California State Senate

From Ballotpedia

The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. It is made up of 40 state senators and meets in Sacramento. Members of the Democratic Party are currently in the majority in the California Senate.

Each California senator represents a district with an average population of about 850,000 residents. Members serve four-year terms. The terms of the Senators are staggered so that half the membership is elected every two years. The senators representing odd-numbered districts are elected in years evenly divisible by four. The senators from even-numbered districts are elected in the intervening even-numbered years.

Since the passage of Prop 140 in 1990, California senators have been limited to two terms in office.

The California Senate has a $100 million annual operating budget and 900 staff employees. Most senators are paid an annual salary of $116,208.^[1]

Party balance

Affiliation		Members
	Democratic Party	25
	Republican Party	15
Total		40

List of current members

District	Representative	Party	Term expires
1st	Dave Cox	Republican	2012
2nd	Patricia Wiggins	Democrat	2010
3rd	Mark Leno	Democrat	2012
4th	Sam Aanestad	Republican	2010
5th	Lois Wolk	Democrat	2012
6th	Darrell Steinberg	Democrat	2010
7th	Mark DeSaulnier	Democrat	2012
8th	Leland Yee	Democrat	2010
9th	Loni Hancock	Democrat	2012
10th	Ellen M. Corbett	Democrat	2010
11th	Joe Simitian	Democrat	2012
12th	Jeff Denham	Republican	2010
13th	Elaine Alquist	Democrat	2012
14th	Dave Cogdill	Republican	2010
15th	Abel Maldonado	Republican	2012
16th	Dean Florez	Democrat	2010
17th	George Runner	Republican	2012
18th	Roy Ashburn	Republican	2010
19th	Tony Strickland	Republican	2012
20th	Alex Padilla	Democrat	2010
21st	Carol Liu	Democrat	2012
22nd	Gilbert Cedillo	Democrat	2010
23rd	Fran Pavley	Democrat	2012
24th	Gloria Romero	Democrat	2010
25th	Rod Wright	Democrat	2012
26th	Curren Price	Democrat	2010
27th	Alan Lowenthal	Democrat	2012
28th	Jenny Oropeza	Democrat	2010
29th	Bob Huff	Republican	2012
30th	Ronald S. Calderon	Democrat	2010
31st	Robert Dutton	Republican	2012
32nd	Gloria Negrete McLeod	Democrat	2010
33rd	Mimi Walters	Republican	2012
34th	Lou Correa	Democrat	2010
35th	Tom Harman	Republican	2012
36th	Dennis Hollingsworth	Republican	2010
37th	John J. Benoit	Republican	2012
38th	Mark Wyland	Republican	2010
39th	Christine Kehoe	Democrat	2012
40th	Denise Moreno Ducheny	Democrat	2010

Senators who term out in 2010

California's Proposition 140 mandates that state senators serve no more than two four-year terms.

Democrats

Democratic state senators whose final term ends in 2010 are:

• Dean Florez
• Gilbert Cedillo
• Gloria Romero
• Denise Moreno Ducheny

Republicans

Republican state senators whose final term ends in 2010 are:

• Samuel Aanestad
• Jeff Denham
• Roy Ashburn
• Dennis Hollingsworth

See also

• California state senators whose terms expire in 2010
• California state senators whose terms expire in 2012

Senatorial pay

California's state senators earn $116,208 per year. Senatorial pay is set by the California Citizens Compensation Commission. In 2009, it voted to cut legislators' salaries by 18% effective in December 2010.^[1]

In June 2009, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg recommended that senators and staffers take a 5% pay cut in the face of the state's budget troubles.^[1]

Senate committees

The California Senate has twenty-three (23) standing committees:

• Appropriations
• Banking, Finance and Insurance
• Budget and Fiscal Review
• Business, Professions and Economic Development
• Education
• Elections, Reapportionment and Constitutional Amendments
• Energy, Utilities and Communications
• Environmental Quality
• Food and Agriculture
• Governmental Organization
• Health
• Human Services
• Judiciary
• Labor and Industrial Relations
• Legislative Ethics
• Local Government
• Natural Resources and Water
• Public Employees and Retirement
• Public Safety
• Revenue and Taxation
• Rules
• Transportation and Housing
• Veterans Affairs

External links

• California State Senate website
• Project Vote Smart profile of California Senate
• California Senate Democratic Caucus, official website. This is currently the state's majority caucus.
• California State Senate Republican Caucus, official website. This is currently the state's minority caucus.

References

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Sacramento Bee, "Senate aims to cut senator and staff pay by 5 percent", June 17, 2009

v • d • e Current members of the California Senate President Pro Tem: Darrell Steinberg • Majority Leader: Dean Florez • Minority Leader: Dennis Hollingsworth     Dave Cox (R) Patricia Wiggins (D) Mark Leno (D) Sam Aanestad (R) Lois Wolk (D) Darrell Steinberg (D) Mark DeSaulnier (D) Leland Yee (D) Loni Hancock (D) Ellen Corbett (D) Joe Simitian (D) Jeff Denham (R) Elaine Alquist (D) Dave Cogdill (R) Abel Maldonado (R) Dean Florez (D) George Runner (R) Roy Ashburn (R) Tony Strickland (R) Alex Padilla (D) Carol Liu (D) Gilbert Cedillo (D) Fran Pavley (D) Gloria Romero (D) Rod Wright (D) Curren De Mille Price (D) Alan Lowenthal (D) Jenny Oropeza (D) Bob Huff (R) Ron Calderon (D) Bob Dutton (R) Gloria Negrete McLeod (D) Mimi Walters (R) Lou Correa (D) Tom Harman (R) Dennis Hollingsworth (R) John Benoit (R) Mark Wyland (R) Christine Kehoe (D) Denise Moreno Ducheny (D) Democratic (25) • Republican (15) • California State Senate • California State Assembly

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