LONGEST TERMS IN OFFICE
In the first incarnation of term limits, which started in 1990, constitutional officers and State Senate members can hold an office for two four-year terms. In the State Assembly, the limit was three two-year terms. Under the new term limits, starting in 2012, members of the Legislature are now limited to a total of 12 years in office (no matter which house they are in when they serve those years).
Seats in the US House of Representatives and US Senate are not bound by term limits, and members may serve for as long as the voters in their districts reelect them. The current longest-serving member of the legislature is State Senator Jim Nielsen, who served twelve years in the Senate prior to term limits, four years in the Assembly under old term limits, and has served in the Senate since early 2013.
As of January 2020, the longest terms that California elected officials have held a single office is:
State Executive
| Office | Name | Dates | Years |
| Governor | Jerry Brown | 1975-83, 2011-19 | 16 |
| Lt. Governor | Leo T. McCarthy | 1983-1995 | 12 |
| Secretary of State | Frank C. Jordan | 1911-1940 | 29 |
| Attorney General | U. S. Webb | 1903-1939 | 36 |
| State Treasurer | Charles G. Johnson | 1923-1956 | 33 |
| State Controller | Ray L. Riley | 1921-1935 | 14 |
| Insurance Commissioner | John Garamendi Dave Jones |
1991-95, 2003-07 2011-2019 |
8 |
| Superintendent of Public Instruction | Roy E. Simpson | 1945-1963 | 17 |
| Board of Equalization | George Reilly | 1939-1983 | 44 |
State Legislative
| Name | Service | Dates | Years |
| Legislature (1) | Ralph C. Dills | 1939-49, 1967-98 | 43.4 |
| State Senate | Randolph Collier | 1939-1976 | 38 |
| State Assembly | Vincent Thomas | 1941-1978 | 37 |
(1) Total combined service from both houses of the Legislature.
Federal Legislative
| Name | Service | Dates | Years |
| Congress (1) |
Pete Stark Henry Waxman George Miller |
1973-2013 1975-2015 1975-2015 |
40 |
| U.S. Senate | Dianne Feinstein | 1992-Present | ~30 |
| U.S. House | Pete Stark Henry Waxman George Miller |
1973-2013 1975-2015 1975-2015 |
40 |
(1) Total combined service from both houses of the Legislature.
Currently Serving
| Name | Service | Dates | Years |
| Executive Branch |
Betty Yee |
2004-2023 |
~18 |
| Legislature (1) State Senate State Assembly |
Jim Nielsen Jim Nielsen Assembly Class of 2012 (2) |
1978-90, 2008-2022 1978-90, 2013-2022 2012-Present |
26 22 ~10 |
| Congress (1) U.S. Senate U.S. House |
Nancy Pelosi Dianne Feinstein Nancy Pelosi |
1987-Present 1992-Present 1987-Present |
34.5+ ~30 34.5+ |
(1) Total combined service from both houses of the Legislature.
(2) Only 20 of the original 38 members of the Assembly Class of 2012 have served continuously (and remain) in the Assembly.