When California became a state in 1850 the framers of the state’s Constitution established a bicameral legislature by creating a lower house to represent the people and an upper house to represent the counties. The framers did this to prevent one political party from dominating the political landscape.

They understood that with a functional legislature the people in the urban counties could not pursue an agenda that benefitted themselves at the expense of the rural counties. A bicameral legislature created an important safeguard against a tyranny of the majority.