California State Senate

California State Senate
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type Upper House
Leadership
President of the Senate Abel Maldonado, (R)
since April 27, 2010
President pro tempore Darrell Steinberg, (D)
since November 30, 2008
Minority Leader Dennis Hollingsworth, (R)
since February 18, 2009
Structure
Members 40
California State Senate 2009-2010.svg
Political groups      Democratic Party     Republican Party
Election
Last election November 4, 2008
Meeting place
California Senate chamber p1080899.jpg
Senate Chamber
California State Capitol
Sacramento, CA, US
Website
http://www.sen.ca.gov

The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote. The officers of the Senate, elected at the start of each legislative session, are the President pro tem Darrell Steinberg, Secretary of the Senate Gregory Schmidt, and Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Tony Beard.

Prior to 1968, state senate districts were restricted such that one county could only hold at most one seat. This led to the situation of Los Angeles County, with 6 million residents as of 1968, receiving 600 times less representation than residents of Alpine County and Calaveras County, some of California's least populous counties. The federal Reynolds v. Sims decision by the United States Supreme Court compelled all states to draw up districts with equal populations. As such, boundaries were changed to provide more equitable representation.[1]

Senators are limited to serving two four-year terms, which are staggered so that half the membership is elected every two years. The Senators representing the odd-numbered districts are elected in years evenly divisible by four. The senators from the even-numbered districts are elected in the intervening even-numbered years.[2]

Each senator represents approximately 846,791 Californians, which is more than the approximately 639,088 residents in each of California's congressional districts.

The red tones of the California State Senate Chamber are based on the British House of Lords, which is outfitted in a similar color. Likewise, the California State Assembly Chamber is decorated green, parallel to the British House of Commons. Almost every decorating element of the Senate chamber is identical to those in the Assembly.

Contents

Senators

See:

Senate

Officers

Position Name Party District
Lieutenant Governor Abel Maldonado Republican
President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg Democratic 6th–Sacramento
Majority Leader Dean Florez Democratic 16th–Shafter
Minority Leader Dennis Hollingsworth Republican 36th–Murrieta
Majority Caucus Chair Jenny Oropeza Democratic 28th–Long Beach
Minority Caucus Chair Bob Huff Republican 29th–Diamond Bar
Majority Whip Vacant
Minority Whip Tom Harman Republican 35th–Huntington Beach

Composition

Affiliation Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
 Total
Democratic Republican Vacant
End of previous legislature 25 15 40 0
Begin[3] 24 15 39 1
June 8, 2009[4] 25 40 0
November 30, 2009[5] 14 39 1
April 27, 2010[6] 13 38 2
June 9, 2010[7] 14 39 1
July 13, 2010[8] 13 38 2
Latest voting share 65.8% 34.2%

Seating chart

* * * * * * *
Maldonado
 * * * * * *
*
Walters Ashburn * Denham Strickland * Florez Ducheny * Padilla Negrete McLeod * Oropeza Cedillo * Calderon Yee
Huff Cogdill * Aanestad * Emmerson Wright * Kehoe Simitian * Correa Romero * Liu Hancock
Runner Wyland * Harman * Dutton Hollingsworth * Corbett Price * Lowenthal Pavley * Alquist Wiggins
* * * * * * Leno Steinberg * DeSaulnier Wolk

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://web.mit.edu/polisci/research/representation/apsa_99_v2.pdf
  2. ↑ Cal. Const. Art. IV. §2(a)
  3. ↑ Democrat Mark Ridley-Thomas (District 26) resigned to become a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
  4. ↑ Democrat Curren Price sworn in to succeed Ridley-Thomas
  5. ↑ Republican John J. Benoit (District 37) resigned to become a member of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors
  6. ↑ Republican Abel Maldonado (District 15) resigned to become Lieutenant Governor of California
  7. ↑ Republican Bill Emmerson sworn in to succeed Benoit
  8. ↑ Republican Dave Cox (District 1) died from prostate cancer.

External links

Current members of the California State Senate
President (ex officio): Abel Maldonado (R) • President pro tempore: Darrell Steinberg (D) • Majority Leader: Vacant • Minority Leader: Bob Dutton (R)
Democratic (24) • Republican (14) • Vacancies (2)
   
  1. Vacant
  2. Noreen Evans (D)
  3. Mark Leno (D)
  4. Doug LaMalfa (R)
  5. Lois Wolk (D)
  6. Darrell Steinberg (D)
  7. Mark DeSaulnier (D)
  8. Leland Yee (D)
  9. Loni Hancock (D)
  10. Ellen Corbett (D)
  1. Joe Simitian (D)
  2. Anthony Cannella (R)
  3. Elaine Alquist (D)
  4. Tom Berryhill (R)
  5. Sam Blakeslee (R)
  6. Michael Rubio (D)
  7. George Runner (R)
  8. Jean Fuller (R)
  9. Tony Strickland (R)
  10. Alex Padilla (D)
  1. Carol Liu (D)
  2. Kevin de León (D)
  3. Fran Pavley (D)
  4. Edward Hernández (D)
  5. Roderick Wright (D)
  6. Curren Price (D)
  7. Alan Lowenthal (D)
  8. Vacant
  9. Bob Huff (R)
  10. Ronald Calderon (D)
  1. Bob Dutton (R)
  2. Gloria Negrete McLeod (D)
  3. Mimi Walters (R)
  4. Lou Correa (D)
  5. Tom Harman (R)
  6. Joel Anderson (R)
  7. Bill Emmerson (R)
  8. Mark Wyland (R)
  9. Christine Kehoe (D)
  10. Juan Vargas (D)
See also: California State Legislature • California State Assembly
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