By the GovBuddy team · Last reviewed October 28, 2026
Where we are
The California 2027-28 Regular Session convenes at noon on Monday, December 7, 2026. The convening is set by California Constitution Article IV, Section 3(a): “The Legislature shall convene in regular session at noon on the first Monday in December of each even-numbered year and each house shall immediately organize.” The first Monday in December 2026 is December 7.
For government affairs teams, lobbying firms, and in-house legislative affairs offices, December 7 is less about the opening-day pageantry and more about what starts moving the moment the Legislature organizes: committee chair confirmations, new committee staff assignments, sponsor availability for priorities carried over in intent if not in bill form, and the four-week countdown to the Governor’s Budget release.
For procedural context on when the 2025-26 session ended, see our companion piece on California legislative session end dates.
Quick Answer
The California 2027-28 Regular Session convenes at noon on Monday, December 7, 2026, under California Constitution Article IV, Section 3(a). Both the State Senate and State Assembly immediately organize at the convening. Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) leads the Senate; Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) continues as Speaker of the Assembly. Committee leadership and membership assignments are organized under each chamber’s rules: the Senate Rules Committee makes Senate assignments, while the Assembly Speaker appoints Assembly committee members and chairs. These assignments may be announced during or after the organizational session. Under Article IV, Section 12(a), the Governor’s 2027-28 Budget must be submitted “within the first 10 days of each calendar year,” placing the budget deadline at January 10, 2027. California bills do not carry over between biennia, so legislation that did not pass by the end of the 2025-26 session must be reintroduced in the new session.
Table of contents
- Opening-day mechanics on December 7
- Who leads the Legislature at the convening
- Committee organization and chair confirmations
- The Governor’s Budget window: December 7 to January 10
- First-week bill drops and the sponsor-map rebuild
- What does and does not carry over from 2025-26
Opening-day mechanics on December 7
The constitutional convening at noon on December 7 is the formal start of the biennium. New members are sworn in. Returning members retake the oath. Each chamber undertakes the organizational business required by the constitution, including selection of officers and adoption of rules.
In practice, the opening day combines ceremonial elements (addresses by leadership, formal introductions of new members) with procedural ones (adoption of the house rules for the biennium, confirmation of leadership, initial resolution business). Bills can be introduced as early as December 7, although most committee hearings and substantive bill consideration follow as organizational work progresses.
The 2027-28 session is the first year of a new two-year biennium. Under California’s biennial structure, bills can be introduced in the first year of the biennium (2027) and carried into the second year (2028) within the same biennium. Bills that fail to pass by the end of the second year do not survive to the next biennium.
Who leads the Legislature at the convening
Senate. Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara, 21st District) is Senate President pro Tempore, having taken the oath of office on November 17, 2025 with a formal swearing-in ceremony on January 5, 2026. Limón is the 50th President pro Tempore of the California Senate. She succeeded Mike McGuire under a transition agreement reached by the Senate Democratic Caucus in 2025.
Brian W. Jones (40th District) is currently Senate Republican Leader. On August 11, 2026, the Senate Republican Caucus announced that Senator Roger Niello had been chosen to succeed Jones as leader after the November 2026 election. Whether that transition takes effect before December 7 or in the first weeks of the new session is one of the organizational variables to watch.
Assembly. Robert Rivas (D-Hollister, 29th District) continues as Speaker of the Assembly. Rivas has held the position since June 30, 2023.
Alexandra Macedo (R-Tulare, 33rd District) is Assembly Minority Leader, having taken the position on August 3, 2026.
The Assembly’s current composition reflects the vacancy created by James Gallagher’s resignation on June 9, 2026 after his election to the U.S. House: 60 Democrats, 19 Republicans, and 1 vacancy. The November 3 result will determine the composition that organizes on December 7.
Committee organization and chair confirmations
The most substantive change at the start of a new biennium is committee reorganization. In the Senate, the Rules Committee makes standing committee assignments and designates chairs. In the Assembly, the Speaker appoints standing committee members and chairs under Assembly rules. Announcements may arrive during the organizational period and the following weeks.
For government affairs teams, the committee reorganization is where the policy agenda for the biennium gets shaped. New chairs set priorities for their committees. New committee memberships determine which members are reviewing bills before they reach the floor. Some committee staff assignments may change, while others remain in place, carrying institutional knowledge of specific policy areas into the new session.
Looking up a committee’s new membership, its new chair, and most critically its committee staff and their specific areas of responsibility is the first substantive piece of post-convening preparation. Chief consultants and committee staff often coordinate hearing preparation, schedules, and policy analysis. Confirming the staff member responsible for your issue is often as useful as identifying the chair.
The Senate Appropriations Committee shown in the walkthrough is a key fiscal checkpoint for bills referred to it. Bills meeting specified fiscal thresholds may be placed on its suspense file, where committee decisions can determine whether they move forward. This process applies to legislation under fiscal review; it should not be confused with the separate budget trailer-bill process.
The Governor’s Budget window: December 7 to January 10
The 34-day stretch between December 7 and January 10 is an important planning window at the start of the biennium. Article IV, Section 12(a) of the California Constitution requires the Governor to submit the budget “within the first 10 days of each calendar year,” placing the 2027-28 Governor’s Budget deadline at January 10, 2027.
