LONGEST TERMS IN OFFICE
Since the introduction of term limits in 1990, State Executive and State Senate members can only hold an office for two four-year terms. For the State Assembly, the limit is three two-year terms. Seats in the US House of Representatives and US Senate are not bound by term limits, and members may serve as long as the voters in their districts reelect them. The current longest-serving member of the legislature is State Senator Tom McClintock (who is serving his 22nd year in the Assembly and Senate). Mervyn M. Dymally will have served 20 years when he terms out of the Assembly this year. He is currently a candidate for State Senate, which if elected, would allow him to extend his service to 28 years.
Before the introduction of term limits, officials were limited only by their ability to attract voters on Election Day. With his Assembly and State Senate service combined, Ralph C. Dills holds the record for longest tenure in the state legislature. The following is a list of the longest terms in office in California history.

Name	Office	Dates	Years
George R. Reilly	Board of Equalization	1943-1982	39
Vincent Thomas	State Assembly	1940-1978	38
U.S. Webb	Attorney General	1903-1939	36
Herbert W. Slater	State Senate	1914-1950	36
Randolph Collier	State Senate	1939-1975	36
George E. Brown Jr.	US Representative	1963-71, 1973-99	35
Fortney H. Stark	US Representative	1973-Present	35
Charles Johnson	Treasurer	1923-1956	33
Henry A. Waxman	US Representative	1975-Present	33
George Miller	US Representative	1975-Present	33
Chet Holifield	US Representative	1942-1974	32
Don Edwards	US Representative	1963-1993	32
Willie Brown	State Assembly	1964-1996	32
Ralph C. Dills	State Senate	1966-1998	32
Clarence F. Lea	US Representative	1917-1949	31.8
Edward R. Roybal	US Representative	1963-1993	30
Alfred E. Alquist	State Senate	1966-1996	30
John Vasconcellos	State Assembly	1966-1996	30
Nicholas C. Petris	State Senate	1966-1996	30
Frank C. Jordan	Secretary of State	1911-1940	29
Milton Marks	State Senate	1967-1996	29
Bill Thomas	US Representative	1978-2007	29
Jerry Lewis	US Representative	1979-Present	29
Hiram Johnson	US Senate	1917-1945	28
Ralph E. Swing	State Senate	1922-1950	28
Gus Hawkins	State Assembly	1934-1962	28
Harry R. Sheppard	US Representative	1937-1965	28
Cecil R. King	US Representative	1941-1969	28
Hugh M. Burns	State Senate	1942-1970	28
Charles J. Conrad	State Assembly	1946-1974	28
Frank Lanterman	State Assembly	1950-1978	28
John E. Moss	US Representative	1951-1979	28
Bob Wilson	US Representative	1953-1981	28
Walter W. Stiern	State Senate	1958-1986	28
Richard Nevins	Board of Equalization	1959-1987	28
Gus Hawkins	US Representative	1963-1991	28
Frank M. Jordan	Secretary of State	1943-1970	27
Ron Dellums	US Representative	1971-1997	27
Robert T. Matsui	US Representative	1971-2005	27
David Dreier	US Representative	1981-Present	27
Duncan L. Hunter	US Representative	1981-Present	27
Tom Lantos	US Representative	1981-2008	27
Howard L. Berman	US Representative	1983-Present	25
B. F. Rush	State Senate	1904-1928	24
Ernest C. Crowley	State Assembly	1928-1952	24
Harold J. Powers	State Senate	1932-1956	24
Harry L. Parkman	State Senate	1932-1956	24
Thomas A. Maloney	State Assembly	1932-1956	24
Hugh P. Donnelly	State Senate	1942-1966	24
Carley V. Porter	State Assembly	1950-1974	24
Donald L. Grunsky	State Senate	1952-1976	24
Pauline L. Davis	State Assembly	1952-1976	24
B. F. Sisk	US Representative	1955-1979	24
Tom Bane	State Assembly	1958-64, 1974-92	24
Alan Cranston	US Senate	1969-1993	24
Glenn M. Anderson	US Representative	1969-1993	24
Carlos J. Moorhead	US Representative	1973-1997	24
Ruben S. Ayala	State Senate	1974-1998	24
Lloyd W. Lowrey	State Assembly	1940-1962	22
John L. E. Collier	State Assembly	1946-1968	22
Frank P. Belotti	State Assembly	1950-1972	22
Charles S. Gubser	US Representative	1953-1975	22
Craig Hosmer	US Representative	1953-1975	22
Carlos Bee	State Assembly	1954-1976	22
John J. McFall	US Representative	1957-1979	22
Albert S. Rodda	State Senate	1958-1982	22
Harold T. Johnson	US Representative	1959-1981	22
John L. Burton	State Assembly	1964-1986	22
H. L. Richardson	State Senate	1966-1988	22
Peter R. Chacon	State Assembly	1970-1992	22
Newton R. Russell	State Senate	1974-1996	22
Norman Y. Mineta	US Representative	1975-1997	22
Benjamin F. Langford	State Senate	1879-1900	21
George C. Perkins	US Senate	1894-1915	21
Elton W. Gallegly	US Representative	1987-Present	21
Wally Herger	US Representative	1987-Present	21
Nancy Pelosi	US Representative	1987-Present	21
Herbert C. Jones	State Senate	1914-1934	20
J. M. Inman	State Senate	1916-1936	20
William Richard Sharkey	State Senate	1916-1936	20
Thomas McCormack	State Senate	1928-1948	20
Bradford S. Crittenden	State Senate	1930-1950	20
Charles H. Deuel	State Senate	1930-1950	20
Arthur H. Breed Jr.	State Senate	1938-1958	20
Charles Brown	State Senate	1942-1962	20
Clayton A. Dills	State Assembly	1946-1966	20
Lester A. McMillan	State Assembly	1946-1966	20
Luther E. Gibson	State Senate	1948-1968	20
Charles M. Teague	US Representative	1955-1975	20
James C. Corman	US Representative	1961-1981	20
Leroy F. Greene	State Assembly	1962-1982	20
Lou Papan	State Assembly	1972-88, 1996-2002	20
Alan Robbins	State Senate	1974-1994	20
Anthony C. Beilenson	US Representative	1977-1997	20
Diane Edith Watson	State Senate	1978-1998	20
Dana Rohrabacher	US Representative	1989-Present	19

