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
4,225 events, each with its sourceAB 1598 Quirk-Silva Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1621 Wilson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1645 Mark González Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1655 Bryan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1703 Hart Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1713 Ransom Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1728 Alanis Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1732 Alvarez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1740 Zbur Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1775 Ward Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1794 Ransom Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1801 Lee Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1821 Pacheco Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1824 Ramos Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1847 Harabedian Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1905 Schultz Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1941 Mark González Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1973 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1991 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1997 Lee Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2008 Patel Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2024 Nguyen Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2025 Pellerin Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2076 Lowenthal Concurrence in Senate Amendments By RODRIGUEZ, C
AB 2128 Haney Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2172 Gipson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2305 Kalra Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2308 Haney Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2343 Patel Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2348 Bonta Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2361 Pacheco Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2395 Sharp-Collins Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2480 Ávila Farías Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2483 Elhawary Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2534 Kalra Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2543 Ransom Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2577 Connolly Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2593 Elhawary Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2594 Lowenthal Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2647 Calderon Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2656 Petrie-Norris Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2663 Rogers Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2691 Addis Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2731 Addis Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2774 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2777 Environmental Safety and Concurrence in Senate Amendments By CONNOLLY
AB 2785 Elections Concurrence in Senate Amendments By PELLERIN
AB 2787 Water, Parks, and Wildli Concurrence in Senate Amendments By PAPAN
SB 299 Cabaldon Senate Third Reading By Wicks
SB 329 Blakespear Senate Third Reading By Dixon