Faced with term limits and newly drawn district lines following the 2020 Census, 39 incumbents in the California Legislature have either termed out this year or indicated that they will resign, retire or run for office elsewhere. Last Friday’s filing deadline finalized the stage for a crowded election cycle through the end of 2022.

With so many new lawmakers expected to join the Legislature next session, this year is the ideal time to lay the groundwork for robust public affairs efforts that will move California forward.

By the Numbers

• 14 Senators have termed out, resigned or will not run for reelection
• 25 Assemblymembers have termed out, resigned or will not run for reelection

Key Announcements

Some of the key Capitol figures that will not be returning or are running for other offices include:

Senate

• Bob Hertzberg, the former Assembly Speaker and current Senate Majority Leader Emeritus, will not be eligible to run for reelection due to term limits. He is running for a seat on the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors. His son, Daniel, is campaigning for his seat.
• Henry Stern announced his candidacy for a seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. If elected, Stern will resign his Senate seat and his role as chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee.
• Brian Dahle has announced his intent to run for Governor against Gov. Gavin Newsom. Dahle is a Republican state senator representing portions of Northern California, and his current term expires in 2024.
• Richard Pan, chair of the Senate Health Committee, is unable to run for reelection due to term limits.
• Connie Leyva, chair of the Senate Education Committee, is running for a seat on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.
• Ben Hueso, chair of the California Latino legislative Caucus and the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee, is unable to run for reelection due to term limits.
• Steve Glazer, chair of the Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee, is running for State Controller.

Assembly

• Lorena Gonzalez vacated her role as chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee and Assembly seat to lead the California Labor Federation. Asm. Chris Holden was appointed by Speaker Rendon to lead the Appropriations Committee, and Asm. Eduardo Garcia was appointed to replace Holden as chair of the Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee.
• Chad Mayes will not seek reelection as the Legislature’s only independent member.
• Autumn Burke resigned her seat and role as chair of the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee.
• Jim Cooper will not seek reelection, choosing instead to run for Sacramento County Sheriff. Asm. Cooper is the current chair of the Assembly Public Employment and Retirement Committee.
• Kevin Mullin, Speaker pro Tem of the Assembly, is competing for Rep. Jackie Speier’s seat in Congress.
• Adam Gray announced he is running for Congress in a new district that includes parts of Modesto, Turlock and Merced County.
• Rudy Salas, chair of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, is running for Congress in the Central Valley.
• Jim Frazier resigned at the end of 2021 to pursue opportunities in the transportation sector. His district, located in the Bay Area, will hold a special election in late spring or summer to replace Frazier.
• Patrick O’Donnell announced that he will not seek reelection in order to pursue “new challenges and opportunities.” O’Donnell is the current chair of the Assembly Education Committee.
• Kevin Kiley is running for Congress in Congressional District 3, a new district that encompasses several foothill cities and much of the California-Nevada state line. Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones is also running for this seat.
• Marc Levine announced his bid for State Insurance Commissioner, challenging incumbent Ricardo Lara.
• Jose Medina will not be seeking reelection for a sixth term. Medina is currently chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee.
• Cristina Garcia is running for Congress in a new district that encompasses areas of Los Angeles currently represented by Reps. Alan Lowenthal and Lucille Roybal-Allard. Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia is also vying for this congressional seat.
• Richard Bloom had previously announced he was running for a seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors but has since dropped out.
• Bill Quirk announced he will not run for reelection, issuing a statement that he plans to focus in the future on addressing the climate crisis.
• Frank Bigelow announced he would not seek reelection but planned to return to office in 2024.
• Mark Stone announced he will not seek reelection. Stone currently serves as the chair of the Assembly Judiciary Committee.

Lucas Public Affairs will continue to keep track of movement in the Legislature to help inform strategy as we work with clients to navigate the crossroads of policy, politics and communications.

Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about our services or our team.