Al Muratsuchi

Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi is a Japanese American attorney and educator who has represented the 66th Assembly District in the Los Angeles South Bay since 2016, having previously served from 2012 to 2014 ^[1,2]. A former Deputy Attorney General, Torrance School Board president, and current Chair of the Assembly Education Committee, Muratsuchi has built his career around public education and community service, though his legislative record on social issues frequently diverges from CFC's core values regarding family policy, religious liberty, and the sanctity of life ^[2,3]. He is also a father and husband whose personal investment in local public schools -- his daughter Keiko has attended neighborhood schools in the South Bay -- reflects a genuine commitment to the next generation ^[3,4]. With a 15% CFC Biblical Values Scorecard rating, Muratsuchi's voting record has consistently placed him at considerable distance from the California Family Council's worldview framework on the sanctity of life (Chapter 6), parental authority in education (Chapter 8), and religious liberty (Chapter 9).

Albert Yasuro Muratsuchi was born on September 4, 1964, and grew up on U.S. military bases in Okinawa, Japan, where his father -- a second-generation Japanese American -- served as a civilian employee of the United States Army ^[1,2]. The son of immigrants and a product of public schools, Muratsuchi arrived in California in 1982 and became a first-generation college graduate, earning his B.S. from the University of California, Berkeley, and his J.D. from UCLA School of Law ^[2,3]. After law school, he served as a Deputy Attorney General in the California Department of Justice and became the regional director of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) Pacific Southwest District, the oldest and largest Asian American civil rights organization in the United States ^[1,2]. His early career reflected a commitment to public service and the rule of law -- values that families can appreciate.

Before entering the Legislature, Muratsuchi served on the Torrance Unified School District Board of Education from 2005 to 2012, eventually becoming Board president ^[2,3]. He also served as a trustee for the Southern California Regional Occupational Center and on the Torrance Planning Commission ^[3]. His local school board service gave him direct experience with the challenges facing families in the education system, and he was outspoken about what he viewed as the shortcomings of federal education policy, including No Child Left Behind mandates that he felt unfairly penalized quality school districts ^[5]. He has also taught at El Camino Community College and UCLA, and is a member of the American Federation of Teachers, Local 1388 ^[3].

His 15.9% Biblical Values Scorecard rating across 104 scored floor votes reflects consistent divergence from CFC's worldview framework. His voting record has supported abortion access expansion over the sanctity of human life, government-directed education over parental authority and school choice, and progressive social mandates over religious liberty protections.

His long record of local service -- from school board trustee to community advocate to state legislator -- and his role as a father who sends his own daughter to neighborhood public schools reflect a personal commitment to the next generation that merits respect ^[2,3,7]. Families in the South Bay benefit from having a legislator who knows the community intimately, and CFC encourages respectful dialogue on the issues where agreement may yet be found.