California State Senate
California State Senate | |
|---|---|
| California State Legislature | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | Elected before 2012: 2 terms (8 years) Elected 2012 and after: 3 terms (12 years) |
| History | |
New session started | December 5, 2022 |
| Leadership | |
Majority Leader | |
Minority Leader | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 40 |
Political groups | Majority
Minority |
Length of term | 4 years |
| Authority | Article 4, California Constitution |
| Salary | $114,877/year + $211 per diem |
| Elections | |
| Nonpartisan blanket primary | |
Last election | November 5, 2024 (20 seats) |
Next election | November 3, 2026 (20 seats) |
| Redistricting | California Citizens Redistricting Commission |
| Motto | |
| Senatoris est civitatis libertatem tueri ("It is a senator's duty to protect the liberty of the people.") | |
| Meeting place | |
| State Senate Chamber California State Capitol Sacramento, California | |
| Website | |
| senate | |
| Rules | |
| Standing Rules of the Senate | |
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature (the lower house being the California State Assembly). The state senate convenes, along with the state assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento.
Neither house has expanded from the sizes set in the 1879 constitution, and each of the 40 state senators represents approximately 931,349 people. This is a higher number than that of any other state legislative house and than that of California's representatives in the United States House of Representatives, and each state senator represents more than the population of each of five U.S. states. In the current legislative session, the Democratic Party holds 30 out of the 40 seats, which constitutes a 75% majority, more than the two-thirds supermajority threshold of 27.