Progressive Voters Guide Powered by Courage California
Sasha Renée Pérez photo
Democrat

Sasha Renée Pérez

Website Endorsements
Endorsed by Courage California

Courage California endorses Sasha Renée Pérez for state Senate to put SD-25 on the right track for progress. 



Sasha Renée Pérez’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will be a progressive voice for the constituents of SD-25 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Pérez has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including Courage California, California Environmental Voters, California LGBTQ Legislative Caucus, and many local labor unions. She has also received the endorsement of many elected officials, including Rep. Robert Garcia, State Sen. Lola Smallwood Cuevas, Assm. Tina McKinnor, and a majority of members from the California Legislative Progressive Caucus.

Electoral history: Pérez won her 2020 race for Alhambra City Council with over 58% of the vote. She served a term as mayor early in her time on the City Council. 

Top issues: Homelessness and housing, small-business pandemic recovery, immigration protections, mental health care, supporting organized labor, CalGrant expansion, gun reform, and youth empowerment.

Priority bills: As a member of the Alhambra City Council, she has been a strong supporter of local efforts to improve public safety, labor empowerment, and sustainability through focused collaborative leadership. Pérez led successful organizing efforts to pass the HERO Pay Ordinance to temporarily increase wages for essential grocery and pharmacy workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has also supported an initiative that brings mental health care and social workers to work as part of the public-safety response team, and to solidify government funding for the development of a $25 million community center. Pérez has deep personal and professional ties to organized labor, and was instrumental in establishing the city’s Project Labor Agreement. She has also worked to help develop the communities first sustainability plan, which earned her the Congressional Woman of the Year award from Rep. Judy Chu in 2022. Pérez is an outspoken progressive, and has consistently used her platform to advocate for working people when she encounters systems that are designed to create inequity.

Governance and community leadership experience: Pérez is an educator and a public servant, which she does to create diverse coalitions that work to improve policy outcomes across communities. As a student, Pérez was a member of student government, and worked to support an initiative that was ultimately awarded $97 million to support college access and affordability for students across the state. Building on that work, she spent her early career as an educator who taught civic engagement to high school students. She built on those efforts when she joined Campaign for College Opportunity. She collaborated with Sen. Leyva and Assm. Medina to expand Cal Grant access to more California students, and would continue to advocate for the passage of that policy as a member of the state Senate. More recently, she was political director for California’s 2022 Prop 1 campaign, which successfully protected the right to abortion and contraception in the state’s constitution.

Other background: Pérez is from the San Gabriel Valley. Her family has a long history of labor organizing, which was instrumental in her pursuit of advocacy and public service. She is the youngest Latina mayor to serve in the state of California.

 

The Race


Primary election: There are five candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Sasha Renée Pérez (D), Sandra Armenta (D), Teddy Choi (D), Yvonne Yiu (D), and Elizabeth Ahlers (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Pérez’s campaign has raised $325,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, or corporate PAC interests.

Opposing candidate: Democrat Yvonne Yiu
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Yiu’s campaign has raised $524,000 as of October 2023, and is funded by real estate interests.

Opposing candidate: Republican Elizabeth Ahlers
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Ahlers’s campaign has raised $95,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, real estate, or corporate PAC interests.

Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: The campaigns of Armenta and Choi have not submitted any fundraising receipts to the California Secretary of State’s office as of October 2023.

 

The District


Counties in district: California’s 25th State Senate District includes parts of Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties.

Voter registration: 46% Democrat, 22% Republican, and 26% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 23% Latino, 30% Asian, and 5% Black. 

Recent election results: SD-25 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 31 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 26 points.

 

The Position


State senators 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 Senate has 40 districts. Each represents a population of about 930,000 Californians. Representatives are elected to the Senate for a four-year term. Every two years, half of the Senate's 40 seats are subject to election. Members elected before 2012 are restricted to two four-year terms (eight years) in the Senate. 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 two-thirds supermajority of 31 seats in the California State Senate, while Republicans hold 9 seats.


 

Courage California endorses Sasha Renée Pérez for state Senate to put SD-25 on the right track for progress. 



Sasha Renée Pérez’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will be a progressive voice for the constituents of SD-25 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Pérez has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including Courage California, California Environmental Voters, California LGBTQ Legislative Caucus, and many local labor unions. She has also received the endorsement of many elected officials, including Rep. Robert Garcia, State Sen. Lola Smallwood Cuevas, Assm. Tina McKinnor, and a majority of members from the California Legislative Progressive Caucus.

Electoral history: Pérez won her 2020 race for Alhambra City Council with over 58% of the vote. She served a term as mayor early in her time on the City Council. 

Top issues: Homelessness and housing, small-business pandemic recovery, immigration protections, mental health care, supporting organized labor, CalGrant expansion, gun reform, and youth empowerment.

Priority bills: As a member of the Alhambra City Council, she has been a strong supporter of local efforts to improve public safety, labor empowerment, and sustainability through focused collaborative leadership. Pérez led successful organizing efforts to pass the HERO Pay Ordinance to temporarily increase wages for essential grocery and pharmacy workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has also supported an initiative that brings mental health care and social workers to work as part of the public-safety response team, and to solidify government funding for the development of a $25 million community center. Pérez has deep personal and professional ties to organized labor, and was instrumental in establishing the city’s Project Labor Agreement. She has also worked to help develop the communities first sustainability plan, which earned her the Congressional Woman of the Year award from Rep. Judy Chu in 2022. Pérez is an outspoken progressive, and has consistently used her platform to advocate for working people when she encounters systems that are designed to create inequity.

Governance and community leadership experience: Pérez is an educator and a public servant, which she does to create diverse coalitions that work to improve policy outcomes across communities. As a student, Pérez was a member of student government, and worked to support an initiative that was ultimately awarded $97 million to support college access and affordability for students across the state. Building on that work, she spent her early career as an educator who taught civic engagement to high school students. She built on those efforts when she joined Campaign for College Opportunity. She collaborated with Sen. Leyva and Assm. Medina to expand Cal Grant access to more California students, and would continue to advocate for the passage of that policy as a member of the state Senate. More recently, she was political director for California’s 2022 Prop 1 campaign, which successfully protected the right to abortion and contraception in the state’s constitution.

Other background: Pérez is from the San Gabriel Valley. Her family has a long history of labor organizing, which was instrumental in her pursuit of advocacy and public service. She is the youngest Latina mayor to serve in the state of California.

 

The Race


Primary election: There are five candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Sasha Renée Pérez (D), Sandra Armenta (D), Teddy Choi (D), Yvonne Yiu (D), and Elizabeth Ahlers (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Pérez’s campaign has raised $325,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, or corporate PAC interests.

Opposing candidate: Democrat Yvonne Yiu
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Yiu’s campaign has raised $524,000 as of October 2023, and is funded by real estate interests.

Opposing candidate: Republican Elizabeth Ahlers
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Ahlers’s campaign has raised $95,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, real estate, or corporate PAC interests.

Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: The campaigns of Armenta and Choi have not submitted any fundraising receipts to the California Secretary of State’s office as of October 2023.

 

The District


Counties in district: California’s 25th State Senate District includes parts of Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties.

Voter registration: 46% Democrat, 22% Republican, and 26% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 23% Latino, 30% Asian, and 5% Black. 

Recent election results: SD-25 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 31 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 26 points.

 

The Position


State senators 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 Senate has 40 districts. Each represents a population of about 930,000 Californians. Representatives are elected to the Senate for a four-year term. Every two years, half of the Senate's 40 seats are subject to election. Members elected before 2012 are restricted to two four-year terms (eight years) in the Senate. 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 two-thirds supermajority of 31 seats in the California State Senate, while Republicans hold 9 seats.


 

Endorsed By: Courage California

25th Senate District

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Federal

President and Vice President

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris photo
Democrat

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris

Website

Re-elect President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to keep America on track. 



President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have a track record and policy positions that demonstrate that they will continue to govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse nation.

