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
4,218 events, each with its sourceSB 1418 Cervantes Third Reading Urgency By Jackson
SB 1364 Menjivar Senate Third Reading By Krell
SB 1349 Gonzalez Senate Third Reading By Connolly
SB 1328 Cervantes Senate Third Reading By Solache
SB 1191 Ochoa Bogh Third Reading Urgency By Hadwick
SB 1186 Seyarto Senate Third Reading By Patterson
SB 1166 Arreguín Senate Third Reading By Lee
SB 1150 Jones Senate Third Reading By Patel
SB 1117 Cervantes Senate Third Reading By Quirk-Silva
SB 1093 Allen Senate Third Reading By Irwin
SB 1073 Smallwood-Cuevas Senate Third Reading By Quirk-Silva
SB 1064 Dahle Senate Third Reading By Aguiar-Curry
SB 1059 Archuleta Senate Third Reading By Pacheco
SB 1049 Weber Pierson Senate Third Reading By Arambula
SB 1029 Seyarto Senate Third Reading By Davies
SB 949 Becker Senate Third Reading By Berman
SB 946 Seyarto Senate Third Reading By JOHNSON
SB 874 Weber Pierson Senate Third Reading By Addis
SB 661 Hurtado Senate Third Reading By Aguiar-Curry
SB 594 Padilla Senate Third Reading By Wallis
SB 239 Arreguín Senate Third Reading By Pacheco
SB 226 Cabaldon Senate Third Reading By Aguiar-Curry
AB 2780 Public Employment and Re Concurrence in Senate Amendments By McKINNOR
AB 2766 Ahrens Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2660 Alvarez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2634 Zbur Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2576 Harabedian Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2418 Mark González Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2380 Papan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2255 Pellerin Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2249 Irwin Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2233 Ta Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2186 McKinnor Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2143 Irwin Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2116 Schiavo Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1999 Kalra Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 871 Stefani Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1201 Jackson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1359 Ahrens Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1579 Valencia Concurrence - Urgency Added
AB 1684 Ward Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1711 Connolly Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1722 Hadwick Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1784 Pellerin Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1786 Harabedian Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1809 Fong Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1837 Mark González Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1860 McKinnor Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1864 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1894 Blanca Rubio Concurrence in Senate Amendments