California State Legislature, 2025–26 session
| 2025–26 session of the California State Legislature | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| Overview | |||
| Legislative body | California State Legislature | ||
| Jurisdiction | California | ||
| Term | December 2, 2024 – present | ||
| Senate | |||
| Members | 40 | ||
| President of the Senate | Eleni Kounalakis (D) Jan. 7, 2019 – present | ||
| President pro tempore |
| ||
| Minority Leader | Brian Jones (R–16th) Dec. 5, 2022 – present | ||
| Party control | Democratic | ||
| Assembly | |||
| Members | 80 | ||
| Speaker | Robert A. Rivas (D–29th) Jun. 30, 2023 – present | ||
| Minority Leader |
| ||
| Party control | Democratic | ||
The 2025–26 session is the current session of the California State Legislature, composed of 40 members of the State Senate and 80 members of the State Assembly. The session first convened in Sacramento, California, on December 2, 2024, and will end on November 30, 2026, concurrent with the final two years of governor Gavin Newsom's second term.[1]
Following the results of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, in which former president Donald Trump was elected to a second non-consecutive term, governor Newsom called for a special legislative session to "protect California values" and safeguard against Trump's policies.[2]
The 2025–26 session is made up of a record 49% women, with 37 in the Assembly and 21 in the Senate. With women making up 50% of Assembly Democrats, 50% of Senate Republicans and 52% of Senate Democrats.[3]
Major events
- June 6, 2025: Crossover deadline for bills to pass one house.
Vacancies and special elections
- November 30, 2024: Republican senator Janet Nguyen (36th–Huntington Beach) resigns before the session begins to join the Orange County Board of Supervisors.[4]
- March 3, 2025: Republican businessman Stan Ellis (Bakersfield) is sworn into office after winning the February 25 special election to the 32nd State Assembly district to replace Fong.[5]
- March 11, 2025: Republican mayor Tony Strickland (Huntington Beach) is sworn into office after winning the February 25 special election to replace Nguyen.
- April 1, 2025: Republican assemblymember Bill Essayli (63rd–Corona) resigns to become interim U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California.
- September 8, 2025: Republican mayor Natasha Johnson (Lake Elsinore) is sworn into office after winning the August 26 special election to replace Essayli.[6]
Leadership changes
- September 16, 2025: Republican assemblymember Heath Flora (9th–Ripon) replaces assemblymember James Gallagher (3rd–Yuba City) as minority leader, as Gallagher is termed out at the end of the session.[7]
- November 17, 2025: Democratic senator Monique Limón (21st–Santa Barbara) replaces senator Mike McGuire (2nd–Healdsburg) as president pro tempore of the Senate.[8]
Legislation
The following bills were signed or vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2025 or 2026, were referred to the ballot by the legislature, or are awaiting gubernatorial action.
Particularly notable legislation includes:
- in September 2025, a package of energy legislation[9] including:
- AB 825 (amended SB 540[10]) which pushes forward California joining a western grid, allowing for a regional transmission organization (RTO) instead of the California-only CAISO
Signed
- AB 130 – exempts most infill housing development from review under the California Environmental Quality Act.
- SB 131 – exempts certain other projects from CEQA review, including advanced manufacturing in industrial districts, high-speed rail, and wildfire mitigation.
