California has 42 senators in total: two in the United States Senate and 40 in the California State Senate. The word “senator” covers both jobs, which is why the question comes up so often, but the two roles sit at different levels of government and work on very different things.
The Two U.S. Senators
Every state sends exactly two senators to the U.S. Senate, regardless of population. That rule comes from Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution.1Congress.gov. Constitution of the United States – Section: Section 3 California’s nearly 40 million residents get the same two votes in the Senate as Wyoming’s roughly 580,000. The House of Representatives scales with population; the Senate gives each state equal footing.
California’s current U.S. Senators are Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, both Democrats.2United States Senate. California Senators They vote on federal legislation, confirm presidential nominees to the courts and cabinet, and ratify treaties. Voters across the entire state elect each senator in a statewide race, so there are no district boundaries at the federal level.
Qualifications and Terms
A U.S. Senator must be at least 30 years old, a U.S. citizen for at least nine years, and a resident of the state they represent at the time of election.3Congress.gov. Overview of Senate Qualifications Clause Terms run six years, and there are no term limits.1Congress.gov. Constitution of the United States – Section: Section 3 Incumbents can run for reelection indefinitely.
Filling a Vacancy
When a U.S. Senate seat opens mid-term, the 17th Amendment requires the governor to call a special election and allows state law to let the governor appoint someone to serve until that election.4Congress.gov. Seventeenth Amendment California’s governor has that appointment power. Governor Newsom used it in 2021 to appoint Alex Padilla to the seat Kamala Harris left after becoming Vice President.
The 40 State Senators
The California State Senate is a separate body from the U.S. Senate. It’s the upper house of the state legislature, working alongside the 80-member State Assembly. The California Constitution fixes the State Senate at 40 members, each representing a distinct geographic district.5Justia. California Constitution Article IV Section 2 State senators draft and vote on state laws, approve the state budget, and confirm gubernatorial appointments.
Districts are redrawn after each census to keep populations roughly equal. Based on 2020 Census data, each district contains roughly 950,000 to 1,060,000 people, with the State Senate reporting an average of about 988,000 residents per district.6California State Senate. Senators A single California state senator represents more people than the entire population of several smaller U.S. states.
Staggered Four-Year Terms
State senators serve four-year terms, and elections are staggered so that half the body turns over every two years. Even-numbered districts vote in one general election cycle; odd-numbered districts follow two years later.5Justia. California Constitution Article IV Section 2 The stagger keeps a single election from replacing the entire chamber at once.
Qualifications
The bar to run is lower than at the federal level. A candidate must be a U.S. citizen, a registered voter, and a resident of the district they want to represent. There is no minimum age in the California Constitution, so any registered voter who meets the other requirements can run. The Constitution does list durational residency requirements of one year in the district and three years in the state, but the Secretary of State’s office treats those as unenforceable under the U.S. Constitution.7Secretary of State. Summary of Qualifications and Requirements for the Office of State Senator
Term Limits
State legislators face strict term limits. Proposition 28, passed by voters in 2012, caps lifetime service in the state legislature at 12 years total.8Legislative Analyst’s Office. Proposition 28 Limits on Legislators Terms in Office Those 12 years can be split between the Senate and Assembly in any combination, or spent entirely in one chamber.
Filling a State Senate Vacancy
When a state senator leaves office early, the seat is filled by special election, not gubernatorial appointment. The governor issues a writ of election, and the timing depends on how close the vacancy falls to the next scheduled primary.9California Legislative Information. California Code Elections Code ELEC 10720 Voters always choose the replacement, which is a meaningful difference from the U.S. Senate rules.
Pay
As of mid-2025, most California state senators earn a base salary of $132,703 per year, with legislative leaders reaching up to about $152,607. California operates a full-time legislature and is among the highest-paid in the country. U.S. Senators earn a uniform $174,000 base salary set by federal law.