Analysis of Representative Government in California

Findings

  • California’s upper house, the State Senate, is:
    • 23rd in size with 40 members
    • 1st in # of constituents per senator (1 senator represents ~913,000 people; Texas is 2nd with a senator representing ~771,000 people)
    • 11th in # of standing committees with 23 committees
    • 40th in # of senators per standing committee (there are 1.74 senators for each committee)
  • California’s lower house, the State Assembly, is:
    • 35th in size with 80 members
    • 1st in # of constituents per assemblymember (1 assemblymember represents ~456,000 people; Texas is 2nd with an assemblymember representing ~159,000 people)
    • 9th in # of standing committees with 29
    • 44th in # of assemblymembers per standing committee (there are 2.76 assemblymembers for each committee)
  • In 1890, a California state senator and assemblymember represented roughly 18,000 and 9,000 people, respectively
  • In 2010, a California state senator and assemblymember is projected to represent about 978,000 and 489,000 people, respectively

Powerpoint Presentation