- No Secret Police Act (SB 627) – prohibits certain federal and local law enforcement agencies from wearing masks while carrying out most operations
- AB 49 – requires that families be notified when immigration enforcement comes on school campuses, and requires a judicial warrant or court order for ICE to request student information
- SB 81 – requires a judicial warrant or court order for ICE to access emergency rooms and other non-public hospital areas
- SB 53 – requires large AI developers to publicly disclose protocols for development of frontier artificial intelligence models and develop safety policies, and holds such companies civilly liable for violations.[11][12][13]
- AB 288 – allowing California workers covered under the National Labor Relations Act as of January 1, 2025 to petition the California Public Employee Relations Board when the federal National Labor Relations Board does not respond to unfair labor practice challenges, issue bargaining orders or respond to certification petitions within six months; creating the PERB Enforcement Fund sustained by civil penalties from employers found in violation of labor laws.[14]
- SB 398 – criminalizes offering payments, other valuable items and chance to win a lottery or prize-drawing contest to incentivize voting or voter registration.[15]
- AB 30 – allowing E15 fuel to be sold in California while the state studies its environmental impact.[16]
- AB 8 – regulate intoxicating hemp products.[17]
- SB 9 (Arreguín), which would authorize the HCD to void any local ADU ordinances which violate state law and apply state ADU standards until the local government passes remedial measures;[18]
- AB 1154 (Carrillo), which aligns standards for all ADUs under 500 square feet;[19]
- AB 413 (Fong) would require the HCD to translate key state housing guidelines and handbooks into the non-English languages commonly spoken in California[20]
- SB 79 (Wiener), which would allow upzoning and rezoning near rail stations, rapid bus lines and other transit-oriented development zones within a half-mile of public transit stops, including in areas currently zoned only for single-family homes;[21][22]
- AB 1061 (Quirk-Silva), allowing the HOME Act to be used in designated historic districts as long as an existing historic structure is not altered or demolished;[23]
- AB 1308 (Hoover), establishing a 10-day period for inspecting small residential projects;[24]
- AB 253 (Ward), allowing home builders to hire a licensed and certified third-party reviewer.;[25]
- SB 543 (McNerney) codifies existing HCD guidance regarding ADUs and Junior ADUs (JADUs)[26]
- AB 715 (Zbur) establishing a new Office of Civil Rights and an Antisemitism Prevention Coordinator who would help track and report antisemitism in schools
Referred to ballot measure
- 2025 California Proposition 50 – Amend the California Constitution to allow the state to use a new congressional district map for 2026 through 2030 (Passed on November 4, 2025 statewide ballot)[27]
- SB 42 – repeals the ban on public financing of elections in California, extending to all cities and counties the ability to create programs for publicly financed elections (sent to November 2026 statewide ballot).[15]
State Senate
| ↓ | ||
| 30 | 10 | |
| Democratic | Republican | |
Officers
| Position | Name | Party | District | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lieutenant Governor | Eleni Kounalakis | Democratic | ||
| President pro tempore | Mike McGuire | Democratic | 2nd–Healdsburg | |
| Majority leader | Lena Gonzalez | Democratic | 33rd-Long Beach | |
| Assistant majority leader | Angelique Ashby | Democratic | 8th-Sacramento | |
| Aisha Wahab | Democratic | 10th-Hayward | ||
| Democratic Caucus Chair | Monique Limón | Democratic | 21st–Santa Barbara | |
| Majority whip | Dave Cortese | Democratic | 15th–Los Gatos | |
| Assistant majority whips | Maria Elena Durazo | Democratic | 26th–Los Angeles | |
| Steve Padilla | Democratic | 18th–Chula Vista | ||
| Minority leader | Brian Jones | Republican | 40th–Santee | |
| Secretary | Erika Contreras | |||
| Sergeant-at-Arms | Katrina Rodriguez | |||
| Chaplain | Sister Michelle Gorman, RSM | |||
The Secretary, the Sergeant-at-Arms, and the chaplain are not members of the Legislature.
Members
State Assembly
| ↓ | ||
| 60 | 20 | |
| Democratic | Republican | |
Officers
| Position | Name | Party | District | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speaker | Robert A. Rivas | Democratic | 29th–Hollister | |
| Speaker pro tempore | Josh Lowenthal | Democratic | 69th–Long Beach | |
| Assistant speaker pro tempore | Celeste Rodriguez | Democratic | 43rd-San Fernando | |
| Majority leader | Cecilia Aguiar-Curry | Democratic | 4th–Winters | |
| Assistant majority leader | Robert Garcia | Democratic | 50th-Rancho Cucamonga | |
| Assistant majority leader for policy and research | LaShae Sharp-Collins | Democratic | 79th–San Diego | |
| Majority whip | Mark Gonzalez | Democratic | 54th–Los Angeles | |
| Assistant majority whip | Michelle Rodriguez | Democratic | 53rd–Pomona | |
| Jessica Caloza | Democratic | 52nd–Los Angeles | ||
| Democratic caucus chair | Rick Zbur | Democratic | 51st–Los Angeles | |
| Republican leader | James Gallagher | Republican | 3rd–East Nicolaus | |
| Republican floor leader | Heath Flora | Republican | 9th–Lodi | |
| Republican caucus chair | Tom Lackey | Republican | 34th–Palmdale | |
