California Democrats Gain Supermajority in Both Houses
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The California State Legislature convened the 2017–18 legislative session on Dec. 5. Each house will convene an organizational session where newly elected state legislators will be sworn into office.
Democrats have regained their two-thirds supermajority in the State Assembly, which they had lost in 2014, and also have a supermajority in the State Senate.
A supermajority is significant because under the state constitution it takes a two-thirds vote of both legislative chambers to raise taxes without a vote of the people, to pass bills with "urgency" (to go into effect immediately) and to place measures on the ballot. It also takes a two-thirds vote to override a gubernatorial veto — less relevant with Democrat Jerry Brown serving as governor.
California is just one of four states where Democrats have control of the governorship and both state legislative chambers.
