Senators Lena Gonzalez and Janet Nguyen

Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones and Bob Archuleta

Senators Catherine Blakespear and Aisha Wahab

Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas and Pro Tem Toni Atkins

Senator Steve Padilla convenes the first hearing of Budget Subcommitte #4 on State Administration and General Government

Budget Committee Vice Chair, Senator Roger Niello

Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, Steven Bradford and members of the Senate welcome California Legislative Black Caucus' Unsung Heroes Michele Reed, Executive Board Member of SEIU Local 2015 and Beverly White, former reporter with KNBC/NBC 4 Los Angeles.  

Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones welcomes Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians Chairman Bo Mazzetti and UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ to commemorate their partnership on returning an important tribal relic back to the tribe.   

Senator Josh Newman welcomes Dr. Juris Bunkis, Honorary Consul for Latvia in Los Angeles and Laura Ramanis, Honorary Consul for Latvia in San Francisco.

Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins welcomes the Consul General of Canada in San Francisco, Mr. Ranar Sarkar, to the Senate floor.

Visiting the Senate for the first official Canada Day in the Capitol since February 2020, General Consul Sarkar poses with Senators Blakespear, Wahab, Min, Alvarado-Gil, Dodd, Durazo, Umberg, Laird, Atkins, Padilla, Bradford, Jones, Smallwood-Cuevas, Gonzalez and Archuleta.

Brandon Tsay, who helped disarm the gunman who shot 20 people, ten fatally, during Lunar New Year was honored on the Senate floor.

Senators Dave Min and Susan Rubio greet Brandon Tsay and thank him for his bravery in disarming an active shooter. "He is a hero to our state, the nation, and all of us," said Rubio.

Senator Aisha Wahab welcomed photographer Shravan Sundaram (far right) to the Senate floor. Sundaram's hummingbird image was selected as the grand prize winner of the 2022 California Wildlife Photo of the Year Contest.

Senate Majority Leader Mike McGuire honored National Champion Cal Poly Humboldt's rugby team on the Senate floor. “This pack of fierce underdogs battled every step of the way to an undefeated season and proved every pundit wrong. This is truly a historic achievement — we’re all Lumberjacks today!” said Senator McGuire.

Senator McGuire and President Tom Jackson pose for pictures with the Cal Poly Humboldt rugby team after being recognized on the Senate floor for their National Championship victory.  

Rugby team members cheered from the Senate Gallery. The Lumberjacks’ undefeated season ended with a 20-15 victory in the national title game, solidifying their status as the champion of National Collegiate Rugby’s Small College Division. 

Senator Steve Glazer

Senator Josh Newman recognized Jed Wyrick, Chico State Professor of Religious Studies who is leading the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement program at Chico State. 

Senators Catherine Blakespear, Aisha Wahab and Monique Limón

Senator Lena Gonzalez and Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins present a resolution to California Highway Patrol Commissioner Amanda Ray in recognition of her retirement from the Department after more than three decades of service.

Senators Susan Rubio and Josh Newman introduce three California leaders of One Love organization for their work addressing teen dating violence. 

Senators Gonzalez, Hurtado, McGuire, Ochoa Bogh, Wilk, Grove, Eggman, Caballero, Niello, Smallwood-Cuevas, Wiener, Padilla, Archuleta, Newman, Bradford, Jones, Umberg, Atkins, Menjivar, Limón, Dodd, Rubio, Seyarto, Alvarado-Gil, Cortese, Skinner, Ashby, Laird, Min, Wahab, Becker, Blakespear, Stern, Durazo, Portantino, Roth, Glazer, and Allen

In 2004, the American Heart Association created the Go Red for Women initiative to help raise awareness of heart disease and stroke as the number one killer of women. Since then, National Wear Red Day has been celebrated on the first Friday of February. 

Presiding officer, Senator Susan Eggman

Senators Eggman, Niello, Jones, Hurtado, Nguyen, Ochoa Bogh, Grove, Caballero, Bradford, Alvarado Gil, Wahab, Newman, Rubio, Min, Limón, Wiener, Archuleta, Becker, Smallwood-Cuevas, Stern, Blakespear, Ashby, Umberg, Gonzalez, Skinner, Roth, Portantino, McGuire and Cortese wear red in support of women's heart health. 

