Former Head Start leader set to lead California Assembly

If he hangs on to his leadership post, that could make him the longest-serving speaker since the era without term limits, which voters first approved in 1990.

Before running for office, he led a child development program in Southern California and directed the California League of Conservation Voters.

Rendon also expressed concerns about the Brown administration's revised plan for a $64 billion high-speed rail system, which is now planned to head to the San Francisco Bay Area before heading to Southern California.