California State Legislature Snapshot
The State of California held its elections for a new California State Assembly and California State Senate on November 4th 2024. On January 13th 100 state house members and 35 state senators were sworn into office by The Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court Patricia Guerrero and began the currently active 2025-26 legislative session of the California State Legislature. Among the members elected 12 were aged 35 or younger on election day in 2024. Below is a map of these representatives within both chambers of the California State Legislature.
California Demographic Background in the 2024 Election
Preliminary estimates provided from CIRCLE at Tufts University indicate that 42% of young people aged 18-29 voted in the 2024 election, with turnout surpassing 50% in key battleground states. Nearly 50 million young citizens were eligible to vote, including over 8 million young voters who turned 18 since the 2022 midterms. According to the CIRCLE institutes – Youth Electoral Significance Index (YESI), California voters had strong political sway. For example, according to YESI eight congressional races in California ranked in the 50 most impacted by youth political participation.
Nationally, according to the Pew Research Center, Millennials in 2020 overtook Baby Boomers as the largest generation in the U.S., comprising 31% of the population, followed closely by Baby Boomers at 30.9%. Generation X makes up 28%, while the Silent Generation is the smallest at 9.9%.
This election showcased the increasing diversity of the youth electorate, with notable differences in voting patterns by race, gender, and issue priorities. Given California’s unique demographics, voters elected 12 members to the California State Legislature, who were age 35 and under on election day. Below is information about the generational backgrounds of the current California State Legislature.
The California State Assembly 2025-26 Legislative Session
Below is information covering age dynamics in the recently elected to the California State Assembly
- the average age of California State Assembly members is 48.92 years
- the youngest Representative David Tangipa was born in 1995
- the oldest Representative Steven Choi was born in 1944
- 10 Representatives are Young Elected Leaders age 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024
Generational Breakdown
Within the California State Assembly, all representatives come from the Baby Boomer, Generation X, or Millennial generation. Importantly, no members of the California State Assembly belong to Generation Z (youngest) or the Silent Generation (oldest). Scroll below to see the generations in the California State Assembly visualized.
Partisanship in the California State Assembly
The chart below further breaks down the current partisan makeup of the 2025–2027 California State Assembly. Each dot represents a single member, colored by both party affiliation and whether the legislator qualifies as a Young Elected Leader (YEL)—defined as age 35 or younger at the time of the election. This format provides a visual snapshot of generational and partisan distribution within the chamber, highlighting how younger legislators are positioned across party lines.
Partisan dynamics in the California State Assembly reflect not only ideological differences but also generational contrasts. The visual below highlights one key distinction: the average age of legislators by party. While both parties include a mix of experience levels, Democratic members are, on average, older than their Republican counterparts. This difference may reflect broader trends in political recruitment, generational turnover, and candidate emergence in recent election cycles.
Young Elected Representatives – California State Assembly
Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in California, eleven members aged 35 or under were elected to the California State Assembly. Below are all eleven of these members along with information about their local districts and party affiliation.
| Name | District | Birth year (Age on Election Day) | Year first elected to California House | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
David J. Tangipa (R) | 8th District –
Fresno, CA |
1995 (Age 28) | 2024 |
 |
Alex Lee (D) | 24th District –
Milpitas, CA |
1997 (Age 27) | 2020 |
 |
Alexandra Macedo (R) | 33rd District –
Tulare, CA |
1994 (Age 30) | 2024 |
 |
Isaac Bryan (D) | 55th District –
Los Angeles, CA |
1992 (Age 32) | 2021 |
 |
Gregory Wallis (R) | 47th District –
La Quinta, CA |
1990 (Age 34) | 2022 |
 |
Celeste Rodriguez (D) | 43rd District –
San Fernando, CA |
1990 (Age 34) | 2024 |
 |
Jessica Caloza (D) | 52nd District –
Eagle Rock, CA |
1989 (Age 35) | 2024 |
 |
Patrick J. Ahrens (D) | 26th District – Sunnyvale, CA | 1989 (Age 35) | 2024 |
 |
Avelino Valencia III (D)
|
68th District –
Anaheim, CA |
1988 (Age 35) | 2022 |
 |
Kate Sanchez (R)
|
71st District –
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA |
1988 (Age 35) | 2022 |
Photos courtesy of California State Assembly member roster
Gender in the California State Assembly
The California State Assembly reflects a range of age and gender dynamics that help shape the composition of the state’s legislative body. Across all members, 46.84% are women, while men make up the remaining 53.16%. Age differences between these groups are notable: female representatives had an average age of 50.44 at the time of the election, compared to 47.57 for their male colleagues.
When examining both gender and party affiliation, additional differences in age emerge within the California State Assembly. Republican men have the lowest average age of the four groups at 46.86, while Democratic men have a slightly higher average age of 47.89. For women in the California State Assembly, both parties land just above 50 years old, with Democratic women averaging 50.5 and Republican women averaging 50.13. These patterns show that age representation in the California State Assembly varies by both gender and partisan alignment, highlighting differing pathways to political office across demographic groups.