Progressive endorsements: President Biden and Vice President Harris have the endorsement of some progressive groups, including the Sierra Club, Reproductive Freedom for All America, League of Conservation Voters, National Center for Transgender Equality, and Students Demand Action. They have also received the endorsement of a significant number of labor unions, including United Auto Workers, Actors’ Equity Association, AFL-CIO, IATSE, National Nurses United, and the American Federation of Teachers. President Biden and Vice President Harris also have the backing of the Democratic National Committee and a significant number of current and former Democratic officials, including former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Climate Envoy John Kerry, 14 current governors, 30 sitting U.S. senators, and over 70 members of the House of Representatives. This list includes California’s elected leaders Gov. Gavin Newsom, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, Sen. Alex Padilla, Rep. Katie Porter, Rep. Eric Swalwell, and LA Mayor Karen Bass. 

Priority policies: The Biden administration has had policy successes across a diversity of issue areas during their first term. Immediately after taking office during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Biden worked to move the American Rescue Plan through Congress and successfully passed legislation to provide stimulus checks, boosts to unemployment payments, and increased funds for education and small-business loans. The plan also ramped up the distribution and administration of vaccines. This legislative effort was followed by the Bi-Partisan Infrastructure Law that made a $1 billion investment in electric vehicle infrastructure, national road and bridge repair, clean drinking water modifications, and power grid updates. In addition to these investments, the administration passed President Biden’s signature Inflation Reduction Act, an expansive bill to provide needed funding to cap prescription drug costs for the elderly, increase corporate taxes, invest in clean energy and climate protections, reduce the federal deficit, and increase tax accountability by provided additional funding to the IRS. The White House has indicated that nearly 170,000 clean energy jobs have been created by this legislation, clean energy investments have increased by $110 billion, and insulin has been capped at $35 a month. After years of inaction from the federal government, President Biden signed a significant gun-safety bill into law, which strengthens background check laws, incentivizes state-based red flag laws, and expands limitations on the acquisition of firearms by perpetrators of domestic abuse. President Biden also signed the CHIPS Act into law to increase domestic production of the semiconductors used in the manufacturing of many of the products Americans use daily. 

The Biden administration’s economic policies have contributed to the lowest unemployment rate in over 50 years, at 3.4% as of January 2024, economic growth of 3.1% in 2023, and an inflation rate that dropped below 3% at the end of December. The administration has led the U.S. back into the Paris Climate Accord, forgiven $136 billion in education debt, and provided consistent support to striking labor unions across the country. While many of these accomplishments came during the first two years of the administration, when Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress, President Biden and Vice President Harris have worked across the aisle to move impactful legislation forward for the American people with a divided Congress.

While the administration’s legislative successes have been substantial, they have been subject to significant criticism from progressives during this first term. While President Biden has maintained strong support for Israel during the October 7 Hamas attacks and the Israeli government’s retaliatory attacks on Palestinians in Gaza, the electorate and congressional representatives have expressed concerns about the U.S. government providing continued funding to the Israeli military, and activists and leaders have called on the Biden administration to advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza. On immigration and the southern border, the federal government’s failure to act has effectively continued the anti-immigrant policies enacted under the Trump administration and caused big city mayors and Democratic governors to publicly request that the White House and Congress pass meaningful legislation to reform an increasingly overwhelmed asylum and immigration system. Under Republican control, Congress has not passed any immigration reforms, and Republican leaders have advocated for more punitive and inhumane immigration policies.  

Governance and community leadership experience: President Biden and Vice President Harris have served in the White House since 2020, when they were elected on a joint ticket with 306 electoral votes and over 51% of the national popular vote. Their campaign won six critical swing states—Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona—to secure the electoral college victory.

Prior to his election, President Biden had a long and prominent political career. He served two terms as former President Barack Obama’s vice president and was responsible for managing the 2009 economic recovery, helping to expand health care through the Affordable Care Act, and acting as the administration’s liaison to the Senate. Before joining the Obama administration, he spent 36 years representing Delaware in the Senate. He was often critiqued as being an unremarkable, status quo Democrat, and mid-career votes in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act, anti-drug legislation, and the Iraq War reaffirm that characterization. In 1991, Vice President Biden was the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and presided over the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Justice Clarence Thomas, who had been credibly accused of sexual harassment by a former colleague, Anita Hill. Vice President Biden’s mismanagement of the hearing resulted in a targeted and unfair character assassination of Anita Hill and remains a reminder of his complicity in the patriarchal and racist systems on which our American government is built. 

Prior to her election, Vice President Harris was the first woman of color elected to represent California in the United States Senate. She sponsored legislation on climate and environmental protections, rental and housing protections, women’s health, and pandemic relief. She was also an original cosponsor of the progressive Green New Deal authored by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey.  Before serving in the Senate, Vice President Harris had a long legal career in California, serving for 8 years in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office before transitioning to a role as a prosecutor in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. In 2003, she won her bid to become district attorney of the City and County of San Francisco, where she served two terms before being elected as the attorney general for the state of California in 2010. She was the first woman and the first person of color to hold this seat. Vice President Harris’s record was both progressive for the time and complicated by her moderate approach to policing and criminal justice. She has been criticized for failing to institute comprehensive police accountability measures, for not establishing meaningful prison reform, and for taking a hands-off approach to cases related to police misconduct. However, her lenient approach to policing was often punctuated by decidedly progressive support for social justice issues, including the establishment of an education and workforce reentry program designed to diminish recidivism. 

Other background: President Biden is from Scranton, PA, and moved to Delaware with his family when he was 10 years old. He has been a resident of Wilmington, Delaware, for most of his adult life. Vice President Harris grew up in Berkeley, CA, and was a longtime resident of Los Angeles. She is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, who both emigrated to the Bay Area in the 1960s.

 

The Race


Primary election: Eight candidates are running in the March 5 Democratic primary, including incumbent President Joe Biden (D), Rep. Dean Phillips (D), and Marianne Williamson (D). The candidate who receives the most delegates in the national Democratic primary will formally become the party’s designated Presidential candidate in August 2024.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: President Biden’s campaign has raised $56 million as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, real estate, corporate PAC, or fossil fuel interests.

Opposing candidate: Rep. Dean Phillips
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Rep. Phillips’s campaign has not filed any campaign fundraising receipts with the FEC as of December 2023.

Opposing candidate: Marianne Williamson
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Williamson’s campaign has raised $2.6 million as of December 2023, and is funded by corporate PAC interests. A significant amount of her campaign funding has been through candidate donations and loans taken out by the candidate.

 

The Position


The President of the United States is the head of the executive branch of the federal government, and the commander-in-chief for all branches of the armed forces. A president has the power to make diplomatic, executive, and judicial appointments, and can sign into law or veto legislation. Presidential administrations are responsible for both foreign and domestic policy priorities. Presidents are limited to serving two four-year terms in office.


 

Re-elect President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to keep America on track. 



President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have a track record and policy positions that demonstrate that they will continue to govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse nation.

Progressive endorsements: President Biden and Vice President Harris have the endorsement of some progressive groups, including the Sierra Club, Reproductive Freedom for All America, League of Conservation Voters, National Center for Transgender Equality, and Students Demand Action. They have also received the endorsement of a significant number of labor unions, including United Auto Workers, Actors’ Equity Association, AFL-CIO, IATSE, National Nurses United, and the American Federation of Teachers. President Biden and Vice President Harris also have the backing of the Democratic National Committee and a significant number of current and former Democratic officials, including former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Climate Envoy John Kerry, 14 current governors, 30 sitting U.S. senators, and over 70 members of the House of Representatives. This list includes California’s elected leaders Gov. Gavin Newsom, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, Sen. Alex Padilla, Rep. Katie Porter, Rep. Eric Swalwell, and LA Mayor Karen Bass. 

