2019 California legislative session
California convened its legislative session on January 7, 2019, and legislators remained in session until September 13, 2019. Democrats had a veto-proof supermajority this legislative session, just as they did in 2018. Following the 2018 election, Democrats had a 29-11 majority in the Senate and a 60-20 majority in the Assembly. The party also controlled the governorship, creating a Democratic state government trifecta.
Click the links to read more about the 2020 state Senate and state Assembly elections.
Click the links to read more about the 2018 state Senate and state Assembly elections.
Partisan control in 2019
- See also: State government trifectas
California was one of 14 Democratic state government trifectas at the start of 2019 legislative sessions. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. For more information about state government trifectas, click here.
California was also one of 22 state legislatures where one party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers. Veto overrides occur when a legislature votes to reverse a veto issued by an executive such as a governor or the president. If one party has a majority in a state legislature that is large enough to override a gubernatorial veto without any votes from members of the minority party, it is called a veto-proof majority or, sometimes, a supermajority. To read more about veto-proof supermajorities in state legislatures, click here.
The following tables show the partisan breakdown of the California State Legislature in the 2019 legislative session.
California State Senate
| Party | As of January 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 29 | |
| Republican Party | 11 | |
| Total | 40 | |
From 1992 to 2018, the California State Senate was controlled by the Democratic Party. The heavy Democratic tilt in those years was not unusual considering the chamber's history of dominant Democratic majorities almost every year between 1958 and 2018. The table below shows the partisan history of the California Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2018. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
California State Senate election results: 1992-2018*
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 23 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 27 | 29 |
| Republicans | 14 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 11 |
Republicans controlled the state Senate with solid majorities from 1896 to 1956. Democrats were finally able to split the chamber 20-20 in the 1956 elections, and they won a majority in 1958. After 1958, they had almost unbroken control of the chamber through 2016. The only times when their control was threatened was when the chamber split evenly in 1968 and 1972, both years where native Californian Richard Nixon (R) was elected president.
From 1992 to 2018, Democrats maintained a consistent majority. Their low point was in 1994, when they were brought down to 21 seats. After that, Democrats tended to keep their majority at 25 seats or more. In 2016, Democrats captured 27 seats for the first time since 1976, and they increased their majority to 29-11 in 2018. Winning 27 seats gave them a two-thirds supermajority, which is the margin needed to raise taxes, certify constitutional amendments for the ballot, and override gubernatorial vetoes.
California State Assembly
| Party | As of January 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 60 | |
| Republican Party | 20 | |
| Total | 80 | |
From 1992 to 2018, the California Assembly stayed reliably blue, with Democrats ceding the majority just once as a consequence of the 1994 election. The heavy Democratic tilt in those years was in line with the chamber's history going back to the 1960s, where Democrats first established their dominant majority that mostly stayed intact afterwards. The table below shows the partisan history of the California Assembly following every general election from 1992 to 2018 All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
California State Assembly election results: 1992-2018
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 48 | 39 | 44 | 48 | 50 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 51 | 52 | 56 | 52 | 55 | 60 |
| Republicans | 32 | 40* | 36 | 32 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 29 | 28 | 24 | 28 | 25 | 20 |
| Independents | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Republicans controlled the Assembly from 1942 to 1956. But in 1958 there began an almost unbroken period of Democratic control through 2018. Before 1994, the only election where Republicans won a majority was 1968, the same year that Republican Richard Nixon became the first native Californian to be elected president. Republicans next won a 40-39 numerical majority in 1994, an election where Republicans also took back control of the U.S. House after decades of Democratic-dominance. However, Republicans did not maintain effective control of the chamber after the 1994 elections. Defections from their majority gave a Democratic-led coalition control of the chamber until January 1996.
Democrats retook a 44-36 majority in the 1996 elections. Between then and 2018, they increased their majority into the 40s and 50s, reaching 60 seats in 2018. In 2010, they won a 52-38 majority despite national Republican gains. In 2012, they won 56 seats, which was two more than needed for a two-thirds majority. This is the margin needed to raise taxes, certify constitutional amendments for the ballot, and override gubernatorial vetoes. Democrats briefly lost their two-thirds majority in 2014 when they won 52 seats. They won it back in 2016 by gaining a 55-25 edge over Republicans.
