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Rick Chavez Zbur
Elect Rick Chavez Zbur to push AD-51 in the right direction.
The Position
State assemblymembers represent and advocate for the needs of their district constituents at the California State Capitol. They are responsible for creating, debating, and voting on legislation that addresses issues within their district.
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 or the Assembly. This term, Democrats currently hold a two-thirds supermajority of 56 seats in the California State Assembly, while Republicans hold 19 seats. One seat is held by an Independent and four seats are currently vacant.
The District
California’s 51st Assembly District includes parts of Los Angeles County. Democrats typically hold this district. Of the registered voters in this district, 12% are Republican and 58% are Democrat, and the district’s demographic breakdown is 14% Latino, 13% Asian, and 6% Black. After the 2021 redistricting process, AD-51 is 5% more Democratic than it was during the 2020 general election cycle. The most recent election results show that AD-51 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 58 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2018 by 64 points.
The Race
There are two candidates running for this seat, including Democrat Rick Chavez Zbur and Democrat Louis Abramson. Chavez Zbur’s campaign has raised $856,000, and has received donations from real estate, fossil fuel, and corporate PAC interests. Abramson’s campaign has raised $125,000, and is entirely funded by individual donors.
Our Endorsement
Rick Chavez Zbur, a longtime civil rights leader and environmental advocate, is from New Mexico and has lived in Los Angeles for nearly 40 years. According to campaign materials, he is running for election to bring equitable leadership and bold change to the issues of homelessness, economic recovery, and civil rights in the district. Chavez Zbur ran for Congress in 1996, but lost the election to the Republican incumbent by a ten-point margin.
Chavez Zbur is an attorney and a nonprofit executive, working in private practice for 25 years before transitioning to serve as executive director of Equality California. He has cited his sister’s battle with ALS and his own experience as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community during the AIDS crisis as inspiring his transition to work that would more directly benefit social service access for underserved populations. His work with Equality California dovetailed with the organization’s transition to civil rights advocacy, and he supported the passage of over 90 bills related to LGBTQIA+ justice during his time in leadership. AD-51 has the highest concentration of LGBTQIA+ individuals in Southern California, and Chavez Zbur’s network and understanding of the issues facing this community would benefit him as a legislative leader.
Beyond civil rights issues, Chavez Zbur is a strong supporter of workers’ rights and economic reform, and views this as a gateway to more equitable access to housing, health care, education, and public services. His platform supports further increases to minimum wage, collective bargaining, and supported overtime, and lays out an ambitious vision of establishing a youth corps to connect homeless individuals with wraparound resources. He has also served as president and chair of California Environmental Voters, and would be a strong supporter of statewide efforts to curb the use of fossil fuels, subsidies to transition away from natural gas, and the governor’s goal of reducing gas-powered vehicles. Chavez Zbur also currently serves on the board of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, and has taken a coalition approach to effect change in his leadership roles across his organizational work.
Chavez Zbur has the endorsement of a strong majority of progressive groups, including Heart of LA Democratic Club, California Legislative Progressive Caucus, California Labor Federation, California Environmental Voters, Stonewall Democratic Club, and Westside Young Democrats. He has also received the endorsement of state and local leaders, including L.A. Supervisor Holly Mitchell, Senator Alex Padilla, Congressmember Katie Porter, and Governor Gavin Newsom. Based on our analysis, Chavez Zbur’s track record of coalition-building and equity-focused work demonstrates that he will be a progressive champion for the constituents of AD-51 and will govern effectively in the best interest of this diverse district.
Rick Chavez Zbur
Elect Rick Chavez Zbur to push AD-51 in the right direction.
The Position
State assemblymembers represent and advocate for the needs of their district constituents at the California State Capitol. They are responsible for creating, debating, and voting on legislation that addresses issues within their district.
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 or the Assembly. This term, Democrats currently hold a two-thirds supermajority of 56 seats in the California State Assembly, while Republicans hold 19 seats. One seat is held by an Independent and four seats are currently vacant.
The District
California’s 51st Assembly District includes parts of Los Angeles County. Democrats typically hold this district. Of the registered voters in this district, 12% are Republican and 58% are Democrat, and the district’s demographic breakdown is 14% Latino, 13% Asian, and 6% Black. After the 2021 redistricting process, AD-51 is 5% more Democratic than it was during the 2020 general election cycle. The most recent election results show that AD-51 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 58 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2018 by 64 points.
The Race
There are two candidates running for this seat, including Democrat Rick Chavez Zbur and Democrat Louis Abramson. Chavez Zbur’s campaign has raised $856,000, and has received donations from real estate, fossil fuel, and corporate PAC interests. Abramson’s campaign has raised $125,000, and is entirely funded by individual donors.
Our Endorsement
Rick Chavez Zbur, a longtime civil rights leader and environmental advocate, is from New Mexico and has lived in Los Angeles for nearly 40 years. According to campaign materials, he is running for election to bring equitable leadership and bold change to the issues of homelessness, economic recovery, and civil rights in the district. Chavez Zbur ran for Congress in 1996, but lost the election to the Republican incumbent by a ten-point margin.