Priority policies: The Biden administration has had policy successes across a diversity of issue areas during their first term. Immediately after taking office during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Biden worked to move the American Rescue Plan through Congress and successfully passed legislation to provide stimulus checks, boosts to unemployment payments, and increased funds for education and small-business loans. The plan also ramped up the distribution and administration of vaccines. This legislative effort was followed by the Bi-Partisan Infrastructure Law that made a $1 billion investment in electric vehicle infrastructure, national road and bridge repair, clean drinking water modifications, and power grid updates. In addition to these investments, the administration passed President Biden’s signature Inflation Reduction Act, an expansive bill to provide needed funding to cap prescription drug costs for the elderly, increase corporate taxes, invest in clean energy and climate protections, reduce the federal deficit, and increase tax accountability by provided additional funding to the IRS. The White House has indicated that nearly 170,000 clean energy jobs have been created by this legislation, clean energy investments have increased by $110 billion, and insulin has been capped at $35 a month. After years of inaction from the federal government, President Biden signed a significant gun-safety bill into law, which strengthens background check laws, incentivizes state-based red flag laws, and expands limitations on the acquisition of firearms by perpetrators of domestic abuse. President Biden also signed the CHIPS Act into law to increase domestic production of the semiconductors used in the manufacturing of many of the products Americans use daily. 

The Biden administration’s economic policies have contributed to the lowest unemployment rate in over 50 years, at 3.4% as of January 2024, economic growth of 3.1% in 2023, and an inflation rate that dropped below 3% at the end of December. The administration has led the U.S. back into the Paris Climate Accord, forgiven $136 billion in education debt, and provided consistent support to striking labor unions across the country. While many of these accomplishments came during the first two years of the administration, when Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress, President Biden and Vice President Harris have worked across the aisle to move impactful legislation forward for the American people with a divided Congress.

While the administration’s legislative successes have been substantial, they have been subject to significant criticism from progressives during this first term. While President Biden has maintained strong support for Israel during the October 7 Hamas attacks and the Israeli government’s retaliatory attacks on Palestinians in Gaza, the electorate and congressional representatives have expressed concerns about the U.S. government providing continued funding to the Israeli military, and activists and leaders have called on the Biden administration to advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza. On immigration and the southern border, the federal government’s failure to act has effectively continued the anti-immigrant policies enacted under the Trump administration and caused big city mayors and Democratic governors to publicly request that the White House and Congress pass meaningful legislation to reform an increasingly overwhelmed asylum and immigration system. Under Republican control, Congress has not passed any immigration reforms, and Republican leaders have advocated for more punitive and inhumane immigration policies.  

Governance and community leadership experience: President Biden and Vice President Harris have served in the White House since 2020, when they were elected on a joint ticket with 306 electoral votes and over 51% of the national popular vote. Their campaign won six critical swing states—Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona—to secure the electoral college victory.

Prior to his election, President Biden had a long and prominent political career. He served two terms as former President Barack Obama’s vice president and was responsible for managing the 2009 economic recovery, helping to expand health care through the Affordable Care Act, and acting as the administration’s liaison to the Senate. Before joining the Obama administration, he spent 36 years representing Delaware in the Senate. He was often critiqued as being an unremarkable, status quo Democrat, and mid-career votes in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act, anti-drug legislation, and the Iraq War reaffirm that characterization. In 1991, Vice President Biden was the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and presided over the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Justice Clarence Thomas, who had been credibly accused of sexual harassment by a former colleague, Anita Hill. Vice President Biden’s mismanagement of the hearing resulted in a targeted and unfair character assassination of Anita Hill and remains a reminder of his complicity in the patriarchal and racist systems on which our American government is built. 

Prior to her election, Vice President Harris was the first woman of color elected to represent California in the United States Senate. She sponsored legislation on climate and environmental protections, rental and housing protections, women’s health, and pandemic relief. She was also an original cosponsor of the progressive Green New Deal authored by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey.  Before serving in the Senate, Vice President Harris had a long legal career in California, serving for 8 years in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office before transitioning to a role as a prosecutor in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. In 2003, she won her bid to become district attorney of the City and County of San Francisco, where she served two terms before being elected as the attorney general for the state of California in 2010. She was the first woman and the first person of color to hold this seat. Vice President Harris’s record was both progressive for the time and complicated by her moderate approach to policing and criminal justice. She has been criticized for failing to institute comprehensive police accountability measures, for not establishing meaningful prison reform, and for taking a hands-off approach to cases related to police misconduct. However, her lenient approach to policing was often punctuated by decidedly progressive support for social justice issues, including the establishment of an education and workforce reentry program designed to diminish recidivism. 

Other background: President Biden is from Scranton, PA, and moved to Delaware with his family when he was 10 years old. He has been a resident of Wilmington, Delaware, for most of his adult life. Vice President Harris grew up in Berkeley, CA, and was a longtime resident of Los Angeles. She is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, who both emigrated to the Bay Area in the 1960s.

 

The Race


Primary election: Eight candidates are running in the March 5 Democratic primary, including incumbent President Joe Biden (D), Rep. Dean Phillips (D), and Marianne Williamson (D). The candidate who receives the most delegates in the national Democratic primary will formally become the party’s designated Presidential candidate in August 2024.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: President Biden’s campaign has raised $56 million as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, real estate, corporate PAC, or fossil fuel interests.

Opposing candidate: Rep. Dean Phillips
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Rep. Phillips’s campaign has not filed any campaign fundraising receipts with the FEC as of December 2023.

Opposing candidate: Marianne Williamson
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Williamson’s campaign has raised $2.6 million as of December 2023, and is funded by corporate PAC interests. A significant amount of her campaign funding has been through candidate donations and loans taken out by the candidate.

 

The Position


The President of the United States is the head of the executive branch of the federal government, and the commander-in-chief for all branches of the armed forces. A president has the power to make diplomatic, executive, and judicial appointments, and can sign into law or veto legislation. Presidential administrations are responsible for both foreign and domestic policy priorities. Presidents are limited to serving two four-year terms in office.


 

U.S. Senator

No Recommendation

There are 22 candidates running for California’s open U.S. Senate seat. Based on our analysis, three qualified candidates for this position have a distinct vision for the state. We recommend that you choose the candidate who best aligns to your values in this race.



The Race


Primary election: In October 2022, Governor Newsom appointed labor leader, political advisor, and former Emily’s List President Laphonza Butler to serve the remainder of the six-year term of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who died September 2022 after serving in the U.S. Senate since 1992. There are 22 candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Rep. Barbara Lee (D), Rep. Katie Porter (D), and Rep. Adam Schiff (D). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

The Candidates


Key Initiatives: Representative Barbara Lee is a longtime Congresswoman and has been a consistent progressive voice in Congress. She has been a prolific author of legislation related to ending AIDS/HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, has moved efforts to reduce poverty forward, and was the only member of Congress to vote against the authorization for the use of military force after the attacks on September 11, 2001, a controversial position at the time. In recent legislative sessions, she has authored and sponsored legislation to curtail CEO overpay, improve research and public awareness of sickle cell disease, address the national backlog of unprocessed rape kits, and improve mental health resources for students. Prior to her election to the House of Representatives, Rep. Lee worked as a social worker and founded a mental-health service organization, Community Health Alliance for Neighborhood Growth and Education, to benefit her local East Bay community. She then spent eleven years working on the staff of Rep. Ron Dellums, eventually serving as his chief of staff. After her tenure in congressional staffing, she founded a facilities-management company. A few years later, in 1990, Rep. Lee launched a successful bid for a seat in the California Assembly, where she served for six years, before she was elected to the state Senate.

Representative Katie Porter is an attorney and public servant and has been a strong advocate for consumer protection, corporate accountability, and government transparency. She has gained notoriety for her meticulous and expert style of questioning in congressional hearings, and exercises this skill during Oversight and Reform Committee sessions. Her legislative successes include bills to lower prescription drug prices, increase the fee oil and gas companies pay to drill on public lands, lower the income threshold for out-of-pocket healthcare costs, and extend mental healthcare coverage. She has also recently supported efforts to ban members of Congress and their families from trading stocks. Prior to her election to Congress, Rep. Porter spent twenty years as a consumer-protection attorney. Ahead of the housing crisis in 2008, she issued early warnings of the financial system’s predatory lending, and has a strong track record of winning cases related to financial regulation. In 2012, then California Attorney General Kamala Harris appointed Rep. Porter to oversee banks as they returned over $18 billion to cheated homeowners in the state. 

