No Recommendation
No Recommendation - AD35
This is a safe seat for the Democratic incumbent, who is running unopposed. Voters should focus on holding her accountable for her policy ideas and votes and ensure that she represents the diverse communities of the district.
Endorsements: Assm. Jasmeet Bains has the endorsement of a few progressive groups, including Equality California, Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte, and AFSCME California. She has also received endorsements from many problematic stakeholders, including Peace Officers Research Association of California, California Police Chiefs Association, California Correctional Peace Officers Association, and Bakersfield Police Officers Association.
Key initiatives: Assm. Bains’s priorities for AD-35 this year have included 15 bills about oil and gas refineries, fentanyl overdose prevention, water conservation, and health care. Of these, eight have been successfully chaptered into law, and the rest remain in committee. She has authored and sponsored bills to create a Fentanyl Misuse and Overdose Prevention Task Force, create civil protections for civilians who attempt to render care during an overdose emergency, and make tampering with the serial number of a stolen catalytic converter a misdemeanor crime. Despite these legislative contributions, Assm. Bains has maintained an unimpressive moderate record during her time in the Assembly. In May, she was removed from her assignment to the Business & Professions Committee after she was the lone democratic vote against SBX1-2, which put new data reporting and transparency requirements in place for oil and gas companies operating in the state. A frequent recipient of police funding and endorsements, she was also a consistent opponent of criminal justice reform this session. She failed to take a position on several bills, including AB1034 to ban the use of facial-recognition software on body cameras, AB1266 to eliminate the use of bench warrants, AB1306 to prevent individuals who have fulfilled their sentence from being transferred to ICE custody, and AB1133 to strengthen conceal-carry requirements. She scores a disappointing CS of 18 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records, which earns her a Dishonorable Mention.
Governance and community leadership experience: Assm. Bains has served in this seat since 2022, when she was elected with over 60% of the vote.
Prior to her election, Assm. Bains was a doctor and medical director at Bakersfield Recovery Services, where she focused on addiction and substance abuse issues. During her career, she worked to expand health-care access to marginalized communities, support improved air and water quality in the community, and diminish human trafficking and abuse.
Other background: Assm. Bains is a lifelong resident of Kern County. She is the daughter of Indian immigrants.
The Race
Primary election: Democratic incumbent Assm. Jasmeet Bains is running unopposed in the March 5 primary.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Bains’s campaign has raised $728,000 as of December 2023, and is funded by police, real estate, corporate PAC, and fossil fuel interests. Her problematic donors include California Real Estate PAC, California Correctional Peace Officers Association PAC, and California Independent Petroleum Association PAC.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 35th Assembly District includes parts of Kern County.
Voter registration: 46% Democrat, 23% Republican, and 23% No Party Preference. Republicans held this district until 2020 when Assm. Bains won and flipped it from red to blue.
District demographics: 61% Latino, 4% Asian, and 8% Black. This district is considered to be one of the strong Latino seats in the California Assembly delegation.
Recent election results: AD-35 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 21 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 6 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.
No Recommendation - AD35
This is a safe seat for the Democratic incumbent, who is running unopposed. Voters should focus on holding her accountable for her policy ideas and votes and ensure that she represents the diverse communities of the district.
Endorsements: Assm. Jasmeet Bains has the endorsement of a few progressive groups, including Equality California, Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte, and AFSCME California. She has also received endorsements from many problematic stakeholders, including Peace Officers Research Association of California, California Police Chiefs Association, California Correctional Peace Officers Association, and Bakersfield Police Officers Association.
Key initiatives: Assm. Bains’s priorities for AD-35 this year have included 15 bills about oil and gas refineries, fentanyl overdose prevention, water conservation, and health care. Of these, eight have been successfully chaptered into law, and the rest remain in committee. She has authored and sponsored bills to create a Fentanyl Misuse and Overdose Prevention Task Force, create civil protections for civilians who attempt to render care during an overdose emergency, and make tampering with the serial number of a stolen catalytic converter a misdemeanor crime. Despite these legislative contributions, Assm. Bains has maintained an unimpressive moderate record during her time in the Assembly. In May, she was removed from her assignment to the Business & Professions Committee after she was the lone democratic vote against SBX1-2, which put new data reporting and transparency requirements in place for oil and gas companies operating in the state. A frequent recipient of police funding and endorsements, she was also a consistent opponent of criminal justice reform this session. She failed to take a position on several bills, including AB1034 to ban the use of facial-recognition software on body cameras, AB1266 to eliminate the use of bench warrants, AB1306 to prevent individuals who have fulfilled their sentence from being transferred to ICE custody, and AB1133 to strengthen conceal-carry requirements. She scores a disappointing CS of 18 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records, which earns her a Dishonorable Mention.
Governance and community leadership experience: Assm. Bains has served in this seat since 2022, when she was elected with over 60% of the vote.
Prior to her election, Assm. Bains was a doctor and medical director at Bakersfield Recovery Services, where she focused on addiction and substance abuse issues. During her career, she worked to expand health-care access to marginalized communities, support improved air and water quality in the community, and diminish human trafficking and abuse.
Other background: Assm. Bains is a lifelong resident of Kern County. She is the daughter of Indian immigrants.
The Race
Primary election: Democratic incumbent Assm. Jasmeet Bains is running unopposed in the March 5 primary.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Bains’s campaign has raised $728,000 as of December 2023, and is funded by police, real estate, corporate PAC, and fossil fuel interests. Her problematic donors include California Real Estate PAC, California Correctional Peace Officers Association PAC, and California Independent Petroleum Association PAC.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 35th Assembly District includes parts of Kern County.
Voter registration: 46% Democrat, 23% Republican, and 23% No Party Preference. Republicans held this district until 2020 when Assm. Bains won and flipped it from red to blue.
District demographics: 61% Latino, 4% Asian, and 8% Black. This district is considered to be one of the strong Latino seats in the California Assembly delegation.
Recent election results: AD-35 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 21 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 6 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.