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California State Assembly
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The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000. Due to the state's large population and relatively small legislature, the Assembly has the largest population per representative ratio of any lower house legislature in the United States; only the federal U.S.
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Encyclopedia
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000. Due to the state's large population and relatively small legislature, the Assembly has the largest population per representative ratio of any lower house legislature in the United States; only the federal U.S. House of Representatives has a larger ratio. Since a referendum in 1990, members of the Assembly are restricted by term limits, confining them to three two-year terms (six years).
The Assembly convenes at the California State Capitol in Sacramento.
Leadership of the Assembly
The Speaker of the Assembly presides over the Assembly in the chief leadership position, controlling the flow of legislation and committee assignments. The Speaker is elected by the majority party caucus, followed by confirmation of the full Assembly on passage of a floor vote. Other Assembly leaders, such as the majority and minority leaders, are elected by their respective party caucuses according to each party's strength in the chamber.
The current Speaker is Karen Bass of the 47th district (D-Los Angeles). The Majority Leader is Alberto Torrico of the 20th district (D-Newark). The Minority Leader is Michael Villines of the 29th district (R-Fresno).
Assembly chamber
The chamber's green tones are based on the British House of Commons. The dais rests along a wall shaped like an "E", with its central projection housing the rostrum. Along the cornice appears a portrait of Abraham Lincoln and a quotation from him in Latin: legislatorum est iustas leges condere ("It is the duty of legislators to pass just laws"). Almost every decorating element is identical to the Senate Chamber.
Assembly
| Affiliation | Members
| | | Democratic Party | 51 | | | Republican Party | 29 | Total
| 80 | Majority
| 22 |
Officers
Note: The Chief Clerk and the Sergeant at Arms are not Members of the Legislature
Full list of members, 2009-2010
Candidate qualifications
To run for Member of the Assembly, the candidate must be a United States citizen and a registered voter in the district at the time nomination papers are issued and may not have served three terms in the State Assembly since November 6, 1990. According to Article IV, Section 2(c) of the California Constitution, the candidate must have one year of residency in the legislative district and California residency for three years, even though it is the legal opinion of the California Secretary of State's office that these provisions violate the United States Constitution.
State Assembly Members
See:
Officers information
The Office of the Sergeant at Arms is the division which protects the assemblymen of the California State Assembly. The chief sergeant at arms is the head of this division. This position has existed since December 15 1849 when Samuel N. Houston became California's first Sergeant at Arms.
See also
External links
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