Representative Adam Schiff is an attorney and public official and has been a consistent legislator on issues of government accountability, voting access, healthcare, and voting access. He rose to prominence as the Chair of the House Intelligence Committee who led the first impeachment inquiry of the Trump Administration. He has had legislative success on bills to increase pension payments for teachers, expand labor organizing protections, secure nearly $200 million in funding to address affordable housing development and homelessness in the state, create the patient bill of rights, and limit corporate spending to influence elections. He is also the lead author of legislation to end the NRA and the gun industry’s immunity from liability, which prevented victims and their families from seeking legal recourse. Prior to his election to Congress, Rep. Schiff worked as a law clerk and then as Assistant United States Attorney before being elected to California’s State Senate in 1996. He is a longtime supporter of progressive education, immigration, and environmental policies, but has cast unfavorable votes on issues pertaining to military spending and the use of military force, including a 2002 vote in favor of authorizing the use of military force against Iraq. 

Community Leadership Experience, Fundraising, and Endorsements: Rep. Lee has served in Congress since 1998, when she was elected with over 66% of the vote. In 2022, she won her reelection to CD-12 over a Republican challenger by 81 points. Her campaign has raised $3.3 million as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, or corporate PAC interests. Rep. Lee has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including California Working Families Party, Black Women Organized for Political Action PAC, Gen Z for Change, Feminist Majority PAC, Our Revolution, and Reproductive Freedom for All California (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice California). She has also received the endorsement of some community and elected leaders, including Dolores Huerta, State Attorney General Rob Bonta, State Controller Malia Cohen, California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber, Rep. Ro Khanna, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, State Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and San Francisco Mayor London Breed. 

Rep. Porter has served in Congress since 2018, when she was elected with over 52% of the vote. In 2022, she won her reelection against a Republican challenger by 3 points. Her campaign has raised $22 million as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, or real estate interests. Rep. Porter has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including California Labor Federation, National Union of Healthcare Workers, and Women in Leadership PAC. She has also received the endorsement of many elected leaders, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Attorney General Rob Bonta, Assm. Alex Lee, State Sen. Scott Wiener, Rep. Robert Garcia, and State Sen. Catherine Blakespear.

Rep. Schiff has served in Congress since 2000, when he was elected with over 52% of the vote. In 2022, he won his reelection against a Democratic challenger by 42 points. His campaign has raised $21 million as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, or fossil fuel interests. Rep. Schiff has the endorsement of some labor groups, including IATSE California Council, IAFF, and Amalgamated Transit Union. He has also received the endorsement of many elected officials, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Kamlager-Dove, State Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, Assm. Tina McKinnor, Assm. Rick Chavez Zbur, and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria.

Other background: Rep. Lee is from El Paso, TX, and moved to the San Fernando Valley when she was a child. She attended Mills College, where she served as president of the Black Student Union and invited Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm to speak on campus. Her interaction with Rep. Chisholm was an early inspiration for her pursuit of a career in public service. 

Rep. Porter is from Fort Dodge, IA, and now resides in Irvine, CA. Along with her legal practice, she is a longtime tenured professor of law at University of California-Irvine.

Rep. Schiff is from the Bay Area. He holds a law degree from Harvard University.

The District


State: California is the most populous state in the United States, and includes 58 counties and 39 million residents.

Voter registration: Of the 22 million registered voters in the state, 47% are Democrat, 24% are Republican, and 22% have no party preference. Democrats have held the Governor’s seat in the state since 2011.

District demographics: 40% Latino, 16% Asian, and 7% Black

Recent election results: California voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 29 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 18 points. Sen. Feinstein won her 2018 reelection against now-Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León by 8 points. 

The Position


Members of the Senate represent and advocate for the needs of their state constituency and share legislative responsibility with the House of Representatives. They are responsible for creating, debating, and voting on legislation that addresses issues of national importance. Senators have the exclusive responsibility of providing advice and consent to the executive branch on treaties, and on the nomination and approval of cabinet secretaries, ambassadors, and federal judges. The Senate also has the sole authority to bring and try an impeachment of a high official, up to and including removal from office with a two-thirds majority vote.

Each state, regardless of population, is represented by two senators. Senate elections are statewide, and senators are elected to serve a six-year term. There is no term limit for this position.

There are 22 candidates running for California’s open U.S. Senate seat. Based on our analysis, three qualified candidates for this position have a distinct vision for the state. We recommend that you choose the candidate who best aligns to your values in this race.



The Race


Primary election: In October 2022, Governor Newsom appointed labor leader, political advisor, and former Emily’s List President Laphonza Butler to serve the remainder of the six-year term of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who died September 2022 after serving in the U.S. Senate since 1992. There are 22 candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Rep. Barbara Lee (D), Rep. Katie Porter (D), and Rep. Adam Schiff (D). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

The Candidates


Key Initiatives: Representative Barbara Lee is a longtime Congresswoman and has been a consistent progressive voice in Congress. She has been a prolific author of legislation related to ending AIDS/HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, has moved efforts to reduce poverty forward, and was the only member of Congress to vote against the authorization for the use of military force after the attacks on September 11, 2001, a controversial position at the time. In recent legislative sessions, she has authored and sponsored legislation to curtail CEO overpay, improve research and public awareness of sickle cell disease, address the national backlog of unprocessed rape kits, and improve mental health resources for students. Prior to her election to the House of Representatives, Rep. Lee worked as a social worker and founded a mental-health service organization, Community Health Alliance for Neighborhood Growth and Education, to benefit her local East Bay community. She then spent eleven years working on the staff of Rep. Ron Dellums, eventually serving as his chief of staff. After her tenure in congressional staffing, she founded a facilities-management company. A few years later, in 1990, Rep. Lee launched a successful bid for a seat in the California Assembly, where she served for six years, before she was elected to the state Senate.

Representative Katie Porter is an attorney and public servant and has been a strong advocate for consumer protection, corporate accountability, and government transparency. She has gained notoriety for her meticulous and expert style of questioning in congressional hearings, and exercises this skill during Oversight and Reform Committee sessions. Her legislative successes include bills to lower prescription drug prices, increase the fee oil and gas companies pay to drill on public lands, lower the income threshold for out-of-pocket healthcare costs, and extend mental healthcare coverage. She has also recently supported efforts to ban members of Congress and their families from trading stocks. Prior to her election to Congress, Rep. Porter spent twenty years as a consumer-protection attorney. Ahead of the housing crisis in 2008, she issued early warnings of the financial system’s predatory lending, and has a strong track record of winning cases related to financial regulation. In 2012, then California Attorney General Kamala Harris appointed Rep. Porter to oversee banks as they returned over $18 billion to cheated homeowners in the state. 

Representative Adam Schiff is an attorney and public official and has been a consistent legislator on issues of government accountability, voting access, healthcare, and voting access. He rose to prominence as the Chair of the House Intelligence Committee who led the first impeachment inquiry of the Trump Administration. He has had legislative success on bills to increase pension payments for teachers, expand labor organizing protections, secure nearly $200 million in funding to address affordable housing development and homelessness in the state, create the patient bill of rights, and limit corporate spending to influence elections. He is also the lead author of legislation to end the NRA and the gun industry’s immunity from liability, which prevented victims and their families from seeking legal recourse. Prior to his election to Congress, Rep. Schiff worked as a law clerk and then as Assistant United States Attorney before being elected to California’s State Senate in 1996. He is a longtime supporter of progressive education, immigration, and environmental policies, but has cast unfavorable votes on issues pertaining to military spending and the use of military force, including a 2002 vote in favor of authorizing the use of military force against Iraq. 

