President pro tempore of the California State Senate explained

Post:	President pro tempore of the California State Senate
Insignia:	File:Seal of the Senate of the State of California.png
Insigniacaption:	Seal of the Senate of the State of California
Flag:	Flag of California.svg
Flagsize:	135
Flagborder:	yes
Flagcaption:	California State Flag
Incumbent:	Mike McGuire
Incumbentsince:	February 5, 2024
Member Of:	California State Senate
Termlength:	2 years
Inaugural:	E. Kirby Chamberlain
Formation:	1849
Unofficial Names:	President Pro Tem

The president pro tempore of the California State Senate (President Pro Tem) is the chief executive and highest-ranking member the California State Senate and serves as chair of the Senate Rules Committee. The Pro Tem is chosen at the beginning of each two-year session, via election by all the other senators-elect.^[1]

The current President pro tempore is Mike McGuire, a Democratic member from the 2nd district, who was sworn in on February 5, 2024.^[2]

Powers and duties

The President pro tempore acts as the chair of the Senate while the President, the Lieutenant Governor of California, is absent during meetings, having the same powers of the president.^[3] If the President Pro Tempore is absent, another Senator appointed by the President pro tempore can act as chair.^[4] The President pro tempore has a responsibility to "secure the prompt and businesslike disposition of bills and other business before the Senate."^[5]

List of presidents pro tempore of the California State Senate

	President pro tempore		Political party		District	Term start	Term end
1		E. Kirby Chamberlain		Nonpartisan	Los Angeles–San Diego	December 15, 1849	January 9, 1851
2		Elcan Heydenfeldt		Whig	6th–San Francisco	January 9, 1851	January 8, 1852
3		Benjamin F. Keene		Democratic	12th–Placerville	January 8, 1852	January 2, 1854
			18th–Placerville
4		Royal Sprague		Democratic	13th–Shasta	January 1, 1855	May 7, 1855
5		Delos R. Ashley		American	3rd–San Francisco	January 9, 1856	April 21, 1856
6		Samuel H. Dosh		Democratic	13th–Shasta	January 5, 1857	April 29, 1857
7		Samuel A. Merritt		Democratic	10th–Shasta	January 4, 1858	April 26, 1858
8		W. B. Dickinson		Democratic	5th–Sacramento	January 3, 1859	April 19, 1859
9		Isaac N. Quinn		Democratic	7th–San Rafael	January 2, 1860	January 19, 1860
10		Charles J. Lansing		Democratic	16th–Stockton	January 19, 1860	April 13, 1860
11		Richard Irwin		Union Democratic	26th–Quincy	January 7, 1861	May 20, 1861
12		James M. Shafter		Republican	24th–San Francisco	January 6, 1862	May 15, 1862
13		Addison M. Crane		Unionist	9th–Squatterville	December 7, 1863	April 4, 1864
14		Ransom Burnell		Unionist	14th–St. Helena	April 4, 1864	December 4, 1865
15		S. P. Wright		Unionist	27th–Santa Barbara	December 4, 1865	April 2, 1866
16		Lansing B. Mizner		Unionist	25th–Tehama	December 2, 1867	March 30, 1868
17		Edward J. Lewis		Democratic	17th–Yountville	December 6, 1869	April 1, 1872
18		James T. Farley		Democratic	16th–Volcano	December 1, 1873	March 13, 1874
19		William Irwin		Democratic	28th–San Francisco	March 13, 1874	February 27, 1875
20		Benjamin F. Tuttle		Democratic	21st–San Francisco	February 27, 1875	April 3, 1876
21		Edward J. Lewis		Democratic	25th–Tehama	December 3, 1877	April 16, 1880
22		George F. Baker		Republican	7th–San Jose	April 16, 1880	January 3, 1881
23		William Johnson		Republican	18th–Courtland	January 3, 1881	April 1, 1882
24		R. F. del Valle		Democratic	2nd–Los Angeles	April 1, 1882	March 13, 1883
25		Benjamin Knight		Democratic	6th–Santa Cruz	January 5, 1885	March 12, 1887
26		Stephen M. White		Democratic	38th–Los Angeles	January 3, 1887	March 16, 1889
27		Thomas Fraser		Republican	7th–Placerville	January 5, 1891	March 25, 1891
28		R. B. Carpenter		Republican	33rd–Los Angeles	January 2, 1893	March 14, 1893
29		Thomas Flint Jr.		Republican	33rd–Hollister	January 7, 1895	March 14, 1903
30		Edward I. Wolfe		Republican	21st–San Francisco	January 2, 1905	March 24, 1909
31		Albert E. Boynton		Republican	6th–Oroville	January 2, 1911	May 12, 1913
32		Newton W. Thompson		Republican	35th–Alhambra	January 4, 1915	January 11, 1916
33		Arthur H. Breed Sr.		Republican	15th–Oakland	January 8, 1917	July 26, 1933
			16th–Oakland
34		William P. Rich		Republican	10th–Marysville	January 7, 1935	June 20, 1939
35		Jerrold L. Seawell		Republican	7th–Roseville	January 2, 1939	June 14, 1941
36		William P. Rich		Republican	10th–Marysville	January 6, 1941	January 4, 1943
37		Jerrold L. Seawell		Republican	7th–Roseville	January 4, 1943	June 16, 1945
38		Harold J. Powers		Republican	31st–Cedarville	January 6, 1947	October 5, 1953
39		Clarence C. Ward		Republican	31st–Santa Barbara	March 1, 1954	May 9, 1955
40		Ben Hulse		Republican	39th–Imperial	January 3, 1955	April 5, 1956
41		Hugh M. Burns		Democratic	30th–Fresno	January 5, 1957	May 14, 1969
			16th–Fresno
42		Howard Way		Republican	15th–Exeter	May 14, 1969	February 10, 1970
43		Jack Schrade		Republican	39th–El Cajon	February 10, 1970	November 30, 1970
44		James R. Mills		Democratic	40th–San Diego	November 30, 1970	November 30, 1980
45		David Roberti		Democratic	23rd–Los Angeles	November 30, 1980	January 31, 1994
46		Bill Lockyer		Democratic	10th–Oakland	January 31, 1994	February 5, 1998
47		John Burton		Democratic	3rd–San Francisco	February 5, 1998	November 30, 2004
48		Don Perata		Democratic	9th–Alameda	November 30, 2004	August 21, 2008
49		Darrell Steinberg		Democratic	6th–Sacramento	August 21, 2008	October 15, 2014
50		Kevin de León		Democratic	24th–Los Angeles	October 15, 2014	March 21, 2018
51		Toni Atkins		Democratic	39th–San Diego	March 21, 2018	February 5, 2024
52		Mike McGuire		Democratic	2nd–Healdsburg	February 5, 2024	Incumbent

See also

• California State Senate
• List of California state legislatures
• Speaker of the California State Assembly
• President of the Los Angeles City Council

External links

• Senate Leadership – California State Senate

Notes and References

1. Web site: Glossary of Legislative Terms. California Legislative Counsel. March 23, 2011.
2. News: Koseff . Alexei . 2024-02-05 . Mike McGuire wants to ‘lift up every person’ as new California Senate leader . 2024-02-11 . CalMatters . en-US.
3. Web site: CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA (1849). 16.
4. Web site: Overview of California Legislative Process. 10. California State Association of Counties.
5. Book: Journal of the Senate, Legislature of the State of California. 1. 9. California State Print. Office. 1942.