California state senate Archives

What Are the Joint Recesses in the First Year of Session in the California Legislature?

December 5, 2022 6:26 amDecember 5, 2022 6:28 am

The Joint Rules of the California State Senate and Assembly contain more than sixty provisions, including Joint Rule 51, which deals with the legislative calendar. Subdivision (a) of Joint Rule 51 deals with the first, or odd-numbered, year of the...

Californians Redistricted Out of Old State Senate Districts

September 21, 2022 8:07 amSeptember 21, 2022 8:11 am

Were you redistricted right out of your old Senate district? With state Senate districts recently redrawn, new district lines take effect in a staggered manner – half of the districts taking effect immediately after redistricting, and the other lines taking...

Why Is the Phrase ‘The Desk Is Clear’ Used in the California State Senate?

September 14, 2022 6:52 amSeptember 14, 2022 6:53 am

Observers of the California State Senate will hear at the end of the day’s Session the following statement from the Presiding Officer: “Senator Atkins, the Desk is clear.” What does that mean and why is it used? According to the...

OPINION: Guaranteed Income for Homeless High School Grads

May 30, 2022 7:42 amMay 30, 2022 12:12 pm

Last week, we reported on the movement gathering steam to cancel student loan debt as perhaps an effort by Democrats to recapture the heretofore reliable vote of the under thirty crowd. Recent action in Sacramento indicates yet another effort to...

Overview of the Senate Rules

May 1, 2022 7:59 amMay 1, 2022 8:02 am

On the first day of the start of each two-year legislative session, the Senate adopts rules for its internal procedures. For the 2021-2022 Session, the Standing Rules of the Senate are contained in Senate Resolution 3 (Atkins). The following are...

What Happens to Bills Authored by a Former Member of the California Legislature?

January 6, 2022 2:10 pmJanuary 6, 2022 2:15 pm

On occasion, a Member of the California State Assembly or the State Senate resigns his or her elected office in order to take a new position either in or out of government. What if that legislator still has active pieces...

How Do the Final Two Weeks of the 2021 Legislative Session Look?

August 27, 2021 2:32 pmAugust 27, 2021 4:36 pm

As the California Legislative Session wraps up in two weeks to conclude in 2021 Session, we wanted to look at the pending legislation and the timing of final bill actions. The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn on Friday, September 20....