[3] The Democratic Party currently holds veto-proof supermajorities in both houses of the California State Legislature.

New legislators convene each new two-year session, to organize, in the Assembly and Senate chambers, respectively, at noon on the first Monday in December following the election.

[13] Since California was given official statehood by the U.S. on September 9, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850,[14] the state capital was variously San Jose (1850–1851), Vallejo (1852–1853) and Benicia (1853–1854), until Sacramento was finally selected in 1854.

The first Californian State House was originally a hotel in San Jose owned by businessman Pierre "Don Pedro" Sainsevain and his associates.

The proceedings of the California State Legislature are briefly summarized in regularly published journals, which show votes and who proposed or withdrew what.

[17] Reports produced by California executive agencies, as well as the Legislature, were published in the Appendices to the Journals from 1849 to 1970.

[18] Since the 1990s, the legislature has provided a live video feed for its sessions, and has been broadcast state-wide on the California Channel and local public-access television cable TV.

Due to the expense and the obvious political downside, California did not keep verbatim records of actual speeches made by members of the Assembly and Senate until the video feed began.

The most sought-after legislative committee appointments are to governance and finance, business and professions, and health.

[24] In 2019, a rule change in the Assembly allowed committee chairs to avoid considering bills, which effectively kills the proposal.

The legislative procedure, is divided into distinct stages:[29] From December 4, 2023, members of the California State Legislature receive an annual salary of $128,215.

The Assembly Speaker, Senate President pro tempore, and minority floor leaders receive salaries of $147,446.

[36] The measure failed to acquire enough signatures to qualify as a proposition for the 2016 November elections ballot.