Ventura County

Representative Salud Carbajal, a veteran, was born in Mexico and emigrated as a child with his family to Arizona and later Oxnard, CA. After high school, Carbajal attended the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) and went on to obtain his Master's Degree in Organizational Management from the Fielding University. Carbajal spent eight years in the United States Marine Corps, including active duty during the 1991 Gulf War.

Carbajal was elected to the 24th District in 2017 after serving on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors for 12 years. According to campaign materials, he is running for reelection on a platform that promotes a robust Central Coast through investments in infrastructure and housing, renewable energy and environmental protections, and workforce development.

Salud serves on the House Committee on Armed Services, the House Committee on Agriculture, and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, where he was elected to serve as the Vice Chair. As part of his commitment to renewable energy, Salud’s first act in Congress was to introduce the California Clean Coast Act, which would ban future offshore oil and gas drilling on California’s coast. He also secured $1 million for the Santa Barbara Veterans Treatment Courts and has introduced legislation to combat veteran homelessness.

Representative Carbajal is being challenged by Andy Caldwell (R), a conservative radio host, and Kenneth Young (NPP). Based on our analysis, Rep. Salud Carbajal has consistently demonstrated a commitment to progressive issues, from protecting the environment to ensuring DACA protections remain in place.

According to our analysis, Rep. Carbajal is the strongest choice for progressive leadership in this district.
 

Representative Julia Brownley is from Aiken, SC, and currently resides in Thousand Oaks, CA. She is the incumbent, having served in this position since 2013. According to campaign materials, she is running for congress to advocate for the needs of her constituents and defend the civil rights of all Americans.

In Congress, Rep. Brownley has worked to bring down high healthcare costs, fought to make higher education more affordable, preserve the environment, ensure that veterans receive the care and services they deserve, and defend Social Security and Medicare from Republican attacks. Rep. Brownley currently sits on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in 2019 received an appointment to the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis due to her leadership on environmental preservation. Prior to her election to Congress, she served in the State Assembly and the Santa Monica-Malibu school board.

Rep. Brownley supports progressive environmental, healthcare, and education policies. That said, she has been silent on other progressive issues, and has cast unfavorable votes that increased funding to Immigration and Custom Enforcement, failed to extend paid family leave for federal employees, and rejected measures to limit federal employers from discriminating against job applicants with a criminal history.

Rep. Brownley is being challenged by Enrique Petris (D), Robert L. Salas (D), and Rounda Baldwin-Kennedy (R). Even though we don’t agree with all the votes cast by Rep. Brownley on the issues mentioned above, her relationships with progressive partners and support in her district helps to advance progressive policies, which makes her a strong choice in this race.

Representative Grace Napolitano is from Brownsville, TX, and currently resides in Los Angeles County. She is the incumbent, having served in Congress since 1999. According to campaign materials, she is running for re-election to stick up for labor rights, push for immigration reform, improve veteran services, and restore water infrastructure.

In Congress, Napolitano has advanced legislation to secure funding to improve water management, mental health services, and has led a task force to reduce gun violence. Napolitano serves as Chair of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. Prior to her election to Congress, she served on the Norwalk City Council, as Mayor of Norwalk, and in the State Assembly.

Napolitano is running against Emanuel Gonzales (D), Meshal "Kash" Kashifalghita (D), and Joshua M. Scott (R). Napolitano is the best progressive choice because of her track record of using her position of power on Capitol Hill to advance legislation that addresses her constituents’ needs.

According to our analysis, Napolitano is the strongest choice for progressive leadership in office.
 

We're tracking this race. Please check back soon for an update. 

DeniAntoinette Mazingo was born in Los Angeles and now lives in Hemet, CA. According to campaign materials, Mazingo is running to bring programs to the most vulnerable among us, to ensure affordable housing, to create competitive jobs, and to ensure a great quality of life for her community.

Mazingo is an attorney and Riverside County’s Third District Commissioner for Women. She believes that she can help represent the interests of people in need, such as unhoused seniors, single mothers struggling to care for their children, and veterans struggling to survive. Healthcare, housing, and veteran assistance are significant priority areas for Mazingo, and she believes she can make the biggest difference in the area of housing and veteran affairs.

Mazingo is challenging incumbent Chad Mayes (R), who has consistently opposed progressive priorities and sided with corporate lobbyists and failed his constituents across a wide spectrum of issues. Other candidates include Andrew Kotyuk (R). Mazingo is the strongest choice because of her passion for progressive causes and strong slate of endorsements from progressive groups. According to recent election results, Democrats have the potential to win this seat, and Mazingo’s narrow loss in the same district in 2018 indicates her chances are strong in 2020.

According to our analysis, DeniAntoinette Mazingo is the strongest choice for progressive leadership in office.
 

Assemblymember Nazarian was born in Iran and immigrated to the San Fernando Valley, where he grew up. He currently lives in West Toluca Lake in Los Angeles. He is the incumbent, having served as Assemblymember for the 46th District in the State Assembly since 2012. According to campaign materials, he is running for re-election to focus on making California schools the best in the nation, to address the lack of affordable housing, and to improve services in L.A. County that help provide a pathway out of homelessness.

In the State Assembly, he authored legislation to extend the Film & TV Tax Credit and has fought to increase school aid, lift the ban on light-rail in the San Fernando Valley, and require health insurers to cover evidence-based behavioral health treatment for autism. Prior to his election to the State Assembly, he served as Chief of Staff to Paul Krekorian, then-Assistant Majority Leader in the California State Legislature. He was also appointed as Special Assistant to the California Trade and Commerce Agency by former Governor Gray Davis.

