Democratic Assemblyman Robert Rivas addresses lawmakers at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., on May 23, 2022. Rivas said on May 27, 2022, he has secured enough votes to become the next Assembly speaker, replacing current Speaker Anthony Rendon.

State Assembly Member Robert Rivas, a Democrat from Hollister who grew up in a farmworker family on the Central Coast, said Friday that he has amassed enough votes to become the next speaker of the California Assembly.

Rivas’ announcement comes amid months of speculation about efforts to oust Speaker Anthony Rendon, a Los Angeles Democrat who has increasingly clashed with some members of the massive and splintered Democratic caucus.

Rendon has not conceded to a transfer of power, and there hasn’t been any official caucus meeting or floor vote to replace him. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“I am honored to have earned the support and confidence of my colleagues across the state, from the Mexico border to the Oregon border,” Rivas said in a statement. “Anthony Rendon has been an effective and unifying speaker, and I am grateful to him for his steady leadership, and I am confident a smooth transition of power is a shared value of ours.”

Rivas’ ascension would have symbolic and historic significance. He would be the first legislative leader in modern times to hail from a rural area of the state. Rivas grew up in farmworker housing in Paicines, where he was raised by a single mother and his grandparents, Mexican immigrants. His grandfather worked in vineyards.

Civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, a longtime advocate for migrant farmers, cheered the prospect of Rivas becoming speaker in a statement Friday, and said his life story is a testament to “Robert’s determination and the power of the California dream.”

The Chronicle spoke with two influential members of the Democratic caucus who said Rivas has more than the majority needed to oust Rendon. The legislators spoke on the condition of anonymity out of deference to Rendon.

“It’s over, and I think everybody understands how the story ends,” one legislator said. “Rob is a very charismatic guy and there was a lot of organic support for him from within the caucus.”

Other Capitol insiders said replacing Rendon would be part of the typical turnover of leadership, as he’s termed out in 2024. Typically, the top leaders in the Assembly and Senate agree to transition power to another leader before their twilight stretch of their time in office.

“The speaker is naturally cycling out,” another Democratic legislator said. “It’s been talked about for quite some time.”

Rivas’ office said he met with Rendon on Friday morning to begin discussions about a transition. But Rendon’s camp has not acknowledged any talks to give up power.

Rendon’s grip on speaker’s chair comes after several high-profile clashes with caucus members. Last fall, he abruptly removed Assembly Member Evan Low, D-San Jose, as chair of the powerful Assembly Business and Professions Committee after Low was rumored to be a possible contender to oust Rendon.

Rendon drew fire in 2020 after a tumultuous end to the legislative session, when he frequently clashed with Senate leadership. Rendon also apologized to Assembly Member Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, that year after he denied her request for a proxy vote and she brought her newborn daughter to the Assembly floor during the final day of session.

It’s unclear how soon a vote could be held to confer Rivas’ status as the next possible speaker. One legislator said it would likely happen later this year, depending on what agreement Rendon and Rivas work out.

Rivas was elected to the Assembly in 2018 and is vice chair of the influential Latino Caucus. He previously served two terms on the San Benito County Board of Supervisors.

As a lawmaker, Rivas has championed bills to create stronger workplace protections for farm laborers, help California better plan for inevitable cycles of drought and require cities to speed up permit approvals to build new housing.

“I look forward to the progress we will make together to alleviate our affordability crisis, protect our environment and ensure that California remains a land of opportunity for every resident,” he said in a a statement.

Dustin Gardiner (he/him) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dustingardiner

Dustin Gardiner is a state Capitol reporter for The San Francisco Chronicle. He joined The Chronicle in 2019, after nearly a decade with The Arizona Republic, where he covered state and city politics. Dustin won several awards for his reporting in Arizona, including the 2019 John Kolbe Politics Reporting award, and the 2017 Story of the Year award from the Arizona Newspapers Association. Outside of work, he enjoys hiking, camping, reading fiction and playing Settlers of Catan. He's a member of NLGJA, the association of LGBTQ journalists.