Governor Gavin Newsom was sworn into office this morning at the State Capitol during an event where he was upstaged by his two-year old son, Dutch.
State Superintendent Tony Thurmond was also sworn-in today at a Sacramento high school.
The new Legislature was sworn into office in December, but returned to Sacramento today following their holiday break.
Over the holidays, the Senate and Assembly released committee chair and member rosters for 2019, giving us a clearer picture of the politics of the relevant fiscal and policy committees that will have input on the State budget and legislation. Below is the membership of some key committees.
Key Committees for Education
For education, there are some notable changes – mostly in the Senate. Senator Connie Leyva takes over as the chair of the Senate Education Committee from Senator Ben Allen – who made it clear last year he was seeking to give up the gavel. Additionally, the Education Committee membership is much different from 2018, with only three of the seven members staying over (Senators Leyva, Wilk, and Pan). The Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education has an entirely new membership, with Senator Richard Roth serving as the chair.
In the Assembly there is more stability, where only two Assembly Members are new to the Education Committee: Christy Smith and Brian Maienschein. O’Donnell remains the chair. The Assembly Budget Subcommittee has some new members, but the chair remains Assembly Member Kevin McCarty.
Senate Education Committee
- Connie M. Leyva (Chair, D – Chino)
- Scott Wilk (Vice Chair, R – Santa Clarita)
- Ling Ling Chang (R – Diamond Bar)
- Maria Elena Durazo (D – Los Angeles)
- Steven M. Glazer (D – Contra Costa)
- Mike McGuire (D – Healdsburg)
- Richard Pan (D – Sacramento)
Assembly Education Committee
- Patrick O’Donnell (Chair, D – Long Beach)
- Kevin Kiley (Vice Chair, R – Roseville)
- Ash Kalra (D – San Jose)
- Kevin McCarty (D – Sacramento)
- Brian Maienschein (R – Mira Mesa)
- Christy Smith (D – Santa Clarita)
- Shirley N. Weber (D – San Diego)
Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education
- Richard D. Roth (Chair, D – Riverside)
- Connie M. Leyva (D – Chino)
- Mike Morrell (R – Inland Empire)
Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education
- Kevin McCarty (Chair, D – Sacramento)
- James Gallagher (R – Yuba City)
- Monique Limón (D – San Luis Obispo)
- Brian Maienschein (R – Mira Mesa)
- Jose Medina (D – Riverside)
- Al Muratsuchi (D – Torrance)
- Patrick O’Donnell (D – Long Beach)
Later this week, Governor Newsom will release his first budget proposal and kick off the budget dance with the Legislature. We will provide a summary and analysis of his budget proposal and hit the road to talk about the budget proposal at our budget workshops.