Senate Archives - California Globe

State Senator Jim Nielsen Announces His Retirement

November 19, 2022 2:30 amNovember 18, 2022 5:18 pm

Senator Jim Nielsen (R-Red Bluff) announced his retirement on Friday, ending a long string of elected positions and board appointments dating back to the late 1970’s. Born in 1944 in Fresno and a graduate of CSU Fresno, Nielsen first entered...

Electing California’s Assembly Speaker

November 10, 2022 3:30 pmNovember 10, 2022 3:05 pm

With the convening of a new 2-year California Legislative Session, the Senate and Assembly will organize their respective houses and elect their leaders on December 5 when the 2023-24 Legislative Session officially begins. This article briefly reviews the applicable constitutional,...

California Globe (Early) Election Night Results

November 8, 2022 9:43 pmNovember 9, 2022 6:53 am

UPDATED 11/9/2022 6:30a.m.: The Globe will keep an updated tally of races across the state. Many races are not expected to be called tonight because of how close many are and because of the high number of mail-in ballots that...

Special Session or Extraordinary Session – Which Is It?

October 24, 2022 10:52 amOctober 24, 2022 10:55 am

With an impending special session being called by Governor Gavin Newsom when the California Legislature convenes its 2023-24 Regular Session on December 5, some observers have asked, “Is it called a special session or an extraordinary session?” California Constitution The...

What Committee Actions Can Occur Without a Quorum?

October 12, 2022 3:22 pmOctober 12, 2022 3:26 pm

Before any official legislative business can be conducted in a policy or fiscal committee, or on either Floor of the Assembly or Senate, a quorum must be established, which means over half of the legislators are present and answer to...

A Bill Can Be ‘Held’ by a Legislative Committee in Several Ways

October 11, 2022 4:30 pmOctober 11, 2022 4:34 pm

In the California Legislature, a bill can be “held” in three distinct ways, which seems rather odd because it would appear that the end result is the same – the bill is not moving forward from the policy or fiscal...

Why Are Conference Committees Rarely Used in the California Legislature?

October 11, 2022 6:29 amOctober 11, 2022 6:38 am

In the past, the California Legislature used conference committees as a regular part of the legislative process. However, despite extensive rules and procedures for their use, the conference committee in the California Legislature is largely nonexistent today. Why is that?...