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Anthony Rendon (politician)

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Anthony Rendon
Official portrait of Assembly Speaker Emeritus Anthony Rendon
70th Speaker of the California State Assembly
In office
March 7, 2016 – June 30, 2023
Preceded byToni Atkins
Succeeded byRobert Rivas
Member of the California State Assembly
In office
December 3, 2012 – November 30, 2024
Preceded byMike Morrell
Succeeded byJose Solache
Constituency63rd district (2012–2022)
62nd district (2022–2024)
Personal details
Born (1968-03-04) March 4, 1968 (age 56)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Annie Lam
​
(m. 2014)​
Children1
EducationCerritos College
California State University, Fullerton (BA, MA)
University of California, Riverside (PhD)
WebsiteOfficial website

Anthony Rendon (born March 4, 1968) is an American politician who served as the 70th speaker of the California State Assembly from 2016 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the second-longest serving speaker in California history and the longest-serving speaker to serve his first term after the adoption of California's term limits.[1] From 2022 to 2024, he represented the 62nd district, located in the southeastern part of Los Angeles County, including the cities of South Gate, Lynwood, and Paramount. He previously represented the 63rd district from 2012 to 2022.

In 2023, Politico reported that Rendon's speakership was "one of California's most consequential speakerships", and that he "has presided over a progressive policy bonanza", as California "hiked the minimum wage, gave farmworkers overtime, enacted ambitious climate laws, expanded early childhood education, and delivered landmark labor wins".[2]

Early life and career

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Rendon was born on March 4, 1968[3] in Silver Lake,[4] a neighborhood in central Los Angeles. His grandparents immigrated from Mexico to the United States during the 1920s.[5] He grew up in a working class family that frequently moved around the Los Angeles area.[4] His father, Tom Rendon,[6] worked multiple jobs, including for a mobile home company, and his mother, Gloria Rendon,[6] was a teacher's aide at a Catholic school.[7]

Rendon attended California High School, Whittier, graduating in 1986.[7] He has stated that he was a "terrible student."[8] At the age of 20, he enrolled in and attended Cerritos College, a community college in Norwalk, California, before earning a bachelor's degree and master's degree from California State University, Fullerton.[9][10] After receiving a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship,[11] Rendon earned his Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, Riverside,[7] graduating in 2000.[12] He completed post-doctoral work at Boston University.[12]

Prior to becoming a member of the California State Assembly, Rendon was the executive director of Plaza de la Raza Child Development Services, an organization that provides child development and social and medical services throughout Los Angeles County.[13] He was also the interim executive director of the California League of Conservation Voters, a lobbying organization dedicated to environmental issues.[14] He worked with the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation in early childhood education efforts.[15] From 2001 to 2008, he was an adjunct professor in the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice at California State University, Fullerton.[11]

Political career

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Rendon in 2016

During his first term in office, Rendon was chair of the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife and authored Proposition 1, the $7.5 billion state water bond, which voters approved in the November 2014 election.[16]

In 2013, Rendon authored Assembly Bill 711, a statewide ban on lead hunting ammunition, that was signed into law.[17]

In 2015, Rendon was named chair of the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce.[18]

On September 3, 2015, Rendon was selected to be the next Assembly Speaker.[19] The formal vote electing Rendon as Speaker occurred on January 11. The vote was unanimous, with the Republican leader seconding the motion.[20]

Rendon brought back the tradition of past California Assembly speakers of carrying no legislation himself, but focusing on empowering the members of the chamber.[21] Despite this, he has made certain priorities of his known, including wildfire planning, and continuing to address poverty and educational deficits in California.[22]

On February 19, 2021, The Sacramento Bee reported that nonprofit organizations associated with Rendon's wife, Annie Lam, had received over $500,000 in donations and event sponsorships from over a dozen companies that had business interests at stake with the legislature.[23] In 2023, the Los Angeles Times reported that she received an unusually large income ($600,000 in 2022) from her job as a consultant, much of it from organizations with business before the legislature, and reported that others in government were concerned about ethical considerations.[24]

In November 2022 due to a rift in the Assembly Democratic Caucus between its progressive and moderate members, the caucus voted to replace Rendon with Assemblymember Robert Rivas as the next speaker of the California State Assembly. With Rendon to remain as Speaker until June 30, 2023.[25]

Rendon is a member of the California Legislative Progressive Caucus.[26]

Electoral history

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2012

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See also: 2012 California State Assembly election
California State Assembly election, 2012
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Anthony Rendon 8,776 38.0
Republican Jack M. Guerrero 7,017 30.4
Democratic Diane Janet Martinez 5,833 25.3
Democratic Cathrin "Cat" Sargent 1,460 6.3
Total votes 23,086 100.0
General election
Democratic Anthony Rendon 76,258 74.5
Republican Jack M. Guerrero 26,093 25.5
Total votes 102,351 100.0
Democratic gain from Republican

2014

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See also: 2014 California State Assembly election
California's 63rd State Assembly district election, 2014
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Anthony Rendon (incumbent) 12,089 64.7
Republican Adam Joshua Miller 6,597 35.3
Total votes 18,686 100.0
General election
Democratic Anthony Rendon (incumbent) 28,544 69.1
Republican Adam Joshua Miller 12,781 30.9
Total votes 41,325 100.0
Democratic hold

