Vote to designate new Assembly speaker set for Monday

SACRAMENTO -- The Assembly will hold a vote next Monday to determine its new leader, the office of Speaker John A. Pérez confirmed Wednesday.

Assemblywoman Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), who has already locked up the unanimous approval of Assembly Democrats, is poised to assume the title of Speaker-elect.

Atkins, a former San Diego City Council member, was first elected to the Legislature in 2010. She currently serves as Majority Floor Leader.

She would be the first lesbian to serve as speaker. She follows Pérez, who was the first openly gay lawmaker to hold the post.

It will likely be several weeks before Atkins takes over for Pérez, who is termed out this year and is running for state controller.

While jockeying among Democrats for the leadership post can be feisty, votes by the full Assembly to designate a new speaker have been more predictable affairs, often conducted by voice vote or along party lines.

Democrats hold 55 seats in the Assembly; a majority -- 41 votes -- would secure the speakership.

The last real nail-biter in a full Assembly vote was in January 1995, when then-Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco) secured re-election for an eighth term, despite Republicans holding a one-vote majority in the chamber. Brown engineered the ouster of Republican Assemblyman Richard Mountjoy (R-Arcadia), who had been elected to both the Assembly and the Senate, and then won on a 40-39 vote.

melanie.mason@latimes.com

Twitter: @melmason