Re-elect Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi to keep AD-66 on the right track for progress.
Assm. Al Muratsuchi has been a frequent recipient of donations from a variety of problematic funders, including Calpine Corporation, Los Angeles Police Protective League PAC, California Correctional Peace Officers Association PAC, and Edison International. Given Assm. Muratsuchi’s connection to these groups, it is important that voters continue to hold him accountable to ensure that his legislative efforts remain in the best interest of AD-66 constituents instead of wealthy special interests.
Progressive endorsements: Assm. Muratsuchi has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including California Teachers Association, California Environmental Voters, SEIU California, and Equality California. He has also received problematic endorsements from several police organizations, including Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, and California Association of Highway Patrolmen.
Top issues: Public utilities, environmental and climate protections, education and workforce development, military and veterans, and homelessness and housing.
Priority bills: This year, Assm. Muratsuchi’s priorities for AD-66 have included 29 bills about environmental protection, education, and homelessness. Of these, six have been successfully chaptered into law, and the rest remain in committee. He has sponsored and passed legislation to prohibit the sale of baby food that does not comply with toxic element label guidelines, require the creation of a public awareness campaign to market teaching careers in the state, and improve air quality around some wastewater treatment facilities. He scores a CS of 80 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assm. Muratsuchi has supported some progressive bills that made it to a vote. That said, Assm. Muratsuchi has failed to cast a vote on several critical pieces of legislation, including bills to authorize a judge to recall a sentence in response to changes in the law, increase fairness by not allowing an incarcerated person’s demographics to be considered in decisions about parole, and block other states from being able to access digital data for patients seeking abortion or gender-affirming care in California. He has also voted down two important criminal justice reform bills, AB1310 and AB1306, evaluated for our scorecard.
Committee leadership/membership: Assm. Muratsuchi currently sits on 15 committees, including Budget, Military & Veterans Affairs, Natural Resources, and Utilities & Energy. He serves as chair of the Standing Committee on Education, and the Select Committee on Aerospace. In his role with the Select Committee on Aerospace, he has supported the problematic local growth and success of SpaceX, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, and Northrop Grumman, a defense contractor. Assm. Muratsuchi is a member of the California AAPI Legislative Caucus.
Governance and community leadership experience: Assm. Muratsuchi was originally elected to the Assembly in 2012, but lost his 2014 reelection bid to Republican David Hadley by a narrow margin. He regained his seat in the 2016 election, and won his 2020 reelection against Republican Arthur Schaper by 26 points. In 2022, he won his re-election against a Republican challenger by 20 points.
Prior to his election to the State Assembly, Assm. Muratsuchi served as a deputy district attorney with the California Department of Justice. A longtime supporter of education reform, he served on the Torrance School Board, and has authored legislation to increase funding for the K–12 system, and to support career technical education. He was recognized as Legislator of the Year in 2019 by the California School Boards Association for his efforts to improve the education landscape for students and families. Assm. Muratsuchi has also partnered with police to construct criminal-justice bills.
Other background: Assm. Al Muratsuchi is a longtime resident of the South Bay of Los Angeles County.
The Race
Primary election: There are two candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Assm. Al Muratsuchi (D) and George Barks (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Muratsuchi’s campaign has raised $163,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by real estate interests.
Opposing candidate: Republican George Barks
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Barks’s campaign has not filed any campaign fundraising receipts with the Secretary of State’s office as of December 2023.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 66th Assembly District includes parts of Los Angeles County.
Voter registration: 44% Democrat, 26% Republican, and 23% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.
District demographics: 19% Latino, 22% Asian, and 5% Black.
Recent election results: AD-66 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 28 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 14 points.
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 Assembly. This term, Democrats currently hold a three-quarters supermajority of 60 seats in the California State Assembly, while Republicans hold 19 seats and one seat is held by an Independent.
Re-elect Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi to keep AD-66 on the right track for progress.
Assm. Al Muratsuchi has been a frequent recipient of donations from a variety of problematic funders, including Calpine Corporation, Los Angeles Police Protective League PAC, California Correctional Peace Officers Association PAC, and Edison International. Given Assm. Muratsuchi’s connection to these groups, it is important that voters continue to hold him accountable to ensure that his legislative efforts remain in the best interest of AD-66 constituents instead of wealthy special interests.
Progressive endorsements: Assm. Muratsuchi has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including California Teachers Association, California Environmental Voters, SEIU California, and Equality California. He has also received problematic endorsements from several police organizations, including Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, and California Association of Highway Patrolmen.
Top issues: Public utilities, environmental and climate protections, education and workforce development, military and veterans, and homelessness and housing.
Priority bills: This year, Assm. Muratsuchi’s priorities for AD-66 have included 29 bills about environmental protection, education, and homelessness. Of these, six have been successfully chaptered into law, and the rest remain in committee. He has sponsored and passed legislation to prohibit the sale of baby food that does not comply with toxic element label guidelines, require the creation of a public awareness campaign to market teaching careers in the state, and improve air quality around some wastewater treatment facilities. He scores a CS of 80 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assm. Muratsuchi has supported some progressive bills that made it to a vote. That said, Assm. Muratsuchi has failed to cast a vote on several critical pieces of legislation, including bills to authorize a judge to recall a sentence in response to changes in the law, increase fairness by not allowing an incarcerated person’s demographics to be considered in decisions about parole, and block other states from being able to access digital data for patients seeking abortion or gender-affirming care in California. He has also voted down two important criminal justice reform bills, AB1310 and AB1306, evaluated for our scorecard.
Committee leadership/membership: Assm. Muratsuchi currently sits on 15 committees, including Budget, Military & Veterans Affairs, Natural Resources, and Utilities & Energy. He serves as chair of the Standing Committee on Education, and the Select Committee on Aerospace. In his role with the Select Committee on Aerospace, he has supported the problematic local growth and success of SpaceX, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, and Northrop Grumman, a defense contractor. Assm. Muratsuchi is a member of the California AAPI Legislative Caucus.
Governance and community leadership experience: Assm. Muratsuchi was originally elected to the Assembly in 2012, but lost his 2014 reelection bid to Republican David Hadley by a narrow margin. He regained his seat in the 2016 election, and won his 2020 reelection against Republican Arthur Schaper by 26 points. In 2022, he won his re-election against a Republican challenger by 20 points.
Prior to his election to the State Assembly, Assm. Muratsuchi served as a deputy district attorney with the California Department of Justice. A longtime supporter of education reform, he served on the Torrance School Board, and has authored legislation to increase funding for the K–12 system, and to support career technical education. He was recognized as Legislator of the Year in 2019 by the California School Boards Association for his efforts to improve the education landscape for students and families. Assm. Muratsuchi has also partnered with police to construct criminal-justice bills.
Other background: Assm. Al Muratsuchi is a longtime resident of the South Bay of Los Angeles County.
The Race
Primary election: There are two candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Assm. Al Muratsuchi (D) and George Barks (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Muratsuchi’s campaign has raised $163,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by real estate interests.
Opposing candidate: Republican George Barks
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Barks’s campaign has not filed any campaign fundraising receipts with the Secretary of State’s office as of December 2023.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 66th Assembly District includes parts of Los Angeles County.
Voter registration: 44% Democrat, 26% Republican, and 23% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.
District demographics: 19% Latino, 22% Asian, and 5% Black.
Recent election results: AD-66 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 28 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 14 points.
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 Assembly. This term, Democrats currently hold a three-quarters supermajority of 60 seats in the California State Assembly, while Republicans hold 19 seats and one seat is held by an Independent.