By ADAM BEAM | Associated Press

SACRAMENTO — A California Democrat says he has enough votes to become the next speaker of the state Assembly.

Assemblymember Robert Rivas would replace Anthony Rendon, who has been speaker since 2016.

It’s not clear when Rivas would take over. In a news release, Rivas said he met with Rendon on Friday morning “to begin discussions on a transition.”

Rendon’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“Anthony Rendon has been an effective and unifying Speaker, and I am grateful to him for his steady leadership, and I am confident a smooth transition of power is a shared value of ours,” Rivas said in a news release.

Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (Courtesy photo)

State lawmakers in California are limited to 12 years in office. Rendon has been in office since 2012, part of a large number of Democrats elected that year who would be termed out in 2024. Many of Rendon’s colleagues who were elected with him have already left office or are planning to leave as they near their term limits, which has eroded Rendon’s base of support.

Rivas was first elected to the Legislature in 2018. His district includes San Benito County and parts of Monterey, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties. In a news release, Rivas said he would be the “first California State Assembly Speaker in the modern era to represent a rural district.”

The change comes at a key time of the legislative calendar as lawmakers must pass an operating budget by June 15 or forfeit their salaries. Legislative leaders have been deep in negotiations with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration for weeks, with lawmakers unable to agree on how to distribute billions of dollars in tax rebates.

Rivas said he was raised by his mother and his grandparents, who moved to California from Mexico. His biography on his official website says Rivas struggled to overcome a severe stutter as a child “that rendered him almost speechless.”

Rivas said his grandfather was a migrant farmworker who stood with Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers to advocate for farmworker rights.

“My family’s story is similar to the millions of immigrants who have come to California in search of a better life,” Rivas said. “It shows what is possible in our state. As Speaker, I will fight to keep the door of opportunity open for future generations.”

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