Al Muratsuchi | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2012 | |
| Member of theCalifornia State Assembly from the66th district | |
| Assumed office December 5, 2016 | |
| Preceded by | David Hadley |
| In office December 3, 2012 – November 30, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Kevin Jeffries |
| Succeeded by | David Hadley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1966-09-04)September 4, 1966 (age 59) |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Hiroko Higuchi |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley (BA) University of California, Los Angeles (JD) |
| Profession | Attorney Prosecutor |
| Website | www |
Albert Yasuro Muratsuchi (born September 4, 1964) is aJapanese-American attorney serving theCalifornia State Assembly. ADemocrat, he represents the66th Assembly district, encompassing parts of theSouth Bay region ofLos Angeles, including the cities ofTorrance,Manhattan Beach, andRedondo Beach.
Prior to his service in the State Assembly, he was a deputyCalifornia Attorney General, trustee for theTorrance Unified School District, and trustee for the Southern California Regional Occupation Center.
First elected to the Assembly in 2012 to represent the66th State Assembly district, Muratsuchi was narrowly defeated during the 2014 Republican wave. He won back the seat in 2016 rematch and has held the seat since.
Muratsuchi was born on September 4, 1964, and grew up on U.S. military bases inOkinawa, Japan. His father, a2nd-generation Japanese American, was a civilian employee of theUnited States Army. His mother was born inGifu Prefecture inHonshu,Japan.[1]
Due to his father's job, he was largely raised on various military bases overseas.[2] He attended theUniversity of California, Berkeley andUCLA School of Law.[2][1]
Muratsuchi was a prosecutor in theCalifornia Department of Justice and served as a Deputy Attorney General.[3] He also served as the regional director of theJapanese American Citizens League Pacific Southwest District.[2]
Chairman of the Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies, Chairman of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance, and Chairman of the Assembly Select Committee on Aerospace. Member of: Assembly Committee on Natural Resources, Assembly Judiciary Committee, Assembly Budget Committee, and Veterans Affairs.
Appointments to Board and Commission: California Coastal Conservancy, Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission, Governor Brown's Military Council, Inter-agency Veterans Council.
In 2020, Muratsuchi introduced AB-345, which would have required a minimum setback distance of 2,500 feet betweenoil wells and public areas where children are present and public notices of potential consequences to local communities.
He has said that there was strong opposition from oil and gas industry trade unions, whom theLos Angeles Times has noted are major supporters of Democratic candidates. The bill failed in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee in a 5–4 decision. State SenatorRobert Hertzberg, who made the pivotal vote, said that he opposed the bill because GovernorGavin Newsom has already signed a bill in 2019 with similar intentions of setting up buffer zones. However, Muratsuchi has noted that Newsom has not made a definite commitment to do so.[4]
First elected to the Assembly in 2012 to represent the 66th Assembly District, Muratsuchi was narrowly defeated byRepublicanDavid Hadley during the 2014 Republican wave in anupset. In a 2016 rematch with Hadley, he reclaimed his old Assembly seat. Since then, Muratsuchi has retained the seat with comfortable electoral margins.
He was easily reelected over formerTorrance Mayor Frank A. Scotto in 2018. In 2020, he was reelected by a wide margin over Arthur C. Schaper, whom theSouthern Poverty Law Center called a "longtime anti-immigrant and nativist activist."[5]
In 2022, he was reelected over formerHermosa Beach Mayor George Barks winning 59.9% to 40.1%.
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Al Muratsuchi | 27,360 | 40.5 | |
| Republican | Craig Huey | 26,298 | 38.9 | |
| Republican | Nathan Mintz | 13,914 | 20.6 | |
| Total votes | 67,572 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Al Muratsuchi | 102,136 | 54.8 | |
| Republican | Craig Huey | 84,372 | 45.2 | |
| Total votes | 186,508 | 100.0 | ||
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | David Hadley | 30,996 | 50.5 | |
| Democratic | Al Muratsuchi (incumbent) | 30,439 | 49.5 | |
| Total votes | 61,435 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | David Hadley | 54,401 | 50.3 | |
| Democratic | Al Muratsuchi (incumbent) | 53,695 | 49.7 | |
| Total votes | 108,096 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Al Muratsuchi | 53,295 | 48.7 | |
| Republican | David Hadley (incumbent) | 48,755 | 44.6 | |
| Democratic | Mike Madrigal | 7,307 | 6.7 | |
| Total votes | 109,357 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Al Muratuschi | 105,336 | 54.1 | |
| Republican | David Hadley (incumbent) | 89,308 | 45.9 | |
| Total votes | 194,644 | 100.0 | ||
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Al Muratsuchi (incumbent) | 47,976 | 50.9 | |
| Republican | Frank A. Scotto | 40,727 | 43.2 | |
| Democratic | Caney Arnold | 5,612 | 6.0 | |
| Total votes | 88,703 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Al Muratsuchi (incumbent) | 108,627 | 60.5 | |
| Republican | Frank A. Scotto | 71,057 | 39.5 | |
| Total votes | 179,684 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Al Muratsuchi (incumbent) | 83,172 | 66.2 | |
| Republican | Arthur C. Schaper | 42,536 | 33.8 | |
| Total votes | 125,708 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Al Muratsuchi (incumbent) | 145,874 | 63.2 | |
| Republican | Arthur C. Schaper | 84,867 | 36.8 | |
| Total votes | 230,741 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Al Muratsuchi (incumbent) | 67,618 | 61.7 | |
| Republican | George Barks | 41,918 | 38.3 | |
| Total votes | 109,536 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Al Muratsuchi (incumbent) | 99,280 | 59.9 | |
| Republican | George Barks | 66,332 | 40.1 | |
| Total votes | 165,612 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Al Muratsuchi (incumbent) | 67,838 | 59.1 | |
| Republican | George Barks | 46,910 | 40.9 | |
| Total votes | 114,748 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Al Muratsuchi (incumbent) | 131,680 | 60.2 | |
| Republican | George Barks | 86,986 | 39.8 | |
| Total votes | 218,666 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
