Assemblymember Robert Rivas was sworn in Friday as the next speaker of California's state Assembly, becoming the first lawmaker from a rural district to hold the powerful office in the state's modern history.
Rivas, a 43-year-old Democrat representing the agricultural Central Coast area, replaces former Speaker Anthony Rendon after a monthslong power struggle last year. Rendon, the second-longest serving speaker in state history, terms out at the end of 2024 after serving as the California lower house's leader the last seven years.
