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If you spend much time in the state Capitol (or watching its livestreams), you’re probably familiar with the voice of the Assembly Reading Clerk, David Bowman.
His warm, booming tones have ushered thousands of bills to the Assembly floor for debate and votes.
While his position as a legislative air-traffic controller is highly visible (along with his iconic voice) on the Assembly floor, I didn’t even know Bowman’s name before I decided I wanted to interview him for this story.
Indeed, as he confirmed, he is recognized simply as “the guy” from the Assembly by lobbyists, staff and other Capitol observers who recognize the sound of his voice out and about in Sacramento.
A true Local Legend, David was born and raised in Meadowview. “Homegrown and don’t plan to leave anytime soon,” he told me in an interview on the Assembly floor.
Clerking in the Legislature — one of Sacramento’s key communities — is a family business: his mother worked in the state Senate for 25 years. That led him to a chance encounter with former Speaker Willie Brown when David was 10 years old.
He says meeting the country’s first Black Speaker made him want to work in “the white house,” as he called the domed white Capitol as a child. After a few years working in the private sector, he began spending lunch breaks handing out resumes around the Capitol until he landed a job in the Assembly Chief Clerk’s office in 2009. He was appointed full-time reading clerk in March 2020.
David Bowman reads a bill on the California Assembly floor on March 26, 2024.Screenshot via California State Assembly
“Reading is actually the fun part of the job,” David says. “The difficult aspect is knowing the rules, knowing the procedures, and maintaining order and decorum” in what can sometimes become contentious debates over legislation and parliamentary procedure.
How does he prepare for those marathon floor sessions, standing for hours and reading hundreds of bills?
“Lots of coffee and minimal talking,” he says with a laugh. “I say it jokingly, but I do have to wear comfortable shoes. You’ll see me pacing on camera to keep the blood flowing in my legs.”
To mentally prepare for busy floor sessions, he listens to classical music and soft piano from musician Austin Farwell.
“I’m so focused when we gavel in and I’m ready to go. And I’m calm because sometimes sessions get chaotic and busy.”
Above all, David says he’s proud to bring diverse representation in government — a personal imperative he realized when he first met Willie Brown.
“If you tuning in and seeing me do my job changes your perception of the Capitol itself, what government means and how it should represent people, that’s why I do what I do,” he says.
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