Chavez Zbur is an attorney and a nonprofit executive, working in private practice for 25 years before transitioning to serve as executive director of Equality California. He has cited his sister’s battle with ALS and his own experience as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community during the AIDS crisis as inspiring his transition to work that would more directly benefit social service access for underserved populations. His work with Equality California dovetailed with the organization’s transition to civil rights advocacy, and he supported the passage of over 90 bills related to LGBTQIA+ justice during his time in leadership. AD-51 has the highest concentration of LGBTQIA+ individuals in Southern California, and Chavez Zbur’s network and understanding of the issues facing this community would benefit him as a legislative leader.
Beyond civil rights issues, Chavez Zbur is a strong supporter of workers’ rights and economic reform, and views this as a gateway to more equitable access to housing, health care, education, and public services. His platform supports further increases to minimum wage, collective bargaining, and supported overtime, and lays out an ambitious vision of establishing a youth corps to connect homeless individuals with wraparound resources. He has also served as president and chair of California Environmental Voters, and would be a strong supporter of statewide efforts to curb the use of fossil fuels, subsidies to transition away from natural gas, and the governor’s goal of reducing gas-powered vehicles. Chavez Zbur also currently serves on the board of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, and has taken a coalition approach to effect change in his leadership roles across his organizational work.
Chavez Zbur has the endorsement of a strong majority of progressive groups, including Heart of LA Democratic Club, California Legislative Progressive Caucus, California Labor Federation, California Environmental Voters, Stonewall Democratic Club, and Westside Young Democrats. He has also received the endorsement of state and local leaders, including L.A. Supervisor Holly Mitchell, Senator Alex Padilla, Congressmember Katie Porter, and Governor Gavin Newsom. Based on our analysis, Chavez Zbur’s track record of coalition-building and equity-focused work demonstrates that he will be a progressive champion for the constituents of AD-51 and will govern effectively in the best interest of this diverse district.
Rick Chavez Zbur
Elect Rick Chavez Zbur to push AD-51 in the right direction.
The Position
State assemblymembers represent and advocate for the needs of their district constituents at the California State Capitol. They are responsible for creating, debating, and voting on legislation that addresses issues within their district.
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 or the Assembly. This term, Democrats currently hold a two-thirds supermajority of 56 seats in the California State Assembly, while Republicans hold 19 seats. One seat is held by an Independent and four seats are currently vacant.
The District
California’s 51st Assembly District includes parts of Los Angeles County. Democrats typically hold this district. Of the registered voters in this district, 12% are Republican and 58% are Democrat, and the district’s demographic breakdown is 14% Latino, 13% Asian, and 6% Black. After the 2021 redistricting process, AD-51 is 5% more Democratic than it was during the 2020 general election cycle. The most recent election results show that AD-51 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 58 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2018 by 64 points.
The Race
There are two candidates running for this seat, including Democrat Rick Chavez Zbur and Democrat Louis Abramson. Chavez Zbur’s campaign has raised $856,000, and has received donations from real estate, fossil fuel, and corporate PAC interests. Abramson’s campaign has raised $125,000, and is entirely funded by individual donors.
Our Endorsement
Rick Chavez Zbur, a longtime civil rights leader and environmental advocate, is from New Mexico and has lived in Los Angeles for nearly 40 years. According to campaign materials, he is running for election to bring equitable leadership and bold change to the issues of homelessness, economic recovery, and civil rights in the district. Chavez Zbur ran for Congress in 1996, but lost the election to the Republican incumbent by a ten-point margin.
Chavez Zbur is an attorney and a nonprofit executive, working in private practice for 25 years before transitioning to serve as executive director of Equality California. He has cited his sister’s battle with ALS and his own experience as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community during the AIDS crisis as inspiring his transition to work that would more directly benefit social service access for underserved populations. His work with Equality California dovetailed with the organization’s transition to civil rights advocacy, and he supported the passage of over 90 bills related to LGBTQIA+ justice during his time in leadership. AD-51 has the highest concentration of LGBTQIA+ individuals in Southern California, and Chavez Zbur’s network and understanding of the issues facing this community would benefit him as a legislative leader.
Beyond civil rights issues, Chavez Zbur is a strong supporter of workers’ rights and economic reform, and views this as a gateway to more equitable access to housing, health care, education, and public services. His platform supports further increases to minimum wage, collective bargaining, and supported overtime, and lays out an ambitious vision of establishing a youth corps to connect homeless individuals with wraparound resources. He has also served as president and chair of California Environmental Voters, and would be a strong supporter of statewide efforts to curb the use of fossil fuels, subsidies to transition away from natural gas, and the governor’s goal of reducing gas-powered vehicles. Chavez Zbur also currently serves on the board of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, and has taken a coalition approach to effect change in his leadership roles across his organizational work.
Chavez Zbur has the endorsement of a strong majority of progressive groups, including Heart of LA Democratic Club, California Legislative Progressive Caucus, California Labor Federation, California Environmental Voters, Stonewall Democratic Club, and Westside Young Democrats. He has also received the endorsement of state and local leaders, including L.A. Supervisor Holly Mitchell, Senator Alex Padilla, Congressmember Katie Porter, and Governor Gavin Newsom. Based on our analysis, Chavez Zbur’s track record of coalition-building and equity-focused work demonstrates that he will be a progressive champion for the constituents of AD-51 and will govern effectively in the best interest of this diverse district.
Karen Bass
Elect Karen Bass as mayor to push Los Angeles in the right direction.
The Position
Los Angeles uses a mayor–city council government structure, in which the mayor is elected at large and acts as chair of the 15-member city council and as the city’s chief executive