Community Leadership Experience, Fundraising, and Endorsements: Rep. Lee has served in Congress since 1998, when she was elected with over 66% of the vote. In 2022, she won her reelection to CD-12 over a Republican challenger by 81 points. Her campaign has raised $3.3 million as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, or corporate PAC interests. Rep. Lee has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including California Working Families Party, Black Women Organized for Political Action PAC, Gen Z for Change, Feminist Majority PAC, Our Revolution, and Reproductive Freedom for All California (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice California). She has also received the endorsement of some community and elected leaders, including Dolores Huerta, State Attorney General Rob Bonta, State Controller Malia Cohen, California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber, Rep. Ro Khanna, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, State Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and San Francisco Mayor London Breed. 

Rep. Porter has served in Congress since 2018, when she was elected with over 52% of the vote. In 2022, she won her reelection against a Republican challenger by 3 points. Her campaign has raised $22 million as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, or real estate interests. Rep. Porter has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including California Labor Federation, National Union of Healthcare Workers, and Women in Leadership PAC. She has also received the endorsement of many elected leaders, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Attorney General Rob Bonta, Assm. Alex Lee, State Sen. Scott Wiener, Rep. Robert Garcia, and State Sen. Catherine Blakespear.

Rep. Schiff has served in Congress since 2000, when he was elected with over 52% of the vote. In 2022, he won his reelection against a Democratic challenger by 42 points. His campaign has raised $21 million as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, or fossil fuel interests. Rep. Schiff has the endorsement of some labor groups, including IATSE California Council, IAFF, and Amalgamated Transit Union. He has also received the endorsement of many elected officials, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Kamlager-Dove, State Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, Assm. Tina McKinnor, Assm. Rick Chavez Zbur, and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria.

Other background: Rep. Lee is from El Paso, TX, and moved to the San Fernando Valley when she was a child. She attended Mills College, where she served as president of the Black Student Union and invited Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm to speak on campus. Her interaction with Rep. Chisholm was an early inspiration for her pursuit of a career in public service. 

Rep. Porter is from Fort Dodge, IA, and now resides in Irvine, CA. Along with her legal practice, she is a longtime tenured professor of law at University of California-Irvine.

Rep. Schiff is from the Bay Area. He holds a law degree from Harvard University.

The District


State: California is the most populous state in the United States, and includes 58 counties and 39 million residents.

Voter registration: Of the 22 million registered voters in the state, 47% are Democrat, 24% are Republican, and 22% have no party preference. Democrats have held the Governor’s seat in the state since 2011.

District demographics: 40% Latino, 16% Asian, and 7% Black

Recent election results: California voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 29 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 18 points. Sen. Feinstein won her 2018 reelection against now-Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León by 8 points. 

The Position


Members of the Senate represent and advocate for the needs of their state constituency and share legislative responsibility with the House of Representatives. They are responsible for creating, debating, and voting on legislation that addresses issues of national importance. Senators have the exclusive responsibility of providing advice and consent to the executive branch on treaties, and on the nomination and approval of cabinet secretaries, ambassadors, and federal judges. The Senate also has the sole authority to bring and try an impeachment of a high official, up to and including removal from office with a two-thirds majority vote.

Each state, regardless of population, is represented by two senators. Senate elections are statewide, and senators are elected to serve a six-year term. There is no term limit for this position.

Congress

Depending on where you live, you may have one of the below congressional districts on your ballot.

27th Congressional District

Member of the House of Representatives

George Whitesides photo
Democrat

George Whitesides

Website Endorsements

Elect George Whitesides for Congress to put CD-27 on the right track for progress.



George Whitesides’s policy positions demonstrate that he will be a representative voice for the constituents of CD-27 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has designated this district as a priority flip in 2024 after it was won narrowly by Republican Rep. Mike Garcia in 2022. 

Progressive endorsements: Whitesides has the endorsement of many groups, including California Environmental Voters, 3.14 Action Fund, Santa Clarita Valley Democrats, and AFL-CIO. He has also received the endorsement of many elected leaders, including Rep. Ted Lieu, Rep. Adam Schiff, Assm. Pilar Schiavo, and State Treasurer Fiona Ma. 

Electoral history: Whitesides has not run for public office before.

Top issues: Economic growth and job creation, wildfire protections and response, reproductive justice, and safeguarding Social Security and Medicare.

Governance and community leadership experience: Whitesides is an aerospace professional and a local leader, which he does to support innovation and local job creation, and contribute to solving problems on the ground in his community. He served in leadership at NASA during the Obama Administration before spending ten years as the first CEO of Virgin Galactic, a space innovation and exploration company founded by Richard Branson. Under Whitesides’s leadership, the company grew its operations in the Antelope Valley, created over 700 local jobs, and ran their first commercial space flights. In 2022, he became a co-founder of Megafire Action, a non-profit that seeks to use science, policy, and technology to reduce the number of wildfires annually. As a local leader, Whitesides created collaboration between the aerospace industry and the health-care community during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, and serves on the board of directors for the Antelope Valley Economic Development & Growth Enterprise.

Other background: George Whitesides is originally from Massachusetts and is a longtime resident of the Antelope Valley. He holds degrees from Princeton University and Cambridge University, and was a Fulbright Scholar.

The Race


Primary election: There are three candidates running in the March 5 primary, including George Whitesides (D), and incumbent Rep. Mike Garcia (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: George Whitesides’s campaign has raised $2.2 million as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, real estate, fossil fuel, or corporate PAC interests. He has donated over $2.1 million to his own campaign. 

Opposing candidate: Republican Rep. Mike Garcia
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Rep. Garcia’s campaign has raised $2.4 million as of October 2023, and is funded by corporate PAC, fossil fuel, and real estate interests.

The District


Counties in district: California’s 27th Congressional District includes parts of Los Angeles County.
Voter registration: 42% Democrat, 29% Republican, and 22% No Party Preference. Democrats typically held this seat until it was redistricted in 2022. 

District demographics: 33% Latino, 10% Asian, and 11% Black. 

Recent election results: CD-27 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 12 points and Brian Dahle for governor in 2022 by 2 points.

The Position


Congressmembers represent and advocate for the needs of their district constituents at the United States Capitol. They are responsible for creating, debating, and voting on legislation that addresses issues within their district.

The United States is divided into 435 congressional districts, each with a population of about 710,000 individuals. Each district elects a representative to the House of Representatives for a two-year term. California has 52 congressional representatives, the largest delegation in the country. There is no term limit for this position.


Elect George Whitesides for Congress to put CD-27 on the right track for progress.



George Whitesides’s policy positions demonstrate that he will be a representative voice for the constituents of CD-27 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has designated this district as a priority flip in 2024 after it was won narrowly by Republican Rep. Mike Garcia in 2022. 

Progressive endorsements: Whitesides has the endorsement of many groups, including California Environmental Voters, 3.14 Action Fund, Santa Clarita Valley Democrats, and AFL-CIO. He has also received the endorsement of many elected leaders, including Rep. Ted Lieu, Rep. Adam Schiff, Assm. Pilar Schiavo, and State Treasurer Fiona Ma. 

Electoral history: Whitesides has not run for public office before.

Top issues: Economic growth and job creation, wildfire protections and response, reproductive justice, and safeguarding Social Security and Medicare.

Governance and community leadership experience: Whitesides is an aerospace professional and a local leader, which he does to support innovation and local job creation, and contribute to solving problems on the ground in his community. He served in leadership at NASA during the Obama Administration before spending ten years as the first CEO of Virgin Galactic, a space innovation and exploration company founded by Richard Branson. Under Whitesides’s leadership, the company grew its operations in the Antelope Valley, created over 700 local jobs, and ran their first commercial space flights. In 2022, he became a co-founder of Megafire Action, a non-profit that seeks to use science, policy, and technology to reduce the number of wildfires annually. As a local leader, Whitesides created collaboration between the aerospace industry and the health-care community during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, and serves on the board of directors for the Antelope Valley Economic Development & Growth Enterprise.

