Guide to the New Members of the California Legislature (2023-24 Session)

The new 2023-24 California Legislature has a record 34 new members of the Assembly and the Senate. The new members took their oath of office on December 5th, 2022.

To help navigate these new members of the Senate and Assembly, Sheehy Strategy Group has developed a guide identifying all new members, their party affiliations, and district offices. There are a record number of women (49) and many firsts including:

• Senator Aisha Wahab (D-Hayward) became the first Afghan American Muslim lawmaker, as well as the only former foster child in the Senate, according to her campaign.

• Assembly Member Corey Jackson (D-Riverside County) is the first out LGBTQ Black lawmaker.

• Assembly Member and physician Dr. Jasmeet Bains (D-Bakersfield) is the first South Asian woman to serve in the Legislature.

• Assembly Member Bill Essayli is the son of Lebanese American immigrants, and the first American Muslim in the Assembly.

• Assembly Member Jasmeet Bains is the first Sikh American and woman of Indian American descent to serve in the Assembly.

These first-time senators and assembly members join a historically diverse cast of lawmakers this session. In addition to the 49 women legislators, there are 36 Latinos, and 12 openly LGBTQ+ members – record numbers for all groups. The surge in diversity is partly due to new districts and open seats that created a window of opportunity for new candidates.

There is more potential diversity on the horizon. Largely due to 12-year legislative term limits, enacted in 2012, there are at least 24 seats to turn over in 2024, and another 20 in both 2026 and 2028. Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins of San Diego, the first openly gay Senate leader, is among those terming out in 2024.

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