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
4,082 events, each with its sourceAB 495 Celeste Rodriguez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 70 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1172 Nguyen Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 507 Haney Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 146 Budget and Fiscal Review Senate Third Reading By GABRIEL
AB 1527 Soria Concurrence - Urgency Added
AB 1529 Housing and Community De Concurrence in Senate Amendments By HANEY
SB 838 Durazo Senate Third Reading By Carrillo
AB 692 Kalra Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 596 Menjivar Senate Third Reading By Schiavo
SB 774 Ashby Senate Third Reading By Berman
AB 1078 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 678 Lee Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 770 Allen Senate Third Reading By Zbur
SB 147 Budget and Fiscal Review Senate Third Reading By GABRIEL
SB 258 Wahab Senate Third Reading By Aguiar-Curry
AB 1324 Sharp-Collins Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 961 Ávila Farías Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 761 Ashby Senate Third Reading By Tangipa
AB 650 Papan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 643 Caballero Senate Third Reading By Petrie-Norris
SB 79 Wiener Senate Third Reading By Quirk-Silva
SB 645 Umberg Senate Third Reading By Papan
SB 753 Cortese Senate Third Reading By Carrillo
SB 151 Budget and Fiscal Review Senate Third Reading By GABRIEL
SB 148 Budget and Fiscal Review Senate Third Reading By GABRIEL
AB 1336 Addis Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1362 Kalra Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1069 Bains Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1050 Schultz Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 160 Budget and Fiscal Review Senate Third Reading By GABRIEL
AB 564 Haney Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 37 Umberg Senate Third Reading By Stefani
AB 566 Lowenthal Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 243 Ahrens Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 798 Calderon Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 159 Budget and Fiscal Review Senate Third Reading By GABRIEL
SB 157 Budget and Fiscal Review Senate Third Reading By GABRIEL
SB 34 Richardson Senate Third Reading By Solache
SB 364 Strickland Senate Third Reading By Ta
AB 1136 Ortega Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 156 Budget and Fiscal Review Senate Third Reading By GABRIEL
SB 385 Seyarto Third Reading Urgency By Irwin
SB 400 Cortese Third Reading Urgency By Calderon
AB 247 Bryan Concurrence - Urgency Added
SB 403 Blakespear Senate Third Reading By Zbur
AB 1332 Ahrens Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 858 Lee Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 27 Umberg Senate Third Reading By Gipson
AB 268 Kalra Concurrence in Senate Amendments