Before Sacramento, Al Muratsuchi served as a trustee for the Torrance Unified School District and the Southern California Regional Occupation Center and as a Deputy Attorney General. He also worked as a prosecutor in the California Department of Justice and served as regional director of the Japanese American Citizens League’s Pacific Southwest District. These roles included work in education, law enforcement and a regional civic organization. Muratsuchi was first elected to the Assembly in 2012 and now represents the 66th Assembly District. His tenure includes a narrow defeat in 2014, followed by a return two years later.
BACKGROUND AND FORMATION
Albert Yasuro Muratsuchi was born on September 4, 1964, and grew up on U.S. military bases in Okinawa, Japan. His father, a second-generation Japanese American, was a civilian employee of the United States Army. His mother was born in Gifu Prefecture on Honshu, Japan.
Muratsuchi attended the University of California, Berkeley, and UCLA School of Law. He became a prosecutor in the California Department of Justice and served as a Deputy Attorney General. He also served as regional director of the Japanese American Citizens League Pacific Southwest District.
His local public record includes two education posts: trustee for Torrance Unified and trustee for the Southern California Regional Occupation Center. In Sacramento, education finance became one of his committee responsibilities.
THE PATH TO OFFICE
Muratsuchi first won the 66th District seat in 2012. He was narrowly defeated during the 2014 Republican wave, then won back the seat in a 2016 rematch. He has held it since.
The elections that followed were less close. Muratsuchi was easily reelected over former Torrance Mayor Frank A. Scotto in 2018. In 2020, he won by a wide margin over Arthur C. Schaper. Former Hermosa Beach Mayor George Barks challenged him in 2022; Muratsuchi prevailed, 59.9% to 40.1%.
Term limits prevented him from seeking legislative reelection in 2026. He also ran unsuccessfully for Superintendent of Public Instruction, receiving 8% of the vote. His career included a local school district, the state Department of Justice and the Assembly seat he lost once and recovered.
THE WORK
Muratsuchi’s committee assignments cover the budget, schools, the environment, the courts, veterans and aerospace. He has served as chairman of the Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies. He is chairman of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance and the Assembly Select Committee on Aerospace.
He is also a member of the Assembly committees on Natural Resources, Judiciary, Budget and Veterans Affairs. Outside the committee rooms, he was appointed to the California Coastal Conservancy and Governor Brown’s Military Council. He served on the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission and the Inter-agency Veterans Council.
His appointments and commission service span coastal conservation and bay restoration, military affairs and veterans. His chairmanships give him defined responsibilities in three areas—climate policy, education finance and aerospace—while his other committee seats extend into natural resources, the judiciary and the state budget.
THE POLICY SIGNATURE
Education is the clearest through line in Muratsuchi’s record. He served as a Torrance Unified trustee, sat on the Southern California Regional Occupation Center board, chairs the Assembly budget subcommittee responsible for education finance and later sought the office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. The documented offices and assignments repeatedly return to schools and their funding.
His environmental record is most concrete in AB-345, which he introduced in 2020. The bill sought a minimum setback of 2,500 feet between oil wells and public areas where children are present. It did not become law: the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee rejected it on a 5–4 vote. His climate chairmanship, Natural Resources Committee membership, Coastal Conservancy appointment and Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission service provide the institutional side of that work.
The interests most plainly present in his record are students and education systems, children near oil wells, coastal and climate programs, veterans, military affairs and aerospace. His record includes committee chairmanships, committee memberships and appointments alongside the AB-345 proposal.
- State Assembly · Assembly District 66 · 2016–present
Before Sacramento, Al Muratsuchi served as a trustee for the Torrance Unified School District and the Southern California Regional Occupation Center and as a Deputy Attorney General. He also worked as a prosecutor in the California Department of Justice and served as regional director of the Japanese American Citizens League’s Pacific Southwest District. These roles included work in education, law enforcement and a regional civic organization. Muratsuchi was first elected to the Assembly in 2012 and now represents the 66th Assembly District. His tenure includes a narrow defeat in 2014, followed by a return two years later.
BACKGROUND AND FORMATION
Albert Yasuro Muratsuchi was born on September 4, 1964, and grew up on U.S. military bases in Okinawa, Japan. His father, a second-generation Japanese American, was a civilian employee of the United States Army. His mother was born in Gifu Prefecture on Honshu, Japan.
Muratsuchi attended the University of California, Berkeley, and UCLA School of Law. He became a prosecutor in the California Department of Justice and served as a Deputy Attorney General. He also served as regional director of the Japanese American Citizens League Pacific Southwest District.
His local public record includes two education posts: trustee for Torrance Unified and trustee for the Southern California Regional Occupation Center. In Sacramento, education finance became one of his committee responsibilities.
THE PATH TO OFFICE
Muratsuchi first won the 66th District seat in 2012. He was narrowly defeated during the 2014 Republican wave, then won back the seat in a 2016 rematch. He has held it since.
