The speaker of the California State Assembly is the presiding officer and highest-ranking member of the California State Assembly, controlling the flow of legislation and committee assignments. The speaker is nominated by the majority party's caucus and elected by the full Assembly typically at the beginning of each two year session. Meanwhile, other floor leaders, such as the majority leader and minority leaders, are elected by their respective party caucuses according to each party's strength in the chamber. The current speaker is Democrat Robert Rivas of the 29th district.

The speaker formerly had far more power, and was able to issue committee assignments to both parties' members, control State Assembly funds, and had broad administrative authority, but many of these powers were transferred to committee chairs after the speakership of Curt Pringle.

The speaker of the Assembly is also third in the order of succession to the governor of California, after the lieutenant governor and the president pro tempore of the California State Senate.

List of speakers The following is a list of speakers of the California State Assembly. It does not number those individuals who served abbreviated terms or those who served during an extraordinary session called by the governor of California for a narrowly defined agenda. Speaker Portrait District Party Term of service 1. Thomas J. White Sacramento Unaffiliated December 1849–February 1850 2. John Bigler 12 Democratic February 1850–May 1851 3. Richard P. Hammond 7 Democratic January 1852–May 1852 4. Isaac B. Wall 6 Democratic January 1853–May 1853 5. Lord Charles S. Fairfax 15 Democratic January 1854–May 1854 6. William W. Stow 3 Whig January 1855–May 1855 7. James T. Farley 19 American January 1856–April 1856 8. Elwood T. Beatty 19 Democratic January 1857–April 1857 9. Ninian E. Whiteside 15 Democratic January 1858–April 1858 10. William C. Stratton 17 Democratic January 1859–April 1859 11. Phillip Moore 16 Democratic January 1860–April 1860 12. Ransom Burnell 19 Douglas Democratic January 1861–May 1861 13. George Barstow 8 Republican January 1862–May 1862 14. Tim N. Machin 12 National Union January 1863–April 1863 15. William H. Sears 21 National Union December 1863–April 1864 16. John Yule 20 National Union December 1865–April 1866 17. Caius T. Ryland 7 Democratic December 1867–March 1868 18. George H. Rogers 8 Democratic December 1869–April 1870 19. Thomas Bowles Shannon 8 Republican December 1871–April 1872 20. Morris M. Estee 8 Independent December 1873–March 1874 21. Gideon J. Carpenter 23 Democratic December 1875–April 1876 22. Campbell Polson Berry 25 Democratic December 1877–April 1878 23. Jabez F. Cowdery 13 Republican January 1880–April 1880 24. William H. Parks 25 Republican January 1881–May 1881 25. Hugh McElroy LaRue 18 Democratic January 1883–May 1884 – William H. Parks 25 Republican January 1885–September 1886 26. William H. Jordan 55 Republican January 1887–March 1887 27. Robert Howe 25 Democratic January 1889–March 1889 28. Frank Leslie Coombs 22 Republican January 1891–March 1891 29. Frank H. Gould 57 Democratic January 1893–March 1893 30. John C. Lynch 8 Republican January 1895–March 1895 – Frank Leslie Coombs 18 Republican January 1897–March 1897 31. Howard E. Wright 51 Republican January 1899 32. Alden Anderson 19 Republican January 1899–February 1900 33. Cornelius W. Pendleton 74 Republican January 1901–March 1901 34. Arthur G. Fisk 37 Republican January 1903–March 1903 35. Frank C. Prescott 76 Republican January 1905–June 1906 36. Robert L. Beardslee Sr. 23 Republican January 1907–November 1909 37. Phillip A. Stanton 71 Republican January 1909–October 1910 38. Arthur Hathaway Hewitt 8 Republican January 1911–December 1911 39. C. C. Young 41 Republican, Progressive January 1913–April 1917 40. Henry W. Wright 69 Republican January 1919–April 1921 41. Frank F. Merriam 70 Republican January 1923–October 1926 42. Edgar C. Levey 28 Republican January 1927–May 1931 43. Walter J. Little 60 Republican January 1933–July 1933 44. Forsythe Charles Clowdsley 11 Democratic September 1934 (extraordinary session) 45. Edward Craig 75 Republican January 1935–May 1936 46. William Moseley Jones 51 Democratic January 1937–March 1938 47. Paul Peek 71 Democratic January 1939–June 1939 48. Gordon Hickman Garland 38 Democratic January 1940–January 1942 49. Charles W. Lyon 59 Republican January 1943–July 1946 50. Sam L. Collins 75 Republican January 1947–August 1952 51. James W. Silliman 34 Republican January 1953–April 1954 52. Luther H. Lincoln 15 Republican January 1955–April 1958 53. Ralph M. Brown 30 Democratic January 1959–September 1961 54. Jesse M. Unruh 65 Democratic September 1961–January 1969 55. Robert T. Monagan 12 Republican January 1969–September 1970 56. Bob Moretti 42 Democratic January 1971–June 1974 57. Leo T. McCarthy 19/18 Democratic June 1974–November 1980 58. Willie Brown 17/13 Democratic December 2, 1980 – June 5, 1995 59. Doris Allen 67 Republican June 5, 1995 – September 14, 1995 60. Brian Setencich 30 Republican September 14, 1995 – January 4, 1996 61. Curt Pringle 68 Republican January 4, 1996 – November 30, 1996 62. Cruz M. Bustamante 31 Democratic December 2, 1996 – February 26, 1998 63. Antonio Villaraigosa 45 Democratic February 26, 1998 – April 13, 2000 64. Robert M. Hertzberg 40 Democratic April 13, 2000 – February 6, 2002 65. Herb J. Wesson, Jr. 47 Democratic February 6, 2002 – February 9, 2004 66. Fabian Núñez 46 Democratic February 9, 2004 – May 13, 2008 67. Karen Bass 47 Democratic May 13, 2008 – March 1, 2010 68. John Pérez 46/53 Democratic March 1, 2010 – May 12, 2014 69. Toni Atkins 78 Democratic May 12, 2014 – March 7, 2016 70. Anthony Rendon 63 Democratic March 7, 2016 – June 30, 2023 71. Robert Rivas 29 Democratic June 30, 2023 – present

The First California Legislature was nonpartisan. Estee was also a |Republican, but he was elected to the term in which he was Speaker as an independent. Young was elected as a |Republican during the 40th and 42nd sessions (1913 and 1917), but a Progressive during the 41st session (1915). McCarthy's 19th District was renumbered the 18th District after the 1970s redistricting. Brown's 17th District was renumbered the 13th District after the 1990s redistricting. Allen and Setencich were Republican Assemblymembers whom Democrats elected after losing their majority in the chamber. Perez's 46th District was renumbered the 53rd District after the 2010s redistricting.

See also List of California state legislatures List of majority leaders of the California State Assembly List of minority leaders of the California State Assembly President pro tempore of the California State Senate

References