Senators Eggman, Gonzalez, Caballero, Alvarado Gil, Wahab, Rubio, Smallwood-Cuevas, Blakespear, Ashby, Limón and Skinner

Senators Jones, Niello, Nguyen, Ochoa Bogh and Grove

Senators Angelique Ashby and Nancy Skinner

On National Wear Red Day, the color red is symbolic of the day. Senator Dave Min understood the assignment.

Senator Bob Archuleta

Senators María Elena Durazo and Shannon Grove

Senators Josh Becker and Anthony Portantino

Senators Steven Bradford and Josh Newman

Senators Angelique Ashby and Scott Wiener

Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins welcomes Noguchi Yasushi, Consul General of Japan, San Francisco, to her office.

Senator Lena Gonzalez

Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh wears badge number 5662 to honor the memory of Riverside County Sheriff's Deputy Isaiah Cordero, who was killed in the line of duty. The Senate adjourned in honor of Deputy Cordero.

Senator Richard Roth adjourns the Senate in memory of Deputy Isaiah Cordero.

Senator Susan Rubio offers condolences to the family of Deputy Cordero.

Senators Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh and Richard Roth greet Bill Young, President of the Riverside Sheriff's Association following the Senate's adjournment.

Senator Dave Min

The 2023-2024 Senate session began with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.   

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and President Pro Tem Toni Atkins

Senators Josh Newman and Caroline Menjivar

Senator Scott Wiener

Senators Steve Padilla and Anna Caballero

Senator Roger Niello

Senators Susan Eggman and Marie Alvarado-Gil

Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones

Senators Ben Allen and Dave Cortese

Senators Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh and Richard Roth

Senators  Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, Steve Bradford, and Catherine Blakespear

Senators Scott Wiener and Tom Umberg

Senators Kelly Seyarto and Janet Nguyen

Senators Monique Limón, Caroline Menjivar, Angelique Ashby, Josh Becker, Susan Rubio, Lena Gonzalez, Nancy Skinner and Scott Wiener

Senate Majority Leader Mike McGuire confers with former Senator John Burton before the start of the Senate's Organizational Session. Burton served as President pro Tempore of the California State Senate from 1998-2004

Senator Steve Bradford poses with two former Senate Presidents; Darrell Steinberg and John Burton 

Current Senate President Toni Atkins with former Senate President John Burton

Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis with former Senator John Burton

Performing for the Swearing-in ceremony, Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus Small Ensemble, The Polyphonics, under the Direction of Christian Bohm

The Presentation of the Colors by the C.K. McClatchy High School Air Force Junior ROTC

Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil, Pledge of Allegiance

Senator Tom Umberg

Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins with Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakuye

Twenty Senators representing even-numbered districts were elected to the California Senate and sworn into office on December 5, 2022. 

The Oath of Office is administered by outgoing California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye.

Taking the Oath of Office, Senators Brian Jones, Thomas Umberg,Steve Padilla and Roger Niello

Senators Tom Umberg, Steve Padilla, Roger Niello, Kelly Seyarto and Janet Nguyen

Senators María Elena Durazo, Shannon Grove, Anna Caballero and Bob Archuleta

Senators Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, Caroline Menjivar and Susan Rubio

Senators Susan Rubio, Aisha Wahab, Mike McGuire Angelique Ashby

Senators Angelique Ashby, Catherine Blakespear, Marie Alvarado-Gil, and Ben Allen

SenatorsCatherine Blakespear and Angelique Ashby

Senator Susan Rubio with her sister

Former Senator Lois Wolk joined Senators Bill Dodd and Richard Roth to celebrate the newly elected Senate members

Senator Aisha Wahab

Senate Minority Leader, Brian Jones

Senator Steve Padilla

Senator Roger Niello

Senator Kelly Seyarto

Newly elected Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas poses with Senator Bradford and California Controller-elect, Malia Cohen

Senator Caroline Menjivar introduced her first bill of the 2023-2024 Legislative session

Senator Janet Nguyen signs newly crafted legislation

The California Senate's incoming includes several new faces. Nearly half of the 20 Senators sworn into office on December 5, 2022 are newcomers to the Senate. Senator Janet Nguyen is the only newcomer who previously served in the Senate (2014-2018) and in the Assembly. Senators Roger Niello and Kelly Seyarto both served in the state Assembly before their election to the Senate. 

Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil (D-04)

Senator Angelique Ashby (D-08)

Senator Catherine Blakespear (D-38)

Senator Caroline Menjivar (D-20)

Senator Roger Niello (R-06)

Senator Steve Padilla (D-18)

Senator Kelly Seyarto (R-32)

Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-28)  

Senator Aisha Wahab (D-10)