Nearly One-Third of the California Legislature are Newly Elected

By Teresa Anderson, Director of Public Policy, The Arc/UCP California Collaboration

There are a lot of changes coming to the California state Legislature as we begin the first year of the new 2023-24 legislative session. On December 5, 2022, the legislature was sworn in with 37 of the 120 members being newly elected to state office. New and seasoned legislators did not hesitate to introduce new bills the first day they were sworn in and we expect to see hundreds more before the January 20, 2023, deadline arrives. All this change brings great opportunity to reach out to your legislators in the Senate and the Assembly, whether newly elected or not, to introduce yourself and discuss issues that are important to you. We are excited to meet all of the new legislators and catch up with returning members so we can learn about their priorities and share ours. We encourage everyone to reach out to your local legislators in their district office and schedule a visit. If you need help finding your legislator and/or their contact information you can find it here https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/   

We anticipate a busy year and look forward to keeping our community informed as well as engaging in advocacy efforts throughout the legislative session.