The Policies and Politics of California
Anthony Rendon is Speaker Emeritus of the California State Assembly, representing an Assembly district in Southeastern Los Angeles County. He served as Speaker from 2016 until 2023, the second-longest speakership in California history. In his seven years as Speaker, he helped build a three-quarters Democratic supermajority in the legislature—what he called a “gigamajority.” Rendon also led some of the most progressive and productive legislative sessions in the state’s history, solidifying California’s reputation as a national leader on a range of policy issues. Politico described his speakership as “one of California’s most consequential” which presided over a “progressive policy bonanza.”
Rendon is a native Southern Californian. After graduating from high school he worked in warehouses and other manual jobs, then pursued higher education, eventually earning a Ph.D from U.C. Riverside. Prior to serving in the Assembly, he worked as an educator, non-profit executive director, and environmental activist.
Speaker Emeritus Rendon's Athenaeum presentation is co-sponsored by the Rose Institute for State and Local Government at CMC.