FRESHMAN CLASS IN LEGISLATURE SETTING A RECORD SACRAMENTO AWASH TODAY IN RECEPTIONS, CELEBRATIONS.

Byline: HARRISON SHEPPARD and MIKE ZAPLER Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO -- The largest freshman class in state legislative history will take the oath of office today amid parties, receptions, music, more parties -- and just a little bit of real work.

In one fell swoop, 36 new members will join the Assembly, just shy of half its total 80 members. Twelve of the 40 state senators are first-termers, though several of them are actually veteran legislators moving up from the Assembly.

The newcomers arrive as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger prepares to reveal an agenda that would test even the most battle-hardened legislator. Items will include overhauling health care, reforming prisons and dealing with a $5 billion budget deficit.

But whether the new class can successfully navigate the Capitol quickly remains to be seen.

``Imagine fielding a professional sports team where just about half the players were rookies,'' said Tim Hodson, director of the Center for California Studies at Sacramento State University.

``You would not expect the team to make the playoffs -- not necessarily because of lack of talent, but because of lack of experience.''

The incoming members, by and large, aren't new to government. Many are well-regarded city council members, county supervisors and school board members.

Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, said he is confident the new members can avoid most rookie mistakes and hit the ground running.

``They're going to be thoughtful,'' he said. ``They're not going to want to jump the gun and start making changes and proposing laws without thinking things through. They're going to study the issues. In particular on the Democratic side, we have a lot of experienced people coming to Sacramento.''

Because the freshman class is so large, an unprecedented number of freshmen will likely be assigned to chair committees, he added.

And with such a large class, freshmen have more opportunities to band together to change things in the Capitol, said Barbara O'Connor, director of the Institute for the Study of Politics and the Media at California State University, Sacramento.

``I'm hopeful they've been listening to real people in the community who say it's not working, the system is flawed,'' O'Connor said.

``Their biggest asset is creative problem-solving or new points of view on old issues. Let's hope they don't lose that too quickly.''

Today's swearing-in ceremonies will be accompanied by many festivities.

Sen.-elect Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, is expecting several hundred constituents to celebrate his election as the first Chinese-American in the California Senate and only the second Asian-American in 40 years.

His celebration will include firecrackers, lion dancers, a blessing by a Buddhist monk and a Shaolin martial-arts performance.

There will also be some legislative work as lawmakers generally can introduce one important bill -- usually in outline form -- on the first day of session to emphasize the symbolic importance of the issue.

Sen. Richard Alarcon, D-Van Nuys, plans to introduce a bill that would create a cabinet-level position to fight poverty in California.

Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, intends to reintroduce his bill to legalize gay marriage, with San Fernando Valley Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys, signing on as one of many co-authors.

harrison.sheppard(at)dailynews.com

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