California State Legislature, 2021–2022 session

The 2021–2022 session is the most recent former session of the California State Legislature. The session first convened on December 7, 2020 and ended November 30, 2022.

Vacancies and special elections

 * December 6, 2020: Democratic senator Holly Mitchell (30th–Los Angeles) resigns one day before the session begins to take her seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
 * January 29, 2021: Democratic assemblymember Shirley Weber (79th–San Diego) resigns to become Secretary of State
 * March 11, 2021: Democratic assemblymember Sydney Kamlager (54th–Los Angeles) resigns and is sworn into office after winning the March 2 special election for the 30th State Senate district to replace Mitchell
 * April 19, 2021: Democratic councilmember Akilah Weber (La Mesa) is sworn into office after winning the April 6 special election for the 79th State Assembly district to replace her mother
 * April 23, 2021: Democratic assemblymember Rob Bonta (18th–Alameda) resigns to become Attorney General
 * May 28, 2021: Democratic policy advisor Isaac Bryan (Los Angeles) is sworn into office after winning the May 18th special election for the 54th State Assembly district to replace Kamlager
 * September 7, 2021: Democratic school board member Mia Bonta (Alameda) is sworn into office after winning the August 31 special election for the 18th State Assembly district to replace her husband
 * October 31, 2021: Democratic assemblymember David Chiu (17th-San Francisco) resigns to become the City Attorney of San Francisco
 * December 10, 2021: Democratic assemblymember Ed Chau (49th-Arcadia) resigns to become a judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court
 * December 31, 2021: Democratic assemblymember Jim Frazier (11th-Discovery Bay) resigns to work in the transportation sector
 * January 5, 2022: Democratic assemblymember Lorena Gonzales (80th-San Diego) resigns to become leader of the California Federation of Labor of the AFL–CIO
 * January 31, 2022: Democratic assemblymember Autumn Burke (62nd-Marina Del Ray) resigns due to family challenges from the COVID-19 Pandemic
 * February 22, 2022: Democratic county administrator Mike Fong (Alhambra) is sworn into office after winning the February 15 special election for the 49th State Assembly district to replace Chau
 * April 6, 2022: Democratic mayor Lori Wilson (Suisun City) is sworn into office after winning the April 5 special election for the 11th State Assembly district to replace Frazier
 * May 3, 2022: Democratic county supervisor Matt Haney (San Francisco) is sworn into office after winning the April 19 special election for the 17th State Assembly district to replace Chiu
 * June 15, 2022: Democratic former city councilmen David Alvarez (Barrio Logan) is sworn into office after winning the June 7 special election for the 80th State Assembly district to replace Gonzales
 * June 20, 2022: Democratic activist and former legislative staffer Tina McKinnor (Hawthorne) is sworn into office after winning the June 7 special election for the 62nd State Assembly district to replace Burke

Leadership changes

 * January 20, 2021: Republican senator Scott Wilk (21st–Santa Clarita) replaces senator Shannon Grove (16th–Bakersfield) as Senate minority leader, as Grove was ousted after she incorrectly blamed the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol on antifa.
 * January 19, 2022: Democratic senator Mike McGuire (2nd-Healdsburg) replaces senator Robert Hertzberg (18th-Van Nuys) as Senate majority leader
 * February 8, 2022: Republican assemblymember James Gallagher (3rd–Yuba City) replaces assemblymember Marie Waldron (75th–Valley Center) as Assembly minority leader.

Legislation
In 2022, notable laws passed included:

In 2021, notable laws passed included:
 * A new court system for people with mental illness and addiction called the Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment Court (CARE Court)
 * AB257 for unionization of fast-food workers
 * AB2011 and its companion SB6 for changing permitting processes to streamline affordable housing
 * AB 2097, a ban on parking minimums for buildings within 1/2 mi of public transit.
 * For climate change, a variety of climate-related bills which were part of an agenda by Governor Newsom, including:
 * a bill which would keep the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant open until 2035
 * a law named the California Climate Crisis Act, AB1279, which was similar to a proposed law of the same name in 2021 which did not pass
 * For reproductive rights, expanded access to abortion
 * For gun reform, laws which allowed victims of gun violence to sue gun manufacturers
 * A law allowing the California Medical Board to discipline doctors who promote misinformation about COVID-19 vaccination
 * On plastic pollution and plastic recycling, SB54 was passed which requires 65 percent of single-use plastic to be recycled by 2032; this law had been originally introduced in 2018 and had been the subject of lengthy negotiation over 4 years


 * Several police reform laws, including SB2 which outlines a process for officers to be removed for misconduct, including facing potential civil liability
 * A law to prevent wildfires through preventive measures, including through hiring more state employees
 * A climate change law (AB1395) named the California Climate Crisis Act failed to pass, but a similar bill (AB1279) with the same name passed in 2022
 * California HOME Act (SB9), which creates a legal process by which owners of certain single-family homes can create additional units on their property, and prohibits cities and counties from interference

Officers
The Secretary, the Sergeant-at-Arms, and the chaplain are not members of the Legislature.

Officers
The Chief Clerk, the acting Chief Sergeant-at-Arms, and the chaplain are not members of the Legislature.