Assembly power line-up takes shape

Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins announced today the standing committee chairs for the lower house’s 2015-2016 regular session.

Earlier this week state lawmakers came to Sacramento to take their oath of office and to officially elect Atkins, a San Diego Democrat, as their leader. Her committee chair lineup is a peek at which members will play a key role in this session’s legislative process.

Being chair of a committee is more than ceremonial: The chair can wield influence on policy issues and play a role in deciding what legislation emerges from the house — and what doesn’t.

Atkins appointed fellow San Diego Democrat Shirley Weber as chair of the powerful budget committee – making this Weber’s debut as a standing committee chair. Tom Daly, D-Anaheim, also a first-timer standing committee chair, was appointed to head Insurance. Former Insurance Chair Henry T. Perea, D-Fresno, will now lead the Committee on Agriculture. Adam Gray, D-Merced, will assume the lead role on the Committee on Governmental Organization.

Jimmy Gomez, D-Northeast Los Angeles, replaces Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles, as head of the Appropriations Committee. Gatto will now serve as chair of the Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee.

Susan Bonilla, D-Concord, returns to the chair seat on the Committee on Business and Professions. And freshman Patrick O’Donnell, D-Long Beach, was appointed to chair the Education Committee.

Here’s the complete lineup:

Accountability and Administrative Review
Assemblymember Rudy Salas, Jr. (D-Bakersfield), Chair

Aging and Long-Term Care
Assemblymember Cheryl R. Brown (D-San Bernardino), Chair

Agriculture
Assemblymember Henry T. Perea (D-Fresno), Chair

Appropriations
Assemblymember Jimmy Gomez (D-Northeast Los Angeles), Chair

Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Internet Media
Assemblymember Ian C. Calderon (D-Whittier), Chair

Banking and Finance
Assemblymember Matthew Dababneh (D-Encino), Chair

Budget
Assemblymember Shirley N. Weber (D-San Diego), Chair

Budget Subcommittee No. 1 on Health and Human Services
Assemblymember Tony Thurmond (D-Richmond), Chair

Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Education Finance
Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), Chair

Budget Subcommittee No. 3 on Resources and Transportation
Assemblymember Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica), Chair

Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on State Administration
Assemblymember AdrinNazarian (D-Sherman Oaks), Chair

Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on Public Safety
Assemblymember Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer, Sr. (D-Los Angeles), Chair

Budget Subcommittee No. 6 on Budget Process, Oversight and Program Evaluation
Assemblymember Shirley N. Weber (D-San Diego), Chair

Business and Professions
Assemblymember Susan A. Bonilla (D-Concord), Chair

Education
Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell (D-Long Beach), Chair

Elections and Redistricting
Assemblymember Sebastian Ridley-Thomas (D-Culver City), Chair

Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials
Assemblymember Luis A. Alejo (D-Salinas), Chair

Governmental Organization
Assemblymember Adam C. Gray (D-Merced), Chair

Health
Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Oakland), Chair

Higher Education
Assemblymember Jose Medina (D-Riverside), Chair

Housing and Community Development
Assemblymember Ed Chau (D-Monterey Park), Chair

Human Services
Assemblymember Kansen Chu (D-San Jose), Chair

Insurance
Assemblymember Tom Daly (D-Anaheim), Chair

Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy
Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Riverside), Chair

Judiciary
Assemblymember Mark Stone (D-Monterey Bay), Chair

Labor and Employment
Assemblymember Roger Hernández (D-West Covina), Chair

Local Government
Assemblymember Brian Maienschein (R-San Diego), Chair
Assemblymember Lorena S. Gonzalez (D-San Diego), Vice Chair

Natural Resources
Assemblymember Das Williams (D-Carpinteria), Chair

Privacy and Consumer Protection
Assemblymember Mike Gatto (D-Glendale), Chair

Public Employees, Retirement and Social Security
Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Oakland), Chair

Public Safety
Assemblymember Bill Quirk (D-Hayward), Chair

Revenue and Taxation
Assemblymember Philip Y. Ting (D-San Francisco), Chair

Rules
Assemblymember Richard S. Gordon (D-Menlo Park), Chair
Assemblymember Autumn R. Burke (D-Inglewood)
Assemblymember Nora Campos (D-San Jose)
Assemblymember Ken Cooley (D-Rancho Cordova)
Assemblymember Bill Dodd (D-Napa)
Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez (D-Pomona)
Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-North Coast)
Assemblymember Patty Lopez (D-San Fernando), Democratic Alternate

Transportation
Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D-Oakley), Chair

Utilities and Commerce
Assemblymember Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood), Chair

Veterans Affairs
Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks), Chair

Water, Parks and Wildlife
Assemblymember Marc Levine (D-San Rafael), Chair

Joint Legislative Audit
Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson (D-Carson), Chair

Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management
Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez (D-Pomona), Chair

Legislative Ethics
Assemblymember Ken Cooley (D-Rancho Cordova), Co-Chair