The budget arrives amid a change in administration: California’s newly elected Governor is scheduled to take office on January 4, 2027, only six days before the constitutional budget deadline. Government affairs teams should watch the incoming administration’s appointments and budget priorities alongside legislative leadership. After the budget proposal is released, the Legislative Analyst’s Office typically analyzes it and budget subcommittees prepare for hearings. The Department of Finance’s published timetable calls for proposed statutory changes needed to implement the Governor’s Budget, the budget trailer-bill language, to reach the Legislature by February 1, with budget subcommittee hearings generally taking place from February through May.
For government affairs teams, the December 7 to January 10 window is when written positions on expected budget priorities can land in sponsor offices before formal hearings begin. Some implementation items arising from approved November 3 ballot measures could require budget action, so teams should watch for where the election results intersect with the incoming Governor’s budget proposals.
First-week bill drops and the sponsor-map rebuild
Opening-day bill introductions set the tone for the biennium’s priority agenda. Both chambers can begin introducing bills on opening day, with further introductions in the following days and weeks. Many of these early bills are placeholder or intent-level language that will be amended with substantive content later; others are policy priorities a sponsor wants on the record early.
For government affairs teams with carryover priorities from 2025-26, the first week is the window to confirm sponsor availability, place requests for authorship, and align with the new committee chair whose committee will hear the bill.
The sponsor-map rebuild for the 2027-28 session typically starts the day after the November 3 result and continues through the first few weeks of the new session. The three artifacts most teams need: a refreshed legislator contact list reflecting the Nov 3 result, an updated committee chair roster once leadership confirms assignments, and a sponsor map for carryover priorities tied to the right new author in each chamber.
What does and does not carry over from 2025-26
California’s biennial legislative structure means bills can be carried from the first year of a biennium (2025) to the second year (2026) within the same biennium. Bills that did not reach the Governor’s desk by the end of the 2025-26 session do not survive into the 2027-28 session. Any policy priority a sponsor wants pursued in 2027-28 must be reintroduced as a new bill.
Intent carries, text does not. A sponsor can reintroduce a prior bill’s text verbatim; it is still a new bill under a new number, moving through its own policy committee, fiscal committee, and floor sequence from the start. Lessons from the 2025-26 cycle (where a bill got stuck, which committee rejected it, which stakeholders filed opposition) are internal institutional memory, not something the new bill number carries automatically.
For organizations whose 2025-26 priorities did not make it, the first-week 2027-28 outreach is where that institutional memory gets converted back into a bill. Committee leadership, staff assignments, and refreshed sponsor availability are inputs that shape whether a reintroduced priority has a better path this time.
Frequently asked questions
When does the California 2027-28 Legislative Session convene?
Noon on Monday, December 7, 2026, under California Constitution Article IV, Section 3(a). The first Monday in December of each even-numbered year is the constitutional convening date.
Who is the Senate President pro Tempore for the 2027-28 session?
As of this article’s review date, Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara, 21st District). She took the oath of office on November 17, 2025 and was formally sworn in on January 5, 2026 as the 50th President pro Tempore of the California Senate. Leadership for the incoming session is subject to its organizational decisions.
Who is the Speaker of the Assembly for the 2027-28 session?
As of this article’s review date, Robert Rivas (D-Hollister, 29th District) is Speaker, having held the position since June 30, 2023. The incoming Assembly organizes its leadership for the new session.
When is the Governor’s 2027-28 Budget due?
January 10, 2027. California Constitution Article IV, Section 12(a) requires the Governor to submit the budget “within the first 10 days of each calendar year.”
Do bills from the 2025-26 session carry into the 2027-28 session?
No. California’s biennial structure allows bills to be carried from the first year of a biennium to the second year within the same biennium. Bills that did not reach the Governor’s desk by the end of the 2025-26 session must be reintroduced as new bills in 2027-28.
When are committee chairs confirmed for the new biennium?
The Senate Rules Committee makes Senate committee assignments and designates chairs; in the Assembly, those appointments are made by the Speaker under Assembly rules. Assignments may be announced during or after the December 7 organizational session.
Does the Legislature take up substantive bill work on December 7?
Opening day is primarily organizational under the constitutional requirement that each house “immediately organize,” but bills can be introduced that day. Committee hearings and substantive consideration generally follow later.
Sources
- California Constitution, Article IV, Section 3, for the convening date and immediate organization requirement
- California Constitution, Article IV, Section 12, for the Governor’s Budget deadline
- Senate Leader McGuire Announces Agreement Reached, Pro Tem Designee Transition to Occur in 2026, California State Senate
- Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón Has Taken the Oath of Office, California State Senate, November 2025
- Senate Republicans Select New Leader for Post-Election Service, California Senate Republican Caucus, August 11, 2026
- California State Assembly, for Assembly leadership, member information and committee organization
- California State Senate, for Senate leadership, membership and calendars
- Assembly Standing Rules, for the Speaker’s committee-appointment authority
- California Department of Finance: General Budget Timetable, for the January budget and February 1 trailer-bill timetable
- California Department of Finance: California’s Budget Process, for budget hearings and trailer bills