Al Muratsuchi
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 66th district
Assumed office
December 5, 2016
Preceded byDavid Hadley
In office
December 3, 2012 – November 30, 2014
Preceded byKevin Jeffries
Succeeded byDavid Hadley
Personal details
Born (1966-09-04) September 4, 1966
Okinawa Prefecture, Japan
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseHiroko Higuchi
Children1
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley (BA)
University of California, Los Angeles (JD)
ProfessionAttorney
Prosecutor
Websitewww.alforassembly.com

Albert Yasuro Muratsuchi (born September 4, 1964) is a Japanese-American attorney serving the California State Assembly. A Democrat, he represents the 66th Assembly District, encompassing parts of the South Bay region of Los Angeles, including the cities of Torrance, Manhattan Beach, and Redondo Beach.

Prior to his service in the Assembly, he was a deputy California Attorney General, trustee for the Torrance Unified School District, and trustee for the Southern California Regional Occupation Center.

First elected to the Assembly in 2012 to represent the 66th 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.

Personal life

Muratsuchi was born on September 4, 1964, and grew up on U.S. military bases in Okinawa, Japan. His father, a 2nd-generation Japanese American, was a civilian employee of the United States Army. His mother is a native of Gifu Prefecture in Honshu, Japan.[1]

Due to his father's job, he was largely raised on various military bases overseas.[2] He attended the University of California, Berkeley and UCLA School of Law.[2][1]

Career

Muratsuchi was a prosecutor in the California Department of Justice and served as a Deputy Attorney General.[3] He also served as the regional director of the Japanese American Citizens League Pacific Southwest District.[2]

Political career

Legislative committee assignments

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.

Environment

In 2020, Muratsuchi introduced AB-345, which would have required a minimum setback distance of 2,500 feet between oil 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 the Los 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 Senator Robert Hertzberg, who made the pivotal vote, said that he opposed the bill because Governor Gavin 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]

Election results

First elected to the Assembly in 2012 to represent the 66th Assembly District, Muratsuchi was narrowly defeated by Republican David Hadley during the 2014 Republican wave. 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 former Torrance Mayor Frank A. Scotto in 2018. In 2020, he was reelected by a wide margin over Arthur C. Schaper, whom the Southern Poverty Law Center called a "longtime anti-immigrant and nativist activist."[5]

In 2022, he was reelected over former Hermosa Beach Mayor George Barks winning 59.9% to 40.1%.

2012

California's 66th State Assembly district election, 2012[6][7]
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
Democratic gain from Republican

2014

California's 66th State Assembly district election, 2014[8][9]
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
Republican gain from Democratic

2016

California's 66th State Assembly district election, 2016[10][11]
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
Democratic gain from Republican

2018

California's 66th State Assembly district election, 2018[12][13]
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
Democratic hold

2020

2020 California's 66th State Assembly district election[14][15]
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
Democratic hold

2022

2022 California's 66th State Assembly district election[16][17]
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
Democratic hold

References

  1. 1 2 【キラリ大地で】アメリカ アル・ムラツチ氏 那覇生まれ「心の古里」. Ryūkyū Shimpō (in Japanese). 2015-11-23. Archived from the original on 2015-12-03. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  2. 1 2 3 "Obama endorses Muratsuchi in 66th Assembly District race". nichibei.org. November 3, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Muratsuchi Retakes 66th Assembly District Seat". Rafu Shimpo. November 15, 2016.
  4. ↑ Willon, Phil (August 13, 2020). "California oil production limits stall in Legislature, leaving the issue to Newsom". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
  5. ↑ "California chapter of anti-LGBT hate group MassResistance gets a white nationalist member". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  6. ↑ "Statement of Vote - June 5, 2012, Presidential Primary Election - State Assemblymember District 66" (PDF). California Secretary of State.
  7. ↑ "Statement of Vote - November 6, 2012, General Election - State Assemblymember District 66" (PDF). California Secretary of State.
  8. ↑ "Statement of Vote - June 3, 2014, Statewide Direct Primary Election - State Assemblymember District 66" (PDF). California Secretary of State.
  9. ↑ "Statement of Vote - November 4, 2014, General Election - State Assemblymember District 66" (PDF). California Secretary of State.
  10. ↑ "Statement of Vote - June 7, 2016, Presidential Primary Election - State Assemblymember District 66" (PDF). California Secretary of State.
  11. ↑ "Statement of Vote - November 8, 2016, General Election - State Assemblymember District 66" (PDF). California Secretary of State.
  12. ↑ "Statement of Vote - June 5, 2018, Statewide Direct Primary Election - State Assemblymember District 66" (PDF). California Secretary of State.
  13. ↑ "Statement of Vote - November 6, 2018, General Election - State Assemblymember District 66" (PDF). California Secretary of State.
  14. ↑ "Statement of Vote - March 3, 2020, Presidential Primary Election - State Assemblymember District 66" (PDF). California Secretary of State.
  15. ↑ "Statement of Vote - November 3, 2020, General Election - State Assemblymember District 66" (PDF). California Secretary of State.
  16. ↑ "Statement of Vote - June 7, 2022, Primary Election - State Assemblymember District 66" (PDF). California Secretary of State.
  17. ↑ "Statement of Vote - November 8, 2022, General Election - State Assemblymember District 66" (PDF). California Secretary of State.
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