SACRAMENTO -- In a formal ceremony today at the State Capitol, Lori Saldaña (D- San Diego) was sworn into office for the 2005-2006 legislative session.

Saldaña, a Democrat, was elected November 2 to represent the 76th Assembly District, which lies entirely within the city of San Diego.

"I'm honored that my fellow citizens have put their faith in me as their representative in Sacramento," said Assemblymember Saldaña. "I'm looking forward to improving the quality of life for San Diegans by investing in infrastructure and education programs that will support our economy, while supporting environmental protection and water quality improvements."

Saldaña has been a community leader and educator in the San Diego community for decades. She served as President Clinton's appointee to the Border Environment Cooperation Commission's Advisory Council (1999) to review, plan and fund water quality improvement projects in San Diego and Tijuana. Saldaña - a San Diego/Imperial Valley Chapter Chair of the Sierra Club - also served as Chairwoman of the San Diego Wetlands Advisory Board from 1992 to 1994.

Saldaña was elected in November to fill the Assembly seat vacated by Christine Kehoe, who was elected to the State Senate, also in November.

Twenty-four newly-elected members joined the Assembly today: 15 Democrats and 9 Republicans. The Assembly is made up of 80 members, who each represent about half a million people. The 24 new members join 56 returning members. The party split in the Assembly is 48 Democrats and 32 Republicans, the same split as in the 2003-2004 session.