California State Senate District 1
California State Senate District 1 is represented by Megan Dahle (R).
As of the 2020 Census, California state senators represented an average of 989,419 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 933,550 residents.
About the office
Members of the California State Senate serve four-year terms with term limits.[1] 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. California legislators assume office the first Monday in the December following their election.[2]
Qualifications
According to Article IV of the California Constitution:[3]
| “ | A person is ineligible to be a member of the Legislature unless the person is an elector and has been a resident of the legislative district for one year, and a citizen of the United States and a resident of California for 3 years, immediately preceding the election, and service of the full term of office to which the person is seeking to be elected would not exceed the maximum years of service permitted by subdivision (a) of this section.[4] | ” |
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[5] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $128,215/year | $214/day |
Term limits
- See also: State legislatures with term limits
The California Legislature is one of 16 state legislatures with term limits. Since the passage of Prop 28 in 2012, legislators first elected on or after November 6, 2012, are limited to a maximum of 12 years. Prop 140, passed in 1990, affects any members elected prior to November 6, 2012, and limits them to a maximum of two four-year terms (eight years total).[6]
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the California State Legislature, the governor must call for a special election. The governor must call the election within 14 calendar days of the vacancy. No special election shall be held if the vacancy occurs after the nominating deadline has passed in the final year of the term of office.[7]
See sources: California Code, 1773 and California Cons. Art. IV, § 2
District map
As of February 2023, two sets of overlapping California State Senate maps are in effect because the state's adopted redistricting plan takes effect in two phases. Even-numbered districts use boundaries from the post-2020 census map, while odd-numbered districts use boundaries adopted after the 2010 census. As a result, an area may be represented by two Senators, or may not be represented by any Senator, during the 2023-24 legislative session. The state Senate map enacted after the 2020 census will fully take effect after the 2024 elections.
Redistricting
2020 redistricting cycle
The California Citizens Redistricting Commission voted 14-0 in favor of a new state Assembly and Senate district maps on December 20, 2021, and delivered those maps to the secretary of state on December 27, 2021.[8][9] These maps took effect for California's 2022 state legislative elections.
How does redistricting in California work? In California, a non-politician commission draws both congressional and state legislative district lines. Established in 2008 by ballot initiative, the commission comprises 14 members: five Democrats, five Republicans, and four belonging to neither party. A panel of state auditors selects the pool of nominees from which the commissioners are appointed. This pool comprises 20 Democrats, 20 Republicans, and 20 belonging to neither party. The majority and minority leaders of both chambers of the state legislature may each remove two members from each of the aforementioned groups. The first eight commission members are selected at random from the remaining nominees. These first eight comprise three Democrats, three Republicans, and two belonging to neither party. The first eight commissioners appoint the remaining six, which must include two Democrats, two Republicans, and two belonging to neither party.[10]
Commissioners must meet the following requirements in order to serve:[10]
- Members must have voted in at least two of the last three statewide elections.
- Members cannot have switched party affiliation for at least five years.
- "Neither commissioners nor immediate family may have been, within 10 years of appointment, a candidate for federal or state office or member of a party central committee; an officer, employee, or paid consultant to a federal or state candidate or party; a registered lobbyist or paid legislative staff; or a donor of more than $2,000 to an elected candidate."
- Members cannot be "staff, consultants or contractors for state or federal government" while serving as commissioners. The same prohibition applies to the family of commission members.
In order to approve a redistricting plan, nine of the commission's 14 members must vote for it. These nine must include three Democrats, three Republicans, and three belonging to neither party. Maps drawn by the commission may be overturned by public referendum. In the event that a map is overturned by the public, the California Supreme Court must appoint a group to draw a new map.[10]
The California Constitution requires that districts be contiguous. Further, the state constitution mandates that "to the extent possible, [districts] must ... preserve the geographic integrity of cities, counties, neighborhoods and communities of interest." Districts must also "encourage compactness." State Senate and Assembly districts should be nested within each other where possible.[10]
California State Senate District 1
until December 1, 2024
Click a district to compare boundaries.
California State Senate District 1
starting December 2, 2024
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2024
See also: California State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for California State Senate District 1
Megan Dahle defeated David Fennell in the general election for California State Senate District 1 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Megan Dahle (R) | 75.7 | 274,894 |
 | David Fennell (R)  | 24.3 | 88,317 | |
| Total votes: 363,211 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for California State Senate District 1
Megan Dahle and David Fennell advanced from the primary for California State Senate District 1 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Megan Dahle (R) | 77.2 | 154,305 |
| ✔ | | David Fennell (R) | 22.8 | 45,686 |
| Total votes: 199,991 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2020
- See also: California State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for California State Senate District 1
Incumbent Brian Dahle defeated Pamela Swartz in the general election for California State Senate District 1 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Brian Dahle (R) | 59.7 | 326,836 |
 | Pamela Swartz (D) | 40.3 | 220,563 | |
| Total votes: 547,399 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for California State Senate District 1
Incumbent Brian Dahle and Pamela Swartz defeated Linda Kelleher in the primary for California State Senate District 1 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brian Dahle (R) | 57.7 | 200,537 |
| ✔ | | Pamela Swartz (D) | 36.1 | 125,585 |
| Linda Kelleher (Independent) | 6.2 | 21,557 | ||
| Total votes: 347,679 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2019
A special election for District 1 of the California State Senate was called for June 4, 2019. A primary election took place on March 26, 2019.[11] Candidates wishing to run in this election were required to file by January 31, 2019.[12]
The seat became vacant after Ted Gaines (R) was elected to represent District 1 of the California State Board of Equalization.
