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Speaker of the California State Assembly

Presiding officer of the California State Assembly

Summary

Presiding officer of the California State Assembly

Field	Value
post	Speaker of the California State Assembly
insignia	Seal of the Assembly of the State of California.svg
insigniasize	130
insigniacaption	Seal of the California State Assembly
image	Robert Rivas official speaker portrait (cropped).jpg
incumbent	Robert Rivas
incumbentsince	June 30, 2023
style	Mister/Madam Speaker (informal)
The Honorable (formal)
appointer	California State Assembly
termlength	2 years
formation	1849
succession	Third
inaugural	Thomas J. White

The Honorable (formal)

The speaker of the California State Assembly is the presiding officer and highest-ranking member of the California State Assembly, controlling the flow of legislation and committee assignments. The speaker is nominated by the majority party's caucus and elected by the full Assembly typically at the beginning of each two year session. Meanwhile, other floor leaders, such as the majority leader and minority leaders, are elected by their respective party caucuses according to each party's strength in the chamber. The current speaker is Democrat Robert Rivas of the 29th district.

The speaker formerly had far more power, and was able to issue committee assignments to both parties' members, control State Assembly funds, and had broad administrative authority, but many of these powers were transferred to committee chairs after the speakership of Curt Pringle.

The speaker of the Assembly is also third in the order of succession to the governor of California, after the lieutenant governor and the president pro tempore of the California State Senate.

List of speakers

The following is a list of speakers of the California State Assembly. It does not number those individuals who served abbreviated terms or those who served during an extraordinary session called by the governor of California for a narrowly defined agenda.