| Republican deputy floor leader | Kate Sanchez | Republican | 71st–Rancho Santa Margarita | |
| Republican deputy leader (fiscal) | Diane Dixon | Republican | 72nd–Newport Beach | |
| Republican deputy leader (policy) | Joe Patterson | Republican | 5th–Rocklin | |
| Republican deputy leader (operations) | Juan Alanis | Republican | 22nd–Modesto | |
| Republican deputy leader (external relations) | Laurie Davies | Republican | 74th–Laguna Niguel | |
| Republican chief whip | Tri Ta | Republican | 70th–Westminster | |
| Republican deputy whip | Alexandra Macedo | Republican | 33rd–Tulare | |
| Heather Hadwick | Republican | 1st–Alturas | ||
| Chief Clerk | Sue Parker | |||
| Chief Sergeant-at-Arms | Cheryl Craft | |||
| Chaplain | Vacant | |||
Members
See also
References
- ^ Kitagaki, Paul Jr.; Amezcua, Hector (December 2, 2024). "See family members join new California legislators on festive first day of new session". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
- ^ Padilla, Cecilio (December 2, 2024). "Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to 'Trump-proof' California in a special legislative session. Here's what to expect". CBS News. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
- ^ Nguyen, Jeannie (December 2, 2024). "Women make up nearly half of current lawmakers within California state legislature". ABC News. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- ^ Gerda, Nick; Replogle, Jill (November 6, 2024). "Janet Nguyen on track to win OC Board of Supervisors seat by wide margin". LAist. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
- ^ "Final Official Election Results - Assembly District 32 :: California Secretary of State". www.sos.ca.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
- ^ "SPECIAL ELECTION PROCLAMATION BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA" (PDF). Office of the Governor of California. April 14, 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
- ^ Gutierrez, Hannah (September 25, 2025). "Assemblyman Heath Flora succeeds James Gallagher as Assembly Republican Caucus Leader". KRCR-TV. Retrieved January 16, 2026.
- ^ Zavala, Gerardo (January 5, 2026). "Monique Limón becomes first woman of color, mother to lead California State Senate". CapRadio. Retrieved January 16, 2026.
- ^ "Newsom signs California energy package into law | Utility Dive". www.utilitydive.com. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
- ^ Grace, Caroline. "Landmark 'Pathways' Bill Marks Significant Energy Affordability Win as California Session Concludes". blog.advancedenergyunited.org. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
- ^ "Gavin Newsom signs first-in-nation AI safety law". POLITICO. September 29, 2025. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
- ^ "Governor Newsom signs SB 53, advancing California's world-leading artificial intelligence industry". Governor of California. September 29, 2025. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
- ^ "Governor Newsom Signs Senator Wiener's Landmark AI Law To Set Commonsense Guardrails, Boost Innovation". Senator Scott Wiener. September 29, 2025. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
- ^ "As the federal government turns its back on workers, Governor Newsom signs landmark bill expanding workers' rights". Governor of California. September 30, 2025. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
- ^ a b "Governor Newsom signs bills curbing billionaire influence on elections and protecting elections from interference". Governor of California. October 2, 2025. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
- ^ "Governor Newsom signs bill expanding fuel options to cut gas prices". Governor of California. October 2, 2025. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
- ^ "Governor Newsom announces 99.8% compliance with emergency regulations, signs bill to permanently protect children from hemp products". Governor of California. October 2, 2025. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
- ^ "SB 9 (2025): Removing Local Barriers to ADUs". California YIMBY. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
- ^ "Bill Status - AB-1154 Junior accessory dwelling units". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
- ^ "Bill History - AB-413 Department of Housing and Community Development: guidelines: translation". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ^ "Senator Wiener Announces Major Legislation To Build Homes Near Public Transit To Improve Affordability in California". Senator Scott Wiener. March 14, 2025. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
- ^ Baldassari, Erin (March 14, 2025). "Wiener's Controversial Bill to Allow Housing Near Transit Is Back | KQED". www.kqed.org. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
- ^ "Bill Status - AB-1061 Housing developments: urban lot splits: historical resources". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
- ^ "AB 1308- AMENDED". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
- ^ "AB 253- AMENDED". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
- ^ "Bill History - SB-543 Accessory dwelling units and junior accessory dwelling units". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ^ "California Proposition 50, Use of Legislative Congressional Redistricting Map Amendment (2025)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