General election
Special general election for California State Senate District 1
Brian Dahle defeated Kevin Kiley in the special general election for California State Senate District 1 on June 4, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brian Dahle (R) | 53.9 | 84,503 |
 | Kevin Kiley (R) | 46.1 | 72,169 | |
| Total votes: 156,672 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Special nonpartisan primary for California State Senate District 1
The following candidates ran in the special primary for California State Senate District 1 on March 26, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brian Dahle (R) | 29.6 | 57,725 |
| ✔ | | Kevin Kiley (R) | 27.9 | 54,290 |
 | Silke Pflueger (D) | 25.2 | 49,164 | |
 | Rex Hime (R) | 9.3 | 18,050 | |
 | Steven Baird (D) | 5.6 | 10,855 | |
 | Theodore Dziuba (R) | 2.4 | 4,672 | |
| Total votes: 194,756 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
- See also: California State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the California State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election was held on June 7, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was February 25, 2016, for candidates filing with signatures. The deadline for candidates using a filing fee to qualify was March 11, 2016.[13]
Incumbent Ted Gaines defeated Rob Rowen in the California State Senate District 1 general election.[14][15]
| California State Senate, District 1 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Ted Gaines Incumbent |
64.02% | 287,314 | |
| Democratic | Rob Rowen | 35.98% | 161,502 | |
| Total Votes | 448,816 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State | ||||
Incumbent Ted Gaines and Rob Rowen defeated Steven Baird in the California State Senate District 1 Blanket primary.[16][17]
| California State Senate, District 1 Blanket Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Ted Gaines Incumbent |
49.39% | 140,739 | |
| Democratic | Rob Rowen |
36.59% | 104,262 | |
| Republican | Steven Baird | 14.02% | 39,958 | |
| Total Votes | 284,959 | |||
2012
- See also: California State Senate elections, 2012
Elections for the office of California State Senate consisted of a primary election on June 5, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 9, 2012. Incumbent Ted Gaines and Julie Griffith-Flatter (D) defeated Les Baugh (R) and Bogdan Ambrozewicz (I) in the June 5 blanket primary, before defeating Griffith-Flatter in the general election.[18] [19]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ted Gaines Incumbent |
63.7% | 263,256 | |
| Democratic | Julie Griffith-Flatter | 36.3% | 150,111 | |
| Total Votes | 413,367 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |
Julie Griffith-Flatter |
30% | 68,497 | |
| Republican | Les Baugh | 16.4% | 37,441 | |
| Republican | Ted Gaines Incumbent |
48.3% | 110,168 | |
| Independent | Bogdan Ambrozewicz | 5.2% | 11,923 | |
| Total Votes | 228,029 | |||
Campaign contributions
From 2000 to 2024, candidates for California State Senate District 1 raised a total of $8,035,556. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $229,587 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, California State Senate District 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2024 | $668,118 | 2 | $334,059 |
| 2020 | $595,663 | 2 | $297,831 |
| 2019 | $2,722,839 | 6 | $453,807 |
| 2016 | $827,426 | 3 | $275,809 |
| 2012 | $480,898 | 4 | $120,225 |
| 2010 | $17,275 | 1 | $17,275 |
| 2008 | $446,276 | 2 | $223,138 |
| 2006 | $416,453 | 1 | $416,453 |
| 2004 | $779,649 | 5 | $155,930 |
| 2002 | $217,406 | 1 | $217,406 |
| 2000 | $863,553 | 8 | $107,944 |
| Total | $8,035,556 | 35 | $229,587 |
See also
- California State Legislature
- California State Senate
- California State Assembly
- California state legislative districts
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ California State Constitution, accessed December 16, 2013
- ↑ California Constitution, "Article 4, Section 2. (a)(3)," accessed November 1, 2021
- ↑ California Legislature, "Qualifications for State Legislature," accessed May 21, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ California Legislative Information, "Article IV Legislative (Sec. 1 - Sec. 28)," accessed February 9, 2021
- ↑ California Legislative Information, "California Code," accessed February 9, 2021 (Statute, 1773-California Government Code)
- ↑ Politico, "California’s new congressional map boosts Democrats," Dec. 21, 2021
- ↑ Lake County News, "California Citizens Redistricting Commission delivers maps to California Secretary of State," Dec. 28, 2021
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 All About Redistricting, "California," accessed April 21, 2015
- ↑ U.S. News, "Governor Sets Special Elections for 2 Vacant Senate Seats," January 15, 2019
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Primary Election Calendar," accessed January 17, 2019
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Key Dates and Deadlines," accessed April 18, 2017
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Certified List of Candidates for the November 8, 2016, General Election," accessed September 7, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "2016 General Election results," accessed December 23, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Certified List of Candidates for Voter-Nominated Offices," accessed April 4, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Statement of Vote," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ " California Secretary of State, "2012 General Election," November 7, 2013 (dead link)
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "2012 General Primary,” November 7, 2013