Speaker	Portrait	District	Party	Term of service
1. Thomas J. White		Sacramento	Unaffiliated	December 1849–February 1850
2. John Bigler	[[File:John Bigler painting.jpg	100px	John Bigler, 2nd Speaker (1850–1851)]]	12		Democratic	February 1850–May 1851
3. Richard P. Hammond		7		Democratic	January 1852–May 1852
4. Isaac B. Wall	[[File:Isaac_B._Wall,_1850s.jpg	100px]]	6		Democratic	January 1853–May 1853
5. Charles S. Fairfax	[[File:Charles S. Fiarfax, 1850-60s.jpg	100px]]	15		Democratic	January 1854–May 1854
6. William W. Stow	[[File:William W. Stow.png	100px]]	3		Whig	January 1855–May 1855
7. James T. Farley	[[File:James T. Farley.jpg	100px	James Farley, 7th Speaker (1856)]]	19		American	January 1856–April 1856
8. Elwood T. Beatty		19		Democratic	January 1857–April 1857
9. Ninian E. Whiteside		15		Democratic	January 1858–April 1858
10. William C. Stratton		17		Democratic	January 1859–April 1859
11. Phillip Moore		16		Democratic	January 1860–April 1860
12. Ransom Burnell		19	Douglas Democratic	January 1861–May 1861
13. George Barstow		8		Republican	January 1862–May 1862
14. Tim N. Machin		12		National Union	January 1863–April 1863
15. William H. Sears		21		National Union	December 1863–April 1864
16. John Yule	[[File:John Yule (California politician).jpg	100px	John Yule, 16th Speaker (1865-1866)]]	20		National Union	December 1865–April 1866
17. Caius T. Ryland	[[File:Caius Tacitus Ryland.png	100px	Caius Tacitus Ryland, 17th Speaker (1867-1868)]]	7		Democratic	December 1867–March 1868
18. George H. Rogers		8		Democratic	December 1869–April 1870
19. Thomas Bowles Shannon	[[File:ThomasBowlesShannon.jpg	100px	Thomas Bowles Shannon, 19th Speaker (1871–1872)]]	8		Republican	December 1871–April 1872
20. Morris M. Estee	[[File:Morris M. Estee.jpg	100px	Morris M. Estee, 20th Speaker (1873–1874)]]	8		Independent	December 1873–March 1874
21. Gideon J. Carpenter	[[File:Gideon J. Carpenter.jpg	100px	Gideon J. Carpenter, 21st Speaker (1875–1876)]]	23		Democratic	December 1875–April 1876
22. Campbell Polson Berry	[[File:Campbell Polson Berry - Brady-Handy.jpg	100px	Campbell Berry, 22nd Speaker (1877–1878)]]	25		Democratic	December 1877–April 1878
23. Jabez F. Cowdery	[[File:Jabez F. Cowdery.jpg	100px	Jabez F. Cowdery, 23rd Speaker (1880)]]	13		Republican	January 1880–April 1880
24. William H. Parks	[[File:William H. Parks, 1887.jpg	100px	William H. Parks, 24th Speaker (1881)]]	25		Republican	January 1881–May 1881
25. Hugh McElroy LaRue	[[File:Hugh McElroy LaRue (1830-1906) (cropped).jpg	100px	Hugh McElroy LaRue, 25th Speaker (1883-1884)]]	18		Democratic	January 1883–May 1884
– William H. Parks	[[File:William H. Parks, 1887.jpg	100px	William H. Parks, 24th Speaker (1881)]]	25		Republican	January 1885–September 1886
26. William H. Jordan	[[File:William H. Jordan (California politician).jpg	100px	William H. Jordan, 26th Speaker (1887)]]	55		Republican	January 1887–March 1887
27. Robert Howe	[[File:Robert Howe (California politician) Crop.jpg	100px	Robert Howe, 27th Speaker (1889)]]	25		Democratic	January 1889–March 1889
28. Frank Leslie Coombs	[[File:Frank_Leslie_Coombs.jpg	100px]]	22		Republican	January 1891–March 1891
29. Frank H. Gould	[[File:Frank H. Gould, 1904.jpg	100px	Frank H. Gould 29th speaker (1893)]]	57		Democratic	January 1893–March 1893
30. John C. Lynch	[[File:John C. Lynch, 1897.jpg	100px]]	8		Republican	January 1895–March 1895
– Frank Leslie Coombs	[[File:Frank_Leslie_Coombs.jpg	100px]]	18		Republican	January 1897–March 1897
31. Howard E. Wright	[[File:Howard E. Wright, 1898.jpg	100px	Howard E. Wright, 31st speaker (1899)]]	51		Republican	January 1899
32. Alden Anderson	[[File:Alden Anderson.jpg	100px]]	19		Republican	January 1899–February 1900
33. Cornelius W. Pendleton	[[File:Cornelius W. Pendleton, 1912.jpg	100px	Cornelius W. Pendleton, 33rd speaker (1901)]]	74		Republican	January 1901–March 1901
34. Arthur G. Fisk	[[File:Arthur Fisk Pic wiki.JPG	100px	Arthur Fisk, 34th Speaker (1903)]]	37		Republican	January 1903–March 1903
35. Frank C. Prescott	[[File:Frank C. Prescott, 1900s.jpg	100px	Frank C. Prescott, 35th speaker (1905–1906)]]	76		Republican	January 1905–June 1906
36. Robert L. Beardslee Sr.	[[File:Robert Beardslee (1).png	100px	Robert L. Beardslee, 36th speaker (1907–1909)]]	23		Republican	January 1907–November 1909
37. Phillip A. Stanton	[[File:Phillip A. Stanton, 1912.jpg	100px	Phillip A. Stanton, 37th speaker (1909–1910)]]	71		Republican	January 1909–October 1910
38. Arthur Hathaway Hewitt	[[File:Arthur Hathaway Hewitt.jpg	100px	Arthur Hathaway Hewitt, 38th speaker (1911)]]	8		Republican	January 1911–December 1911
39. C. C. Young	[[File:C.C. Young LCCN2014710641.tif	100px	Clement C. Young, 39th Speaker (1913–1917)]]	41		Republican, Progressive	January 1913–April 1917
40. Henry W. Wright	[[File:Henry W. Wright, 1932.jpg	100px]]	69		Republican	January 1919–April 1921
41. Frank F. Merriam	[[File:FrankMerriam.jpg	100px	Frank Merriam, 41st Speaker (1923–1926)]]	70		Republican	January 1923–October 1926
