What is the California Assembly?
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The California State Assembly is one of the two houses that make up the California State Legislature — the other is the State Senate. The Assembly has 80 members, each elected to serve a two-year term.
Thanks to a law voters passed in 2012 (Proposition 28), Assembly members can now serve up to 12 years total in the Legislature. That time can be spent entirely in the Assembly, entirely in the Senate, or split between the two. (Before that, the limit was just six years in the Assembly.)
The Assembly’s main job is to take part in the legislative process — reviewing, amending, and voting on bills. Bills can start in either the Assembly or the Senate and have to go through a series of steps like committee hearings, second and third readings, and floor votes before they can become law. After both houses agree on the final version, the bill heads to the Governor.
Most bills need a simple majority — at least 41 votes — to pass in the Assembly. But certain types of bills, like those needing immediate action or involving budget matters, require a two-thirds vote, which means 54 votes.
Sources
POLITICO California Pro. The Essential Guide to California Legislation. June 2019. PDF. https://www.politicopro.com/California%20-%20Guide%20to%20Legislation/POL-06jun2019-CA-Legislation-Guide-r3.pdf.