2016

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See also: 2016 California State Assembly election
California's 63rd State Assembly district election, 2016
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Anthony Rendon (incumbent) 45,391 78.5
Republican Adam Joshua Miller 12,419 21.5
Total votes 57,810 100.0
General election
Democratic Anthony Rendon (incumbent) 89,134 77.6
Republican Adam Joshua Miller 25,680 22.4
Total votes 114,814 100.0
Democratic hold

2018

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See also: 2018 California State Assembly election
California's 63rd State Assembly district election, 2018
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Anthony Rendon (incumbent) 18,047 46.6
Democratic Maria D. Estrada 11,252 29.1
Republican Adam Joshua Miller 9,419 24.3
Total votes 38,718 100.0
General election
Democratic Anthony Rendon (incumbent) 49,367 54.3
Democratic Maria D. Estrada 41,626 45.7
Total votes 90,993 100.0
Democratic hold

2020

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2020 California State Assembly election
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Anthony Rendon (incumbent) 32,471 58.0
Democratic Maria D. Estrada 23,481 42.0
Total votes 55,952 100.0
General election
Democratic Anthony Rendon (incumbent) 71,460 53.7
Democratic Maria D. Estrada 61,611 46.3
Total votes 133,071 100.0
Democratic hold

2022

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2022 California's 62nd State Assembly district election[27][28]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Anthony Rendon (incumbent) 24,003 67.0
Democratic Maria Estrada 11,826 33.0
Total votes 35,829 100%
General election
Democratic Anthony Rendon (incumbent) 39,442 63.9
Democratic Maria Estrada 22,285 36.1
Total votes 61,727 100%
Democratic hold

Personal life

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Rendon resides in Lakewood, California. In December 2014, Rendon married Annie Lam in a ceremony officiated by former California State Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez.[29]

References

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  1. ^ "California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon is stepping down. He's not happy about how it happened". AP News. June 29, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  2. ^ "Goodbye to the Rendon era". Politico. June 29, 2023.
  3. ^ "Anthony Rendon". JoinCalifornia. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Mason, Melanie (January 9, 2016). "Punk rock and Plato are touchstones for incoming Assembly speaker". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  5. ^ Berestein Rojas, Leslie (October 20, 2015). "Incoming Calif. Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon sees himself as bridge between East and Westside on environment concerns". KPCC. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  6. ^ a b "Rendon Sworn In as Assembly Speaker". Sacramento, CA: California State Assembly Democratic Caucus. March 7, 2016. Archived from the original on December 23, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  7. ^ a b c Skelton, George (November 2, 2015). "As next Assembly speaker, academic late-bloomer Anthony Rendon aims to focus on education". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  8. ^ Gutierrez, Melody. "Anthony Rendon becomes new Assembly speaker". SFGate. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  9. ^ Gallegos, Sami (March 31, 2016). "From humble roots to the height of California politics". ABC10. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  10. ^ "Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon Zooms Into Political Science Class". The Daily Titan. March 30, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  11. ^ a b "Anthony Rendon sworn-in as Assembly speaker". The Downey Patriot. March 8, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  12. ^ a b Seiler, Kristin (November 16, 2015). "UCR Alumnus Named Speaker-Designee of the California State Assembly". University of California, Riverside Alumni Blog. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  13. ^ "California's New Assembly Speaker Takes Oath". KPBS. March 7, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  14. ^ Jennewein, Chris (March 7, 2016). "Toni Atkins Passing Speaker's Gavel to Anthony Rendon". Times of San Diego. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  15. ^ White, Jeremy B. (January 3, 2016). "Educating youngest kids tops next California Assembly speaker's agenda". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  16. ^ "California Proposition 1, Water Bond (2014) - Ballotpedia". Retrieved October 6, 2015.
  17. ^ "Capitol Alert: Jerry Brown signs lead ammo ban, vetoes bill to ban semi-automatic rifles - sacbee.com". Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
  18. ^ "California Assembly announces committee chairs". Retrieved October 6, 2015.
  19. ^ "Anthony Rendon selected next Assembly speaker". Retrieved October 6, 2015.
  20. ^ "Anthony Rendon selected next Assembly speaker".
  21. ^ "Los Angeles Times Profile of Anthony Rendon". Los Angeles Times. January 9, 2016.
  22. ^ Rosenhall, Laurel (January 5, 2020). "Priorities o Anthony Rendon". Calmatters.
  23. ^ Wiley, Hannah; Williams, Lance (February 25, 2021). "Since California speaker rose to power, corporate money flowed to nonprofits tied to his wife". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  24. ^ "As Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon's power grew, so did his wife's income". Los Angeles Times. June 8, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  25. ^ GUTIERREZ, MELODY (November 11, 2022). "California Assembly elects new leader after showdown over speaker post". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  26. ^ "Legislative Progressive Caucus". assembly.ca.gov. California State Assembly. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  27. ^ "Primary Election - Statement of the Vote, June 7, 2022" (PDF). California Secretary of State. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  28. ^ "General Election - Statement of the Vote, November 8, 2022 - State Assembly" (PDF). California Secretary of State. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  29. ^ Koseff, Alexei (December 15, 2016). "AM Alert: Did he do that? Urkel announces cow art exhibition". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
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Political offices
Preceded by Speaker of the California State Assembly
2016–2023 		Succeeded by
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