Other background: George Whitesides is originally from Massachusetts and is a longtime resident of the Antelope Valley. He holds degrees from Princeton University and Cambridge University, and was a Fulbright Scholar.

The Race


Primary election: There are three candidates running in the March 5 primary, including George Whitesides (D), and incumbent Rep. Mike Garcia (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: George Whitesides’s campaign has raised $2.2 million as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, real estate, fossil fuel, or corporate PAC interests. He has donated over $2.1 million to his own campaign. 

Opposing candidate: Republican Rep. Mike Garcia
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Rep. Garcia’s campaign has raised $2.4 million as of October 2023, and is funded by corporate PAC, fossil fuel, and real estate interests.

The District


Counties in district: California’s 27th Congressional District includes parts of Los Angeles County.
Voter registration: 42% Democrat, 29% Republican, and 22% No Party Preference. Democrats typically held this seat until it was redistricted in 2022. 

District demographics: 33% Latino, 10% Asian, and 11% Black. 

Recent election results: CD-27 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 12 points and Brian Dahle for governor in 2022 by 2 points.

The Position


Congressmembers represent and advocate for the needs of their district constituents at the United States Capitol. They are responsible for creating, debating, and voting on legislation that addresses issues within their district.

The United States is divided into 435 congressional districts, each with a population of about 710,000 individuals. Each district elects a representative to the House of Representatives for a two-year term. California has 52 congressional representatives, the largest delegation in the country. There is no term limit for this position.


28th Congressional District

Member of the House of Representatives

Judy Chu photo
Democrat

Judy Chu

Website Endorsements

Re-elect Congressional Representative Judy Chu to keep CD-28 on the right track for progress. 



Rep. Judy Chu’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will continue to be a progressive voice for the constituents of CD-28 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Rep. Chu has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including Equality California, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and California Environmental Voters. 

Top issues: Civil liberty, reproductive rights, women’s healthcare, taxation, disaster relief, LGBTQIA+ rights, entrepreneurship and small business support, and immigration protections.

Priority bills: This year, Rep. Chu’s priorities for CD-28 have included 24 bills about small-business investment, women’s health, environmental protections, and mental health care. Of these, one has been passed through to the Senate, and the rest remain in committee. She has sponsored legislation to raise the amount of banking capital that can be invested in SBICs, protect victims of labor violations from removal by the Department of Homeland Security, create resources to destigmatize mental health issues, and prohibit governmental restrictions on abortion care before fetal viability. 

Member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus?: Yes.

Committee leadership/membership: Rep. Chu currently sits on two committees, Ways and Means, and Small Business. She serves as the chair of the Asian Pacific American Caucus, and the Creative Rights Caucus, which supports copyright protections of those in the creative industries.

Governance and community leadership experience: Rep. Chu has served in this congressional seat since 2012, when she was elected with over 64% of the vote. In 2022, she won her re-election against a Republican challenger by 32 points.

Prior to her election to Congress, Rep. Chu served as mayor of Monterey Park from 1989 to 1994. In 2001, she was elected to the State Assembly, where she served two terms. She served as the 4th District representative on the California State Board of Equalization from 2007 to 2009, before transitioning to her Congressional seat. She was elected to Congress in 2009, becoming the first Chinese American to serve in the institution. Rep. Chu has been a longtime supporter of civil liberties and reproductive rights.

Other background: Rep. Chu grew up in Los Angeles. 

The Race


Primary election: There are five candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Rep. Judy Chu (D), Kerry Lewis (R), Robert George Lucero (R), April Verlato (R), and Bonnie Wallace (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Rep. Chu’s campaign has raised $687,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by police interests.

Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: As of October 2023, none of the Republican challengers in this race have filed any campaign finance receipts with the FEC.

The District


Counties in district: California’s 28th Congressional District includes parts of Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties.

Voter registration: 47% Democrat, 22% Republican, and 26% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 24% Latino, 35% Asian, and 5% Black.

Recent election results: CD-28 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 34 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 26 points.

The Position


Congressmembers represent and advocate for the needs of their district constituents at the United States Capitol. They are responsible for creating, debating, and voting on legislation that addresses issues within their district.

The United States is divided into 435 congressional districts, each with a population of about 710,000 individuals. Each district elects a representative to the House of Representatives for a two-year term. California has 52 congressional representatives, the largest delegation in the country. There is no term limit for this position.


Re-elect Congressional Representative Judy Chu to keep CD-28 on the right track for progress. 



Rep. Judy Chu’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will continue to be a progressive voice for the constituents of CD-28 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Rep. Chu has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including Equality California, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and California Environmental Voters. 

Top issues: Civil liberty, reproductive rights, women’s healthcare, taxation, disaster relief, LGBTQIA+ rights, entrepreneurship and small business support, and immigration protections.

Priority bills: This year, Rep. Chu’s priorities for CD-28 have included 24 bills about small-business investment, women’s health, environmental protections, and mental health care. Of these, one has been passed through to the Senate, and the rest remain in committee. She has sponsored legislation to raise the amount of banking capital that can be invested in SBICs, protect victims of labor violations from removal by the Department of Homeland Security, create resources to destigmatize mental health issues, and prohibit governmental restrictions on abortion care before fetal viability. 

Member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus?: Yes.

Committee leadership/membership: Rep. Chu currently sits on two committees, Ways and Means, and Small Business. She serves as the chair of the Asian Pacific American Caucus, and the Creative Rights Caucus, which supports copyright protections of those in the creative industries.

Governance and community leadership experience: Rep. Chu has served in this congressional seat since 2012, when she was elected with over 64% of the vote. In 2022, she won her re-election against a Republican challenger by 32 points.

Prior to her election to Congress, Rep. Chu served as mayor of Monterey Park from 1989 to 1994. In 2001, she was elected to the State Assembly, where she served two terms. She served as the 4th District representative on the California State Board of Equalization from 2007 to 2009, before transitioning to her Congressional seat. She was elected to Congress in 2009, becoming the first Chinese American to serve in the institution. Rep. Chu has been a longtime supporter of civil liberties and reproductive rights.

Other background: Rep. Chu grew up in Los Angeles. 

The Race


Primary election: There are five candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Rep. Judy Chu (D), Kerry Lewis (R), Robert George Lucero (R), April Verlato (R), and Bonnie Wallace (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Rep. Chu’s campaign has raised $687,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by police interests.

Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: As of October 2023, none of the Republican challengers in this race have filed any campaign finance receipts with the FEC.

The District


Counties in district: California’s 28th Congressional District includes parts of Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties.

Voter registration: 47% Democrat, 22% Republican, and 26% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 24% Latino, 35% Asian, and 5% Black.

Recent election results: CD-28 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 34 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 26 points.

The Position


Congressmembers represent and advocate for the needs of their district constituents at the United States Capitol. They are responsible for creating, debating, and voting on legislation that addresses issues within their district.

The United States is divided into 435 congressional districts, each with a population of about 710,000 individuals. Each district elects a representative to the House of Representatives for a two-year term. California has 52 congressional representatives, the largest delegation in the country. There is no term limit for this position.


30th Congressional District

Member of the House of Representatives

Laura Friedman photo
Democrat

Laura Friedman

Website Endorsements

Elect Assm. Laura Friedman for Congress to keep CD-30 on the right track for progress.



Assm. Laura Friedman’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will be a progressive voice for the constituents of CD-30 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Assm. Friedman has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including California Environmental Voters, California Legislative Progressive Caucus, National Women’s Political Caucus, and Abundant Housing Los Angeles. She has also received the endorsement of many elected officials, including Rep. Judy Chu, Assm. Speaker Robert Rivas, Assm. Isaac Bryan, Assm. Alex Lee, and LA Councilmember Nithya Raman.

