Re-elect State Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan to keep AD-16 on the right track.
About the Position
State Assembly Members form part of the California State Legislature, and work alongside the governor to establish laws and a state budget. They hold the power to pass bills that affect public policy, set state spending levels, raise and lower taxes, and uphold or override the governor’s vetoes. The California State Assembly has 80 districts. Each represents a population of at least 465,000 Californians. Representatives are elected to the Assembly for a two-year term. Every two years, all 80 seats are subject to election. Members elected before 2012 are restricted to three two-year terms (six years) in the Assembly. Those elected in or after 2012 are allowed to serve 12 years total across both the State Senate and Assembly. This term, Democrats currently hold a two-thirds supermajority of 61 seats in the California State Assembly, while Republicans hold 17 seats. One seat is held by an Independent, and one seat is currently vacant.
About the District
California's 16th Assembly District includes portions of Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Republicans held this district until 2008, when Democrat Joan Buchanan won and flipped AD-16 from red to blue. It has flipped back and forth in the last decade. Democrat incumbent Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan has served AD-16 since 2018. The most recent election results show 64.5 percent of AD-16 voted for Hillary Clinton for president in 2016, and 63.2 percent voted for Gavin Newsom for governor in 2018.
About the Race
In the primary, Democrat incumbent Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan led Republican challenger Joseph Rubay by a margin of 36.6 percent. Bauer-Kahan’s campaign has raised $873,755 and is funded by corporate PACs, police money, and fossil fuel money. Rubay’s campaign has raised $16,525, of which $15,300 is from candidate self-financing. Rubay has not committed to any of the pledges to refuse corporate PACs, fossil fuel, or police money.
About the Candidate
Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan, a law professor and attorney, is from Orinda, CA. Prior to her election to the State Assembly, she taught law at Santa Clara University and Golden State University. She is a longtime supporter of fighting climate change and for a women’s right to choose. According to campaign materials, Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan is running for re-election to protect the environment, fight Trump’s immigration policies, increase access to quality, affordable health care, and help small businesses thrive.
Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan’s priorities for AD-16 this year include education, public safety, and labor. She currently sits on five committees: Appropriations, Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials, Privacy and Consumer Protection, Public Safety, and Banking and Finance. She also serves as chair on the Select Committee on Women’s Reproductive Health. Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan has sponsored 31 bills about public safety, environment safety, and labor this year, of which nine have been successfully chaptered. She scores a lifetime score of 81 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records.
Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan has supported the most progressive bills that made it to a vote. That said, she has not supported AB 290, which would prevent dialysis companies from steering patients from Medi-Cal to boost corporate profits. This is not surprising, considering Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan has accepted $12,900 from the two dialysis giants in California: Fresenius and DaVita. Additionally, she has consistently failed to support essential housing bills, such as AB 1487, AB 1482, and AB 1279. By accepting almost $10,000 from powerful landlord-lobbying groups like the California Apartment Association PAC and Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles PAC and failing to support these bills, Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan has shown AD-16 where her priorities lie.
Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan is endorsed by several progressive groups, such as EMILY’s List, NARAL Pro-Choice California, and the California League of Conservation Voters. At this time, she does not have any problematic endorsements. The threat of Republican challenger Rubay’s potential policies on strengthening police to solve gun violence greatly outweighs Bauer-Kahan’s moderate voting record and lack of campaign finance pledges. According to our analysis, Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan is the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
Re-elect State Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan to keep AD-16 on the right track.
About the Position
State Assembly Members form part of the California State Legislature, and work alongside the governor to establish laws and a state budget. They hold the power to pass bills that affect public policy, set state spending levels, raise and lower taxes, and uphold or override the governor’s vetoes. The California State Assembly has 80 districts. Each represents a population of at least 465,000 Californians. Representatives are elected to the Assembly for a two-year term. Every two years, all 80 seats are subject to election. Members elected before 2012 are restricted to three two-year terms (six years) in the Assembly. Those elected in or after 2012 are allowed to serve 12 years total across both the State Senate and Assembly. This term, Democrats currently hold a two-thirds supermajority of 61 seats in the California State Assembly, while Republicans hold 17 seats. One seat is held by an Independent, and one seat is currently vacant.
About the District
California's 16th Assembly District includes portions of Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Republicans held this district until 2008, when Democrat Joan Buchanan won and flipped AD-16 from red to blue. It has flipped back and forth in the last decade. Democrat incumbent Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan has served AD-16 since 2018. The most recent election results show 64.5 percent of AD-16 voted for Hillary Clinton for president in 2016, and 63.2 percent voted for Gavin Newsom for governor in 2018.
About the Race
In the primary, Democrat incumbent Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan led Republican challenger Joseph Rubay by a margin of 36.6 percent. Bauer-Kahan’s campaign has raised $873,755 and is funded by corporate PACs, police money, and fossil fuel money. Rubay’s campaign has raised $16,525, of which $15,300 is from candidate self-financing. Rubay has not committed to any of the pledges to refuse corporate PACs, fossil fuel, or police money.
About the Candidate
Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan, a law professor and attorney, is from Orinda, CA. Prior to her election to the State Assembly, she taught law at Santa Clara University and Golden State University. She is a longtime supporter of fighting climate change and for a women’s right to choose. According to campaign materials, Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan is running for re-election to protect the environment, fight Trump’s immigration policies, increase access to quality, affordable health care, and help small businesses thrive.
Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan’s priorities for AD-16 this year include education, public safety, and labor. She currently sits on five committees: Appropriations, Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials, Privacy and Consumer Protection, Public Safety, and Banking and Finance. She also serves as chair on the Select Committee on Women’s Reproductive Health. Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan has sponsored 31 bills about public safety, environment safety, and labor this year, of which nine have been successfully chaptered. She scores a lifetime score of 81 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records.
Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan has supported the most progressive bills that made it to a vote. That said, she has not supported AB 290, which would prevent dialysis companies from steering patients from Medi-Cal to boost corporate profits. This is not surprising, considering Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan has accepted $12,900 from the two dialysis giants in California: Fresenius and DaVita. Additionally, she has consistently failed to support essential housing bills, such as AB 1487, AB 1482, and AB 1279. By accepting almost $10,000 from powerful landlord-lobbying groups like the California Apartment Association PAC and Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles PAC and failing to support these bills, Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan has shown AD-16 where her priorities lie.
Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan is endorsed by several progressive groups, such as EMILY’s List, NARAL Pro-Choice California, and the California League of Conservation Voters. At this time, she does not have any problematic endorsements. The threat of Republican challenger Rubay’s potential policies on strengthening police to solve gun violence greatly outweighs Bauer-Kahan’s moderate voting record and lack of campaign finance pledges. According to our analysis, Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan is the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
Elect Alfonso Alvarez, Rigoberto Rodriguez, and Carolyn Torres to keep the Santa Ana Unified School District on the right track.
About the Position
Members of the Santa Ana Unified School District Board are elected in an at-large race and go on to serve three-year terms. No term-limit data is apparent on the school board website.
About the District
Santa Ana Unified School District is located in Orange County and includes nine high schools, nine middle schools, and 35 elementary schools, serving a population of roughly 58,000 students.