Leadership in 2019
California State Senate
- Senate president: Eleni Kounalakis (D)
- Majority leader: Bill Monning (D)
- Minority leader: Patricia C. Bates (R)
California State Assembly
- Speaker of the Assembly: Anthony Rendon (D)
- Majority leader: Ian Charles Calderon (D)
- Minority leader: Marie Waldron (R)
Regular session
The following widget shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2019 legislative session that most recently passed both chambers of the legislature, were signed by the governor, or were approved by the legislature in a veto override. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation met these criteria yet in 2019. This information is provided by BillTrack50.
Standing legislative committees
A standing committee of a state legislature is a committee that exists on a more-or-less permanent basis, from legislative session to session, that considers and refines legislative bills that fall under the committee's subject matter.
At the beginning of the 2019 legislative session, there were 60 standing committees in California's state government, including seven joint legislative committees, 23 state Senate committees, and 30 state Assembly committees.
Joint legislative committees
Senate committees
- Banking and Financial Institutions Committee
- Budget and Fiscal Review Committee
- Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee
- Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee
- Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee
- Environmental Quality Committee
- Housing Committee
- Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee
- Local Government Committee
- Natural Resources and Water Committee
- Revenue and Taxation Committee
- Senate Agriculture Committee
- Senate Appropriations Committee
- Senate Education Committee
- Senate Governmental Organization Committee
- Senate Health Committee
- Senate Human Services Committee
- Senate Insurance Committee
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- Senate Military and Veterans Affairs Committee
- Senate Public Safety Committee
- Senate Rules Committee
- Senate Transportation Committee
House committees
- Aging and Long-Term Care Committee
- Agriculture Committee
- Appropriations Committee
- Arts, Entertainment, Sports, and Tourism Committee
- Banking and Finance Committee
- Budget Committee
- Business and Professions Committee
- Communications and Conveyance Committee
- Economic Development, Growth, and Household Impact Committee
- Education Committee
- Elections Committee
- Emergency Management Committee
- Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee
- Governmental Organization Committee
- Health Committee
- Higher Education Committee
- Housing and Community Development Committee
- Human Services Committee
- Insurance Committee
- Judiciary Committee
- Labor and Employment Committee
- Local Government Committee
- Military and Veterans Affairs Committee
- Natural Resources Committee
- Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee
- Public Employment and Retirement Committee
- Public Safety Committee
- Revenue and Taxation Committee
- Rules Committee
- Transportation Committee
- Utilities and Energy Committee
- Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee
Legislatively referred constitutional amendments
In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.
The methods by which the California Constitution can be amended:
- See also: Article II and Article XVIII of the California Constitution and Laws governing ballot measures in California
The California Constitution can be amended in these ways:
- Through the process of a legislatively referred constitutional amendment. This procedure is defined in Section 1 of Article XVIII of the California Constitution. According to that section:
- Two-thirds of the membership of each chamber of the California State Legislature must propose an amendment, which then goes on a statewide ballot to be ratified or rejected by the state's voters.
- The state legislature is allowed to propose revisions (not just amendments) to the constitution.
- If measures conflict, and they both get more than 50 percent of the vote, the one with the highest number of votes prevails.
- Ratified amendments take effect on the fifth day after the secretary of state files the statement of the vote for the election.
- Through the process of an initiated constitutional amendment, according to Section 3 of Article XVIII and Section 8 of Article II.
- Petitioners can collect signatures equaling eight percent of the most recent total number of votes cast for the office of governor to qualify a proposed amendment for the ballot.
- See Ballotpedia's page on laws governing the initiative process in California for full details on the process and requirements of an initiated constitutional amendment in California.
- Through the process of a constitutional convention. According to Section 2 of Article XVIII, if two-thirds of the members of each chamber of the state legislature agree, a question as to whether to call a convention or revise the constitution goes on the state's next general election ballot.
Historical partisan control
The table below depicts the historical trifecta status of California.
California Party Control: 1992-2025
Twenty years with Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Assembly | D | D | D | S | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
See also
| Elections | California State Government | State Legislatures | State Politics |
|---|---|---|---|
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External links
Footnotes
