Copyright© 2006 by School Services of California, Inc.

                                      Volume 19                   For Publication Date: December 1, 2006             No. 25

State Legislators Return to Sacramento on December 4

The 2007-08 legislative session technically gets underway on December 4, 2006, with swearing-in ceremonies for newly elected legislators. There are 48 legislators who either are freshmen or switching houses. 

Never before have so many legislative seats changed hands in one California election. Not a single incumbent lost his or her seat—52 won re-election. The high turnover is the result of term limits and decisions by some lawmakers to seek higher positions. 

Democrats retained control of the Legislature by the same margins held after the 2004 elections—48 to 32 in the Assembly and 25 to 15 in the Senate—but the faces will be vastly different this session. 

The number of African Americans in the Legislature increased from six to nine (two more than the previous high); Latinos will have 28 members, down from 29; and the number of Asian-Pacific Islander members will remain at eight. However, women did not fare as well, with their ranks shrinking from 37 to 34 (120 members make up the total number of state legislators).

Trivia 

• One new legislator has a public high school named after her
• Two brothers won election—one in the Assembly and one in the Senate
• Five legislators are returning to the Capitol after previously being termed-out of one house
• One legislator replaced his spouse
• Assembly Member Sharon Runner won re-election, preserving the Legislature’s only husband-wife duo
• Ninety-four out of 100 races were won by wide margins of 15 percentage points or more
• No legislative seats switched party hands

Finally, after swearing-in ceremonies on December 4 and locating their new offices, they will leave town. They will return on January 3, 2007. 

—Arnold Bray