Electoral history: Friedman was first elected to the State Assembly in 2016, when she won with over 64% of the vote. She was re-elected in 2022 after defeating a Republican challenger by a 42 point margin.

Top issues: Improving health-care access, climate protections and clean energy, reproductive justice, affordable housing, public transit infrastructure, civil rights, and labor and worker protections.

Priority bills: As a member of the Assembly, Assm. Friedman has been a strong supporter of bills to improve funding for transportation infrastructure, climate protections and biodiversity, and affordable housing. In recent years, she has secured millions of dollars to fund local cycling infrastructure and transportation projects in her Los Angeles area district. She has also sponsored legislation to encourage property owners to build accessory dwellings on their property, and to create tax exemptions for nonprofit home builders who construct owner-occupied homes for low-income families. This session, she has authored 27 bills focused on transportation, affordable housing, and coastal and water conservation. Of these, ten have been chaptered into law, one has been vetoed, and the rest remain in committee. She scores a Lifetime CS of 99 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assm. Friedman has supported nearly all progressive bills that made it to a vote during her time in the Assembly.

Governance and community leadership experience: Prior to her election to the Assembly, Assm. Friedman was a member of the Glendale City Council, and served a term as mayor. Before entering public service, she worked in the private sector as a vice president of development in the film and television industry. Assm. Friedman has been a longtime supporter of health-care access, active transportation, and environmental justice.

Other background: Assm. Friedman is from South Florida and has lived in Glendale for over fifteen years. 

The Race


Primary election: There are 18 candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Assm. Laura Friedman (D), Mike Feuer (D), Nick Melvoin (D), State Sen. Anthony Portantino (D), Jirair Ratevosian (D), Ben Savage (D), and Sepi Shyne (D). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Friedman’s campaign has raised $782,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, or corporate PAC interests.

Opposing candidate: Democrat Mike Feuer
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Feuer’s campaign has raised $1.1 million as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, corporate PAC, or real estate interests.

Opposing candidate: Democrat Nick Melvoin
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Melvoin’s campaign has raised $943,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, corporate PAC, or real estate interests.

Opposing candidate: Democrat State Sen. Anthony Portantino
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Sen. Portantino’s campaign has raised $1.2 million as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, corporate PAC, or real estate interests.

Opposing candidate: Democrat Jirair Ratevosian
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Ratevosian’s campaign has raised $199,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, corporate PAC, or real estate interests.

Opposing candidate: Democrat Ben Savage
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Savage’s campaign has raised $1.1 million as of October 2023, with over $1 million loaned directly by the candidate.

Opposing candidate: Democrat Sepi Shyne
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Shyne’s campaign has raised $333,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, corporate PAC, or real estate interests.

The District


Counties in district: California’s 30th Congressional District includes parts of Los Angeles County.

Voter registration: 55% Democrat, 16% Republican, and 23% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 20% Latino, 13% Asian, and 5% Black. 

Recent election results: CD-30 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 46 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 50 points.

The Position


Congressmembers represent and advocate for the needs of their district constituents at the United States Capitol. They are responsible for creating, debating, and voting on legislation that addresses issues within their district.

The United States is divided into 435 congressional districts, each with a population of about 710,000 individuals. Each district elects a representative to the House of Representatives for a two-year term. California has 52 congressional representatives, the largest delegation in the country. There is no term limit for this position.


Elect Assm. Laura Friedman for Congress to keep CD-30 on the right track for progress.



Assm. Laura Friedman’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will be a progressive voice for the constituents of CD-30 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Assm. Friedman has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including California Environmental Voters, California Legislative Progressive Caucus, National Women’s Political Caucus, and Abundant Housing Los Angeles. She has also received the endorsement of many elected officials, including Rep. Judy Chu, Assm. Speaker Robert Rivas, Assm. Isaac Bryan, Assm. Alex Lee, and LA Councilmember Nithya Raman.

Electoral history: Friedman was first elected to the State Assembly in 2016, when she won with over 64% of the vote. She was re-elected in 2022 after defeating a Republican challenger by a 42 point margin.

Top issues: Improving health-care access, climate protections and clean energy, reproductive justice, affordable housing, public transit infrastructure, civil rights, and labor and worker protections.

Priority bills: As a member of the Assembly, Assm. Friedman has been a strong supporter of bills to improve funding for transportation infrastructure, climate protections and biodiversity, and affordable housing. In recent years, she has secured millions of dollars to fund local cycling infrastructure and transportation projects in her Los Angeles area district. She has also sponsored legislation to encourage property owners to build accessory dwellings on their property, and to create tax exemptions for nonprofit home builders who construct owner-occupied homes for low-income families. This session, she has authored 27 bills focused on transportation, affordable housing, and coastal and water conservation. Of these, ten have been chaptered into law, one has been vetoed, and the rest remain in committee. She scores a Lifetime CS of 99 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assm. Friedman has supported nearly all progressive bills that made it to a vote during her time in the Assembly.

Governance and community leadership experience: Prior to her election to the Assembly, Assm. Friedman was a member of the Glendale City Council, and served a term as mayor. Before entering public service, she worked in the private sector as a vice president of development in the film and television industry. Assm. Friedman has been a longtime supporter of health-care access, active transportation, and environmental justice.

Other background: Assm. Friedman is from South Florida and has lived in Glendale for over fifteen years. 

The Race


Primary election: There are 18 candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Assm. Laura Friedman (D), Mike Feuer (D), Nick Melvoin (D), State Sen. Anthony Portantino (D), Jirair Ratevosian (D), Ben Savage (D), and Sepi Shyne (D). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Friedman’s campaign has raised $782,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, or corporate PAC interests.

Opposing candidate: Democrat Mike Feuer
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Feuer’s campaign has raised $1.1 million as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, corporate PAC, or real estate interests.

Opposing candidate: Democrat Nick Melvoin
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Melvoin’s campaign has raised $943,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, corporate PAC, or real estate interests.

Opposing candidate: Democrat State Sen. Anthony Portantino
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Sen. Portantino’s campaign has raised $1.2 million as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, corporate PAC, or real estate interests.

Opposing candidate: Democrat Jirair Ratevosian
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Ratevosian’s campaign has raised $199,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, corporate PAC, or real estate interests.

Opposing candidate: Democrat Ben Savage
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Savage’s campaign has raised $1.1 million as of October 2023, with over $1 million loaned directly by the candidate.

Opposing candidate: Democrat Sepi Shyne
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Shyne’s campaign has raised $333,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, corporate PAC, or real estate interests.

The District


Counties in district: California’s 30th Congressional District includes parts of Los Angeles County.

Voter registration: 55% Democrat, 16% Republican, and 23% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 20% Latino, 13% Asian, and 5% Black. 

Recent election results: CD-30 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 46 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 50 points.

The Position


Congressmembers represent and advocate for the needs of their district constituents at the United States Capitol. They are responsible for creating, debating, and voting on legislation that addresses issues within their district.

The United States is divided into 435 congressional districts, each with a population of about 710,000 individuals. Each district elects a representative to the House of Representatives for a two-year term. California has 52 congressional representatives, the largest delegation in the country. There is no term limit for this position.


31st Congressional District

Member of the House of Representatives

Gil Cisneros photo
Democrat

Gil Cisneros

Website Endorsements

Elect Gil Cisneros to keep CD-31 on the right track for progress.



Cisneros’ track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will be a progressive voice for the constituents of CD-31 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Cisneros has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including California Environmental Voters, Democrats Serve, League of Conservation Voters, as well as labor unions like SEIU, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, International Union of Operating Engineers, and International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers. He has also been endorsed by elected officials like Rep. Katie Porter, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, and LA Supervisor Hilda Solis.

Electoral history: Cisneros has run for office previously, and was elected to Congress in the 39th District in 2018. He lost his reelection campaign against a Republican challenger by 1 point.

Top issues: Gun safety, reproductive rights, veteran supports, and climate protections.