The elections that followed were less close. Muratsuchi was easily reelected over former Torrance Mayor Frank A. Scotto in 2018. In 2020, he won by a wide margin over Arthur C. Schaper. Former Hermosa Beach Mayor George Barks challenged him in 2022; Muratsuchi prevailed, 59.9% to 40.1%.
Term limits prevented him from seeking legislative reelection in 2026. He also ran unsuccessfully for Superintendent of Public Instruction, receiving 8% of the vote. His career included a local school district, the state Department of Justice and the Assembly seat he lost once and recovered.
THE WORK
Muratsuchi’s committee assignments cover the budget, schools, the environment, the courts, veterans and aerospace. He has served as chairman of the Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies. He is chairman of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance and the Assembly Select Committee on Aerospace.
He is also a member of the Assembly committees on Natural Resources, Judiciary, Budget and Veterans Affairs. Outside the committee rooms, he was appointed to the California Coastal Conservancy and Governor Brown’s Military Council. He served on the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission and the Inter-agency Veterans Council.
His appointments and commission service span coastal conservation and bay restoration, military affairs and veterans. His chairmanships give him defined responsibilities in three areas—climate policy, education finance and aerospace—while his other committee seats extend into natural resources, the judiciary and the state budget.
THE POLICY SIGNATURE
Education is the clearest through line in Muratsuchi’s record. He served as a Torrance Unified trustee, sat on the Southern California Regional Occupation Center board, chairs the Assembly budget subcommittee responsible for education finance and later sought the office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. The documented offices and assignments repeatedly return to schools and their funding.
His environmental record is most concrete in AB-345, which he introduced in 2020. The bill sought a minimum setback of 2,500 feet between oil wells and public areas where children are present. It did not become law: the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee rejected it on a 5–4 vote. His climate chairmanship, Natural Resources Committee membership, Coastal Conservancy appointment and Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission service provide the institutional side of that work.
The interests most plainly present in his record are students and education systems, children near oil wells, coastal and climate programs, veterans, military affairs and aerospace. His record includes committee chairmanships, committee memberships and appointments alongside the AB-345 proposal.
The record
4,990 events, each with its sourceSB 1119 Padilla Senate Third Reading By Wicks
SB 1148 Niello Senate Third Reading By Patterson
SB 1160 Durazo Senate Third Reading By Gabriel
SB 1203 Smallwood-Cuevas Senate Third Reading By Haney
SB 1228 Rubio Senate Third Reading By Solache
SB 1301 Allen Senate Third Reading By Harabedian
SB 1330 Arreguín Senate Third Reading By Schultz
SB 1345 Wahab Senate Third Reading By Bryan
SB 1365 Allen Senate Third Reading By Kalra
SB 1370 Stern Senate Third Reading By Petrie-Norris
SB 1387 Stern Senate Third Reading By BERMAN
SB 1392 Cortese Senate Third Reading By Ramos
AB 167 BUDGET Concurrence in Senate Amendments By GABRIEL
AB 173 BUDGET Concurrence in Senate Amendments By GABRIEL
AB 175 BUDGET Concurrence in Senate Amendments By GABRIEL
AB 184 BUDGET Concurrence in Senate Amendments By GABRIEL
AB 191 BUDGET Concurrence in Senate Amendments By GABRIEL
AB 1567 Ta Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1933 Hoover Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2110 Johnson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2397 Ta Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2513 Petrie-Norris Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 193 Budget and Fiscal Review Senate Third Reading By GABRIEL
SB 194 Budget and Fiscal Review Senate Third Reading By GABRIEL
SB 1079 Stern Senate Third Reading By Connolly
SB 1098 Pérez Senate Third Reading By Petrie-Norris
SB 1369 Reyes Senate Third Reading By Valencia
SB 900 McNerney Senate Third Reading By Solache
SB 344 Weber Pierson Third Reading Urgency By Ward
AB 2721 Carrillo Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2588 Hadwick Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2562 Dixon Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2326 Agriculture Concurrence in Senate Amendments By SORIA
AB 2231 Ahrens Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1983 Blanca Rubio Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1808 Carrillo Concurrence - Urgency Added
AB 1663 Wallis Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1129 Celeste Rodriguez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 775 Fong Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SCR 180 Valladares Consent Calendar Second Day
SB 1399 Durazo Senate Third Reading By Calderon
SB 1394 Gonzalez Senate Third Reading By Celeste Rodriguez
SB 1383 Arreguín Senate Third Reading By Haney
SB 1367 Cervantes Senate Third Reading By Kalra
SB 1360 Cervantes Senate Third Reading By Fong
SB 1342 Durazo Senate Third Reading By BRYAN
SB 1303 Wahab Senate Third Reading By Berman
SB 1256 Jones Senate Third Reading By Alanis
SB 1246 Cortese Senate Third Reading By Rogers
SB 1180 Allen Senate Third Reading By Bryan