents. This also means each senator represents more people than live in five whole U.S. states.

In the current legislative session, the Democratic Party has 30 of the 40 seats. This gives them a large majority, more than the two-thirds supermajority needed for some special decisions.

History

The first constitution of California in 1849 decided how many senators there would be and how often they were elected. After the 1879 constitution, California had 40 senators. Each senator had to live in California for three years and in their district for one year. Districts were supposed to have similar numbers of people and stay together as whole areas.

From 1933 to 1967, senate districts were made based on county lines, which caused some areas to have many people but only one senator, while smaller areas also had just one. In 1962, voters were asked if they wanted to add 10 more senators to make 50 total, but they decided not to. The California State Senate has stayed at 40 senators since 1879.

Leadership

The lieutenant governor is the official president of the senate and can only vote to break a tie. The president pro tempore is chosen by the largest group of senators and then approved by everyone. Other leaders, like the majority and minority leaders, are chosen by their own groups based on how many senators support them.

As of 2025, the president pro tempore is Democrat Monique Limón from Santa Barbara. The majority leader is Democrat Angelique Ashby from Sacramento, and the minority leader is Republican Brian Jones from Santee.

Terms of office

Each state senator represents about the same number of people as the whole State of Delaware. Because of changes made in 1990 and 2012, senators who started before 2012 can serve only eight years, but those who started in or after 2012 can serve up to 12 years in any mix of four-year senate terms or two-year assembly terms.

State senators serve four-year terms. Every two years, half of the 40 seats in the senate are up for election. This is different from the state assembly, where all 80 seats are up for election every two years.

Meeting chamber

The California State Senate chamber has red walls, much like the British House of Lords. At the front of the room is a raised area shaped like an "E". The main seat is for the secretary, who calls the names of the senators. There are special chairs for important leaders, such as the president pro tempore and the lieutenant governor. Each of the 40 senators has a desk, a microphone, and two chairs—one for themselves and one for guests. The room is decorated similarly to the assembly chamber, with a portrait of George Washington and a Latin saying about protecting freedom.

Composition

Past composition of the Senate

Main article: Political party strength in California

Officers

The secretary, the sergeant-at-arms, and the chaplain are not members of the legislature.

Members

Seating chart

Standing committees

The California State Senate has several groups called committees. These groups help organize the work of the Senate. Each committee has a leader called a chair and another leader called a vice chair. Here is a list of the current committees and their leaders.