A recall election is a procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office through a referendum before that official's term of office has ended. Recalls appear in the constitution in ancient Athenian democracy. Even where they are legally available, recall elections are only commonly held in a small number of countries including Peru, Ecuador, and Japan. They are considered by groups such as ACE Electoral Knowledge Network as the most rarely used form of direct democracy.
The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly and the California State Senate. Both houses of the Legislature convene at the California State Capitol in Sacramento.
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in California since June 28, 2013. The State of California first issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples from June 16, 2008 to November 5, 2008, a period of approximately 4 months, 2 weeks and 6 days, as a result of the Supreme Court of California finding in the case of In re Marriage Cases that barring same-sex couples from marriage violated the Constitution of California. The issuance of such licenses was halted from November 5, 2008 through June 27, 2013 due to the passage of Proposition 8—a state constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriages. The granting of same-sex marriages recommenced following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Hollingsworth v. Perry, which restored the effect of a federal district court ruling that overturned Proposition 8 as unconstitutional.
Gilbert Anthony Cedillo is an American politician, who served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council for the 1st district from 2013 to 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, Cedillo was previously a member of both the California State Assembly and the California State Senate.
Robert Myles Hertzberg is an American politician who previously served in the California State Senate. A Democrat, he represented the 18th Senate District, which includes parts of the San Fernando Valley.
Nancy Skinner is an American politician who served as a member of the California State Senate from 2016 to 2024. A Democrat, she represented California's 9th State Senatorial district, encompassing parts of the East Bay.
Robin Joseph Vos is an American businessman and Republican politician and the 79th speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly, serving in that role since 2013. He has been a member of the Assembly since 2005, representing most of the southern half of Racine County. Vos was also president of the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Proposition 8 of 1911 was an amendment of the Constitution of California that introduced, for the first time, the recall of public officials. This allows the governor, state senators and assemblymen, and other elected officials to be removed from office early by a public vote. It was approved by voters in a referendum held as part of a special election on 10 October. On the same day voters approved two other major political reforms, Proposition 4, which granted women the vote, and Proposition 7, which introduced the initiative and the optional referendum.
Evan Low is an American politician who served in the California State Assembly from 2014 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented the 26th Assembly district, which encompasses parts of Silicon Valley, including Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and portions of northern and western San Jose. He was a member of the California Legislative LGBT Caucus, and served as Chair of the California Asian American & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus.
Philip Yu-Li Ting is an American politician who served in the California State Assembly from 2012 to 2024. He is a Democrat who represented the 19th Assembly District, which encompasses western San Francisco and northwestern San Mateo County. Prior to being elected to the Assembly, he was the Assessor-Recorder of San Francisco.
Scott Wiener is an American politician who has served in the California State Senate since 2016. A Democrat, he represents the 11th district, encompassing San Francisco and parts of San Mateo County.
Laura Syril Friedman is an American politician and former film producer who is the member-elect for California's 30th congressional district. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously represented California's 44th State Assembly district from 2016 to 2024.
Brian Maienschein is an American attorney and politician who served in the California State Assembly from 2012 to 2024, representing the 76th district, which encompasses parts of northeastern San Diego. Initially elected as a Republican, Maienschein switched to the Democratic Party in 2019, and was re-elected twice as a Democrat. Before serving in the state assembly, he was a member of the San Diego City Council, and the city's first Commissioner on Homelessness.
Marc Levine is an American politician, who served in the California State Assembly representing the 10th district between 2012 and 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, Levine is the former chairman of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus. A former member of the San Rafael City Council, Levine previously worked as a technology entrepreneur.
Robert Andres Bonta is an American lawyer and politician serving as the attorney general of California since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a member of the California State Assembly for the 18th district from 2012 to 2021 and as a member of the Alameda City Council from 2010 to 2012.
The Costa–Hawkins Rental Housing Act ("Costa–Hawkins") is a California state law enacted in 1995, placing limits on municipal rent control ordinances. Costa–Hawkins preempts the field in two major ways. First, it prohibits cities from establishing rent control over certain kinds of residential units, such as single-family dwellings, condominiums, and newly constructed apartment units. Second, it prohibits "vacancy control", also called "strict" rent control. The legislation was sponsored by Democratic Senator Jim Costa and Republican assembly member Phil Hawkins.
David Sen-Fu Chiu is an American politician currently serving as the City Attorney of San Francisco. Previously, he served in the California State Assembly as a Democrat representing the 17th Assembly District, which encompasses the eastern half of San Francisco. Chiu was Chair of the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee, a position he held from 2016 to 2021, and the former chair of the California Asian & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus.
Jesse Samuel Gabriel is an American constitutional rights attorney and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, Gabriel represents California's 46th State Assembly district, which includes much of the west San Fernando Valley, in the California State Assembly.
The 2020 California State Senate election was held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, with the primary election scheduled for March 3, 2020. Voters in the 20 odd-numbered districts of the California State Senate elected their representatives. The elections coincided with the elections for other offices, including for U.S. President and the state assembly.