SHORTEST TERMS IN OFFICE
California's shortest service members of the State and Federal offices is located below. Most either died before assuming office, resigned shortly after assuming office. This list includes only politicians who lived to assumed office, although at least nine died between election day and when they assumed office; one Congressman-elect, Charles F. Van de Water (1920); two State Senator-elects George W. Seaton (1865) and Charles L. Pong (1890); and four Assemblymen-elects, L. Dunlap (1850), James H. Carson (1853), Thomas Robertson (1859), and William L. Morton (1882).
Fun Fact: The father of California Short-term Politicians was State Senator Nathaniel Bennett, who resigned five days after the first Legislature convened in San Jose in 1849.

Name	Office	Year	Days	Reason
James Otis	State Assembly	1862	0	Resigned.
Samuel H. Brooks	Controller	1860	0	Resigned.
Samuel Brannan	State Senate	1853	0	Declined to serve.
Jesse S. Pitzer *	State Assembly	1853	3	Disqualification overrturned.
Nathaniel Bennett	State Senate	1849	5	Resigned.
Milton S. Latham	Governor	1860	5	Resigned.
William C. Van Voorhies	State Assembly	1849	6	Resigned.
John G. Downey	Lt. Governor	1860	11	Resigned.
Dana P. Eicke	State Assembly	1935	20	Died.
Harry S. Wanzer	State Assembly	1903	34	Resigned.
Adrian C. Fondse	State Assembly	1981	35	Seat vacated after a recount.
James S. Gillan	Controller	1861	44	Term ended.
Thomas M. Storke **	US Senate	1938	55	Term ended.
James W. Mandeville	Controller	1875	62	Died.
Richard W. Heath	State Assembly	1849	65	Resigned.
Charles H. Hempstead	Secretary of State	1855	66	Term ended.
Albert Hart	Secretary of State	1894	67	Term ended.
Horace W. Carpentier	State Assembly	1853	67	Seat declared vacant.
Charles A. Hughes	State Assembly	1883	68	Died.
J. F. Stephens	State Assembly	1849	79	Resigned.
C. V. R. Lee	State Assembly	1853	81	Resigned.
John L. Harmer	Lt. Governor	1974	94	Term ended.
Richard Alarcon	State Assembly	2007	102	Resigned
Oliver S. Witherby	State Assembly	1849	117	Resigned.
Pierre Salinger	US Senate	1964	148	Resigned.
Harry I. Thornton	State Senate	1861	163	Resigned.
Mike Gordon	State Assembly	2005	173	Died.
Laura Richardson	State Assembly	2007	261	Resigned.

* NOTE: Pitzer was sworn in when Assemblyman W. C. Martin  was disqualified, but the disqualification was overturned three days later.
** NOTE: The term ended before Storke could be sworn into office.
*** NOTE: James W. Mandeville was elected Controller twice, but only served a total of 62 days in office.