What does a state Assemblymember do?
The California Assembly is one-half of our state legislature. Along with the State Senate, it essentially serves as California’s Congress. Voters will choose their representatives in all 80 state Assembly districts. Many will be new due to retirements and term limits, but how many challengers oust incumbents? And how many will flip from one party to the other?
The job duties include:
- Casting as many as 3,000 votes a year — and in theory a way most of your constituents want.  Â
- Passing a state spending plan when there’s likely to be a deficit and an uncertain financial picture.
- Sitting through long meetings, unless you get a spot on the powerful Appropriations Committee, where you’ll decide behind closed doors and then pass or kill all the bills at once.
Find your district
Not sure who represents you in the California State Legislature? CalMatters has a tool for that. Just type in your address and look it up. (Don’t worry — your address is not stored!)
You can also use this same tool to find out where your legislator lands on the “How liberal or conservative are your legislators?” scale.
Why do these races matter?
State lawmakers draft and pass laws that govern the entire state. These laws can provide benefits that aren’t granted by the federal government, such as paid family leave or in-state tuition for undocumented college students. They can impose rules that apply statewide, like restrictions on buying guns, or not allowing restaurants to provide single-use plastic straws unless a customer requests it. They can also set minimum standards for the state and allow cities and counties to go further — for instance, the state minimum wage is $15 an hour for businesses with more than 25 employees, but the city of L.A.’s hourly minimum wage went up to $16.04 in July 2022.
There are 80 assembly districts across California,…
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