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
4,636 events, each with its sourceAB 2782 Judiciary Concurrence in Senate Amendments By KALRA
SB 259 Wahab Third Reading Urgency By Pellerin
SB 690 Caballero Senate Third Reading By BAUER-KAHAN
SB 811 Caballero Senate Third Reading By Blanca Rubio
SB 1078 Laird Senate Third Reading By Pellerin
SB 1090 Pérez Third Reading Urgency By Harabedian
SB 1111 Ashby Senate Third Reading By Bauer-Kahan
SB 1168 McNerney Senate Third Reading By Rogers
With recommendation: That Senate amendments be concurred in
AB 280 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 306 Schultz Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 395 Gabriel Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 464 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 643 Wilson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 672 Caloza Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 685 Solache Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 706 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 750 Quirk-Silva Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 883 Lowenthal Concurrence in Senate Amendments By RODRIGUEZ, C
AB 939 Schultz Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 956 Quirk-Silva Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1049 Celeste Rodriguez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1165 Gipson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1381 Muratsuchi Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1439 Garcia Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1448 Hart Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1457 Bryan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1519 Gipson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1577 Bauer-Kahan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1615 Nguyen Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1626 Gabriel Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1641 Jackson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1650 Caloza Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1679 Mark González Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1689 Quirk-Silva Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1731 Wilson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1753 Stefani Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1755 Sharp-Collins Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1766 Krell Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1770 Garcia Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1836 Gabriel Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1838 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1856 Wicks Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1857 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1886 Elhawary Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1889 Ramos Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1891 Connolly Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1901 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1917 Schultz Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1918 Dixon Concurrence in Senate Amendments