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
4,682 events, each with its sourceSB 1164 Cervantes Senate Third Reading By Solache
SB 1167 Blakespear Senate Third Reading By GONZÁLEZ, M
SB 1170 Durazo Senate Third Reading By Caloza
SB 1190 Grove Senate Third Reading By Jeff Gonzalez
SB 1208 Grayson Senate Third Reading By Stefani
SB 1213 Reyes Senate Third Reading By Celeste Rodriguez
SB 1237 Blakespear Senate Third Reading By Aguiar-Curry
SB 1242 Choi Senate Third Reading By Hadwick
SB 1244 Allen Senate Third Reading By Patel
SB 1271 Reyes Senate Third Reading By Stefani
SB 1273 Cabaldon Senate Third Reading By Aguiar-Curry
SB 1276 Rubio Senate Third Reading By Bauer-Kahan
SB 1312 Richardson Senate Third Reading By Connolly
SB 1322 Richardson Senate Third Reading By Blanca Rubio
SB 1323 Rubio Senate Third Reading By Celeste Rodriguez
SB 1341 Cabaldon Senate Third Reading By Connolly
SB 1379 Cervantes Senate Third Reading By Jackson
SB 1388 Durazo Senate Third Reading By Caloza
SB 1393 McGuire Senate Third Reading By Papan
SB 1398 Rubio Senate Third Reading By Carrillo
SB 1414 Reyes Senate Third Reading By Carrillo
SB 1425 Cortese Senate Third Reading By Kalra
SB 1445 Business, Professions an Senate Third Reading By BERMAN
AB 431 Wilson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 501 Papan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1153 Bonta Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1328 Michelle Rodriguez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1486 Soria Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1573 Bryan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1591 Michelle Rodriguez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1617 Alanis Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1705 Bauer-Kahan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1738 Carrillo Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1743 Wicks Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1749 Dixon Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1789 Boerner Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1793 Ward Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1802 Stefani Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1818 Ortega Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1820 Schiavo Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1829 Fong Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1877 Stefani Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2010 Soria Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2011 Hart Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2075 Bennett Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2160 Celeste Rodriguez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2178 Quirk-Silva Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2262 Michelle Rodriguez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2310 Carrillo Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2349 Solache Concurrence in Senate Amendments