Assemblymember Nazarian is a strong local advocate for ending homelessness, smart transit solutions, and keeping jobs in the San Fernando Valley. That said, he has voted against key progressive bills on issues including electoral reform, criminal justice reform, and protecting the environment.

Assemblymember Nazarian is being challenged by Lanira K. Murphy (D). He has a lifetime score of 86 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of a legislator's progressive voting record. Though we disagree with his stance on the issues mentioned above and believe his district deserves a more progressive representative, we are not aware of a viable progressive alternative currently running.
 

Kipp Mueller is from Sacramento and moved to Santa Clarita, CA, in 2019. According to campaign materials, he is running for State Senate to represent the needs of the working and middle class families over special interests.

Mueller is a workers’ rights and immigration attorney, representing workers and unions in legal disputes with large corporations. As a workers’ rights and immigration attorney, Mueller has successfully represented union workers who have experienced fatal work accidents, and worked as a pro-bono asylum attorney at an ICE detention center in Adelanto.

Mueller is running against Warren Heaton, Jr. (D), Dana LaMon (D), Steve Hill (D), and incumbent Scott Wilk (R). According to recent election results, this is a tough race for Democrats. Mueller is the best progressive choice because of his track record of defending workers’ rights, his commitment to defend our values, and to fight for a better future.

According to our analysis, Mueller is the strongest choice for progressive leadership in office.
 

Senator Henry Stern is a sixth-generation Californian and native of this district. He is the incumbent, having served in the State Senate since 2017. According to campaign materials, he is running for re-election to continue to be a voice for common sense policy that uplifts families and neighborhoods through community-driven, local policy solutions.

In the State Senate, Senator Stern has pushed for community-based resilience solutions that protect families and has authored legislation to empower communities to take a local approach to fight human trafficking. He currently chairs the Senate Elections Committee. Prior to his election to the State Senate, he worked with businesses to construct clean energy projects, co-founded a technology incubator, and taught civics classes.

Senator Stern is being challenged by Houman Salem (R). Based on our Courage Score analysis, Senator Stern has consistently shown courage advocating for the needs of constituents and facing down corporate lobbyists and interest groups that exploit Californians.

According to our analysis, Senator Stern is the strongest choice for progressive leadership in office.
 

Ventura City Councilmember, and current Mayor, Matt LaVere is from Ventura and has lived there for most of his life. According to campaign materials, he is running for Supervisor to ensure the county that the next generation inherits is even better than the county is today.

LaVere is an attorney. He also serves on several county boards and is an Executive Board Member of the Ventura College Foundation, which supports thousands of students with scholarships and programs. During his time as Mayor, the city began construction on its first full-service 24-hour homeless shelter and began its recovery from the devastating Thomas Fire.

Councilmember LaVere is running for an open seat. The other challenger is clerk Jeff Ketelsen. Supervisor seats are non-partisan, but this seat has most recently been held by Steve Bennett, who identifies as a progressive. LaVere is the best progressive choice because of his deep experience in the Ventura area and a vision for the county that includes all Californians.

According to our analysis, Councilmember LaVere is the strongest choice for progressive leadership in office.
 

Kim Stephenson is from Ventura County and has lived there for over 40 years. According to campaign materials, she is running for election to emphasize sustainability, affordability and accessibility throughout the county.

Stephenson is the Principal of Camarillo High School, where she works to build a positive culture around education for the school’s 2400 students and over 200 employees. She supervised the construction of a Student Wellness Center to address students’ social and emotional needs, and has 25 years of teaching experience in diverse communities across California.

Stephenson is running against Kelly Long, who is the incumbent. Supervisor elections are non-partisan, but Long was endorsed by the local Republican Party in 2016. Stephenson is the progressive choice because of her commitment to put people before profit, and her deep experience working with labor unions (who have endorsed her) and diverse student populations as a successful principal. Stephenson is also being vigorously opposed by Big Oil group California Resources Corporation, which has spent $825,000 to attempt to influence all three Ventura County Supervisorial races.

According to our analysis, Kim Stephenson is the strongest choice for progressive leadership in office.
 

Oxnard City Councilmember Carmen Ramirez is from the San Gabriel Valley and has lived in Oxnard for over 25 years. According to campaign materials, she is running for Supervisor to fight for environmental justice, economic development, and to put the health of citizens at the center of every decision.

Councilmember Ramirez is an attorney. In a 40-year law career, she has been a legal aid attorney helping low income families, worked for the Superior Court helping Spanish-speaking people understand their rights and responsibilities, and served as the Director of Channel Counties Legal Services.

Councilmember Ramirez is running for an open seat. Other challengers are Veronica Robles-Solis, Jess Herrera, Tim Flynn, and Jeffrey D. Burum. Supervisor elections are non-partisan, but this seat has most recently been held by John Zaragoza, a self-identified Democrat. Ramirez is the best progressive choice because of her long track record of championing inclusive policies and environmental justice while increasing transparency and investment in the local economy. Ramirez is also being vigorously opposed by Big Oil group California Resources Corporation, which has spent over $417,000 on attacks against her campaign. Overall, they have spent $825,000 to attempt to influence all three Ventura County Supervisorial races.

According to our analysis, Councilmember Ramirez is the strongest choice for progressive leadership in office.