In California, just 12 of the 135 members sworn into office for the current 2025-2026 legislative session were aged 35 or younger. The average age of California State Assembly members is 49 years, and the average age of California Senate members is 55 years, according to research by Rutgers University. And yet, in Sacramento, younger legislative staffers are more regularly gaining access to positions of influence in the capitol, even as their generations remain underrepresented among elected officials.