42. Edgar C. Levey	[[File:Levey002soft.JPG	100px	Edgar Levey, 42nd Speaker (1927–1931)]]	28		Republican	January 1927–May 1931
43. Walter J. Little	[[File:Walter J. Little, 1932.jpg	100px	Walter J. Little, 43rd Speaker (1933–1933)]]	60		Republican	January 1933–July 1933
44. Forsythe Charles Clowdsley	[[File:Forsythe Charles Clowdsley, 1929.jpg	100px]]	11		Democratic	September 1934 (extraordinary session)
45. Edward Craig	[[File:Edward Craig, 1935.jpg	100px]]	75		Republican	January 1935–May 1936
46. William Moseley Jones	[[File:Jones002soft.JPG	100px	William Jones, 46th Speaker (1937–1938)]]	51		Democratic	January 1937–March 1938
47. Paul Peek	[[File:Paul_Peek,_1942.jpg	100px]]	71		Democratic	January 1939–June 1939
48. Gordon Hickman Garland	[[File:Garland002soft.JPG	100px	Gordon Garland, 48th Speaker (1940–1942)]]	38		Democratic	January 1940–January 1942
49. Charles W. Lyon	[[File:Charles W. Lyon (1938).jpg	100px	Charles Lyon, 49th Speaker (1943–1946)]]	59		Republican	January 1943–July 1946
50. Sam L. Collins	[[File:Sam L. Collins (California Congressman).jpg	100px	Sam L. Collins, 50th Speaker (1947-1952)]]	75		Republican	January 1947–August 1952
51. James W. Silliman	[[File:James_W._Silliman,_1954.jpg	100px]]	34		Republican	January 1953–April 1954
52. Luther H. Lincoln	[[File:Luther_H._Lincoln,_1954.jpg	100px]]	15		Republican	January 1955–April 1958
53. Ralph M. Brown	[[File:Ralph_M._Brown,_1953.jpg	100px]]	30		Democratic	January 1959–September 1961
54. Jesse M. Unruh	[[File:Jesse Unruh 1960s family christmas card (back) (cropped).jpg	100px	Jesse M. Unruh, 54th Speaker (1961–1969)]]	65		Democratic	September 1961–January 1969
55. Robert T. Monagan	[[File:Robert T. Monagan, 1971.jpg	100px	Robert Timothy Monagan, 56th Speaker (1969–1970)]]	12		Republican	January 1969–September 1970
56. Bob Moretti	[[File:Bob_Moretti,_1971.jpg	100px]]	42		Democratic	January 1971–June 1974
57. Leo T. McCarthy	[[File:Leo T. McCarthy, 1975.jpg	100px	Leo T. McCarthy, 57th Speaker (1970–1980)]]	19/18		Democratic	June 1974–November 1980
58. Willie Brown	[[File:WILLIE Brown, October 1999.jpg	100px	Willie Brown, 58th Speaker (1980–1995)]]	17/13		Democratic	December 2, 1980 – June 5, 1995
59. Doris Allen		67		Republican	June 5, 1995 – September 14, 1995
60. Brian Setencich		30		Republican	September 14, 1995 – January 4, 1996
61. Curt Pringle	[[File:Curt Pringle in 2002.jpg	100px	Curt Pringle, 61st Speaker (1996)]]	68		Republican	January 4, 1996 – November 30, 1996
62. Cruz M. Bustamante	[[File:Cruz-Bustamante (cropped).jpg	100px	Cruz Bustamante, 62nd Speaker (1996–1998)]]	31		Democratic	December 2, 1996 – February 26, 1998
63. Antonio Villaraigosa	[[File:Speaker Villaraigosa (cropped).jpg	100px]]	45		Democratic	February 26, 1998 – April 13, 2000
64. Robert M. Hertzberg	[[File:Robert Hertzberg (1).jpg	100px]]	40		Democratic	April 13, 2000 – February 6, 2002
65. Herb J. Wesson, Jr.	[[File:Herb Wesson 2012 (cropped).jpg	100px]]	47		Democratic	February 6, 2002 – February 9, 2004
66. Fabian Núñez	[[File:FabianNunez.jpg	100px	Fabian Núñez, 66th Speaker (2004–2008)]]	46		Democratic	February 9, 2004 – May 13, 2008
67. Karen Bass	[[File:Karen Bass.jpg	100px]]	47		Democratic	May 13, 2008 – March 1, 2010
68. John Pérez	[[File:John Pérez 2011.jpg	100px]]	46/53		Democratic	March 1, 2010 – May 12, 2014
69. Toni Atkins	[[File:Atkins Headshot.jpg	100px]]	78		Democratic	May 12, 2014 – March 7, 2016
70. Anthony Rendon	[[File:Anthony Rendon official photo (cropped).jpg	100px]]	63		Democratic	March 7, 2016 – June 30, 2023
71. Robert Rivas	[[File:Robert Rivas official speaker portrait (cropped).jpg	128x128px]]	29		Democratic	June 30, 2023 – present

The First California Legislature was nonpartisan.
Estee was also a |Republican, but he was elected to the term in which he was Speaker as an independent.
Young was elected as a |Republican during the 40th and 42nd sessions (1913 and 1917), but a Progressive during the 41st session (1915).
McCarthy's 19th District was renumbered the 18th District after the 1970s redistricting.
Brown's 17th District was renumbered the 13th District after the 1990s redistricting.
Allen and Setencich were Republican Assemblymembers whom Democrats elected after losing their majority in the chamber.
Perez's 46th District was renumbered the 53rd District after the 2010s redistricting.

References

(1996-03-12). "Leader in Allen Recall Pleads Guilty to Vote Fraud". LA Times.
"Constitution of California: Article V, Section 10". [[California Legislature]].
"Government Code, Article 5.5, Section 12058 — Succession to the Office of Governor". [[California Legislature]].
"Government Code, Article 5.5, Section 12061 — Succession to the Office of Governor in the Event of War or Enemy-Caused Disaster". [[California Legislature]].

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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