New state Senate Judiciary Committee chair is Santa Ana attorney

Sen. Thomas J. Umberg, D-Santa Ana, will chair the California Senate Judiciary Committee, according to new assignments announced Monday.

He will replace Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, who recently termed out after leading the powerful committee for nearly seven years.

"The pandemic and the increasing costs of litigation have made access to justice more challenging," said Umberg in an emailed statement. "In leading the Judiciary Committee, I plan to work diligently with the committee members to consider thoughtful policy and meet the pandemic crisis head-on.

Sen. Mark Stone, D-Scotts Valley, will continue to lead the Assembly Judiciary Committee for a seventh year.

Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood, announced his committee assignments on Saturday. The Assembly Judiciary Committee will feature eight Democrats and three Republicans. All but two of its members will be attorneys.

The 11-member Senate committee will feature two Republicans: Vice Chair Sen. Andreas Borgeas, R-Fresno, and Sen. Brian W. Jones, R-Santee.

Umberg and Borgeas will be among eight attorneys serving on the Senate committee. Other notable attorneys include Sen. Robert Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys and Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco.

Hertzberg authored SB 10, a 2018 bill that would have phased out cash bail but was defeated by a referendum in last month's general election.

Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, also renamed Wiener chair of the Senate Housing Committee. A former deputy city attorney in San Francisco, Wiener has aggressively pursued policies designed to speed the construction of housing in the state. Such legislation is likely to spur litigation, similar to the multiple recent cases fought between Gov. Gavin Newsom and the City of Huntington Beach over Newsom's push to get the city to comply with state housing mandates.

"California was experiencing skyrocketing rates of homelessness and displacement before COVID-19, and the pandemic has made a bad situation worse," Wiener said in an emailed statement. "More abundant and affordable housing is key to California's recovery and long-term success."

-- Malcolm Maclachlan