Race and Ethnicity in the California State Assembly
The racial and ethnic composition of the California State Assembly varies significantly across generations. For example, among Millennials and Generation X, minority legislators account for nearly two-thirds of representatives in both generations. In contrast, among Baby Boomers, minorities account for about a quarter of that group’s representatives. This table highlights how race and ethnicity intersect with age in shaping the diversity of the legislative body.
Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the California State Assembly
|
Generation Z 1997 – |
Millennial Generation
1981 – 1996 |
Generation X
1965 –1980 |
Boomer Generation
1946 – 1964 |
Silent Generation
1928 – 1945 |
Full Chamber | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White/Caucasian | – | 9
(37.5%) |
14
(35%) |
11
(73.33%) |
– | 34
(43.04%) |
| Hispanic/Latino | – | 8
(33.33%) |
14
(35%) |
2
(13.33%) |
– | 24
(30.38%) |
| Asian/Pacific American | – | 3
(12.5%) |
5
(12.5%) |
1
(6.67%) |
– | 9
(11.39%) |
| Black/African American | – | 2(8.33%) | 4
(10%) |
1
(6.67%) |
– | 7
(8.86%) |
| Two or More Ethnicities | – | 2
(8.33%) |
2
(5%) |
– | – | 4
(5.06%) |
| Indian/Native American | – | – | 1
(2.5%) |
– | – | 1
(1.27%) |
| Total (Precent of California State Assembly) | – | 24
(30.38%) |
40
(50.63%) |
15
(18.99%) |
– | 79*
(100%) |
*One House Seat is currently vacant (CA-63)
The California State Senate
Below is information covering age dynamics in the recently elected California State Senate.
• the youngest Senator Sasha Pérez who was born in 1992
• the oldest Senator Steven Choi who was born in 1944
• 2 Senators are Young Elected Leaders age 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024
Young Elected Senators in the California State Senate
Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in California, two members aged 35 or under were elected to the California State Senate. Below are both of these members along with information about their local districts and party affiliation.
| Name | District | Birth Year
(Age on Election Day) |
Year First Elected to the Senate |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Sasha Pérez (D) | 25th District
– Alhambra, CA |
1992 (Age 32) |
2024 |
 |
Caroline Menjivar (D) | 20th District
– Panorama City, CA |
1989 (Age 35) |
2022 |
Photos courtesy of California Senate member roster
Partisanship in the California State Senate
In the California State Senate, 30 senators belong to the Democratic Party, and 10 senators are Republicans. The mean age of Democratic state senators after the 2024 election was 53.85, while the mean age of Republican state senators was 58.62. Each generation had a different partisan makeup. Below is the breakdown of party composition for each generation within the California State Senate.
Gender in the California Senate
The generational makeup of the California State Senate also reflects important gender dynamics. Across generations, gender balance is fairly equal overall. Younger generations, such as Millennials and Generation X, include more women than men, while older generations, such as Baby Boomers, have more men than women. These patterns suggest that gender balance varies across generational lines, with women represented in each age cohort of the California State Senate.
Race and Ethnicity in the California State Senate
The racial and ethnic composition of the California State Senate reveals generational variation in representation. While 45% of the chamber identifies as White across all generations, younger generations—especially Millennials—reflect greater diversity. For example, 75% of Millennial senators identify as Hispanic/Latino. Below is the breakdown of race and ethnicity within the California State Senate.
Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the California State Senate
| Millennial Generation | Generation X | Boomer Generation | Silent Generation | Full Chamber | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 1 (12.5%) | 11 (55%) | 6 (60%) | – | 18 (45%) |
| Hispanic/Latino | 6 (75%) | 6 (30%) | 3 (30%) | 1 (50%) | 16 (40%) |
| Asian/Pacific American | 1 (12.5%) | 1 (5%) | – | 1 (50%) | 3 (7.5%) |
| Black/African American | – | 2 (10%) | 1 (10%) | – | 3 (7.5%) |
| Total | 8 (20%) | 20 (50%) | 10 (25%) | 2 (5%) | 40 (100%) |
Notes
The Young Elected Leaders Project applies the generational categorization of the Pew Research Center:
- Silent Generation: 1928 – 1945
- Baby Boomer Generation: 1946 – 1964
- Generation X: 1965 – 1980
- Millennial Generation: 1981 – 1996
- Generation Z: 1997 – 2012
This analysis is based on data from the most recent state legislative election in California which took place on November 5th 2024.
Citation Guideline
In referencing the Young Elected Leaders Project in publication please use the following language: “The Young Elected Leaders Project is housed at the Center for Youth Political Participation at The Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University – New Brunswick.”
Bibliographic Citation For this document
Author: Young Elected Leaders Project
Corresponding Authors: George D. Quinn
Year: 2024
Title: Age in the 2025-26 California State Legislature