Priority bills: While in Congress, he was a strong supporter of bills to protect and support veterans, as well as to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Governance and community leadership experience: Gil Cisneros is a veteran and a former congressional representative. He is also an educational advocate, and after he won the California lottery in 2010, he dedicated some of his winnings to help establish scholarship programs for Hispanic students in his home community and dependents of Navy veterans. In 2021, Cisneros was appointed by President Biden as Under Secretary of Defense, and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer of the Military. In the Department of Defense, he worked to reform responses to sexual misconduct, as well as implement Universal Pre-K in DoD schools.

Other background: Cisneros is from California. He earned his BA from George Washington University, an MBA from Regis University, and a master’s in education policy from Brown University. He served in the Navy for over a decade. 

The Race


Primary election: There are 10 candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Gil Cisneros (D), Daniel Bocic Martinez (R), Susan Rubio (D), and Bob Archuleta (D). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Cisneros’ campaign has raised $109,474 and is not funded by the fossil fuel industry, the real estate industry, corporate PACs, or the police.

Opposing candidate: Democrats Susan Rubio, Bob Archuleta, Mary Ann Lutz, Gregory Kafif 
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Rubio’s campaign has raised $320,862. Archuleta’s campaign has raised $211,168. Lutz’s campaign has raised $87,422. Hafif’s campaign has raised $218,310. No Republican candidates have filed any campaign receipts for the current election cycle.

The District


Counties in district: California’s 31st Congressional District includes parts of Los Angeles County.

Voter registration: 48% Democrat, 22% Republican, and 23% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 55% Latino, 19% Asian, and 3% Black. This district is considered to be one of the 16 strong Latino seats in the California congressional delegation.

Recent election results: CD-31 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 31 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 17 points.

The Position


Congressmembers represent and advocate for the needs of their district constituents at the United States Capitol. They are responsible for creating, debating, and voting on legislation that addresses issues within their district.

The United States is divided into 435 congressional districts, each with a population of about 710,000 individuals. Each district elects a representative to the House of Representatives for a two-year term. California has 53 congressional representatives, the largest delegation in the country. There is no term limit for this position.


Elect Gil Cisneros to keep CD-31 on the right track for progress.



Cisneros’ track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will be a progressive voice for the constituents of CD-31 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Cisneros has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including California Environmental Voters, Democrats Serve, League of Conservation Voters, as well as labor unions like SEIU, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, International Union of Operating Engineers, and International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers. He has also been endorsed by elected officials like Rep. Katie Porter, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, and LA Supervisor Hilda Solis.

Electoral history: Cisneros has run for office previously, and was elected to Congress in the 39th District in 2018. He lost his reelection campaign against a Republican challenger by 1 point.

Top issues: Gun safety, reproductive rights, veteran supports, and climate protections.

Priority bills: While in Congress, he was a strong supporter of bills to protect and support veterans, as well as to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Governance and community leadership experience: Gil Cisneros is a veteran and a former congressional representative. He is also an educational advocate, and after he won the California lottery in 2010, he dedicated some of his winnings to help establish scholarship programs for Hispanic students in his home community and dependents of Navy veterans. In 2021, Cisneros was appointed by President Biden as Under Secretary of Defense, and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer of the Military. In the Department of Defense, he worked to reform responses to sexual misconduct, as well as implement Universal Pre-K in DoD schools.

Other background: Cisneros is from California. He earned his BA from George Washington University, an MBA from Regis University, and a master’s in education policy from Brown University. He served in the Navy for over a decade. 

The Race


Primary election: There are 10 candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Gil Cisneros (D), Daniel Bocic Martinez (R), Susan Rubio (D), and Bob Archuleta (D). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Cisneros’ campaign has raised $109,474 and is not funded by the fossil fuel industry, the real estate industry, corporate PACs, or the police.

Opposing candidate: Democrats Susan Rubio, Bob Archuleta, Mary Ann Lutz, Gregory Kafif 
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Rubio’s campaign has raised $320,862. Archuleta’s campaign has raised $211,168. Lutz’s campaign has raised $87,422. Hafif’s campaign has raised $218,310. No Republican candidates have filed any campaign receipts for the current election cycle.

The District


Counties in district: California’s 31st Congressional District includes parts of Los Angeles County.

Voter registration: 48% Democrat, 22% Republican, and 23% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 55% Latino, 19% Asian, and 3% Black. This district is considered to be one of the 16 strong Latino seats in the California congressional delegation.

Recent election results: CD-31 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 31 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 17 points.

The Position


Congressmembers represent and advocate for the needs of their district constituents at the United States Capitol. They are responsible for creating, debating, and voting on legislation that addresses issues within their district.

The United States is divided into 435 congressional districts, each with a population of about 710,000 individuals. Each district elects a representative to the House of Representatives for a two-year term. California has 53 congressional representatives, the largest delegation in the country. There is no term limit for this position.


33rd Congressional District

Member of the House of Representatives

Pete Aguilar photo
Democrat

Pete Aguilar

Website

Re-elect Congressional Representative Pete Aguilar to keep CD-33 on the right track for progress. 



Rep. Aguilar’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will continue to be a representative voice for the constituents of CD-33 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Rep. Aguilar has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including Planned Parenthood, Equality California, League of Conservation Voters, and California Environmental Voters. 

Top issues: House Rules, veterans’ affairs, immigration, and homeland security.

Priority bills: This year, Rep. Aguilar’s priorities for CD-33 have included 19 bills appointing congressmembers to House committees, modernizing government services, including veterans’ services, and protecting pathways for Dreamers. All currently remain in committee.

Member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus?: No.

Committee leadership/membership: Rep. Aguilar currently sits on 1 committee, the House Appropriations Committee. He also chairs the House Democratic Caucus.

Governance and community leadership experience: Rep. Aguilar has served in this congressional seat since 2014, when he was elected with over 51% of the vote. In 2022, he won his re-election against a Republican challenger by 16 points.

Prior to his election to Congress, Rep. Aguilar served as interim director and then was appointed deputy director of the Inland Empire Regional Office of the Governor by then Governor Gray Davis. He served as councilmember of Redlands City from 2006 to 2014. He is a longtime supporter of government transparency. 

Other background: Rep. Aguilar grew up in San Bernardino. He put himself through college with loans and Pell Grants, beginning his career in public service in 2001.

The Race


Primary election: There are 2 candidates running in the March 5 primary, including incumbent Rep. Pete Aguilar (D) and Tom Herman (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Rep. Aguilar’s campaign has raised $1,946,369 and is not funded by the police. He has accepted campaign contributions from corporate PACs, including more than $50,000 from weapons manufacturers and the pharmaceutical industry, respectively. He has also accepted nearly $15,000 from the real estate industry and more than $30,000 from the fossil fuel industry.

Opposing candidate: Republican Tom Herman
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Herman has not pledged to refuse donations from corporate PACs, the fossil fuel industry, the real estate industry, or the police. As of January 2024, Herman has not filed any campaign receipts for the current election cycle.

The District


Counties in district: California’s 33rd Congressional District includes parts of San Bernardino County.

Voter registration: 47% Democrat, 24% Republican, and 22% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 53% Latino, 6% Asian, and 14% Black. This district is considered to be one of the 16 strong Latino seats in the California congressional delegation.

Recent election results: CD-33 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 25 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 10 points.

The Position


Congressmembers represent and advocate for the needs of their district constituents at the United States Capitol. They are responsible for creating, debating, and voting on legislation that addresses issues within their district.

The United States is divided into 435 congressional districts, each with a population of about 710,000 individuals. Each district elects a representative to the House of Representatives for a two-year term. California has 52 congressional representatives, the largest delegation in the country. There is no term limit for this position.

Re-elect Congressional Representative Pete Aguilar to keep CD-33 on the right track for progress. 



Rep. Aguilar’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will continue to be a representative voice for the constituents of CD-33 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Rep. Aguilar has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including Planned Parenthood, Equality California, League of Conservation Voters, and California Environmental Voters. 

Top issues: House Rules, veterans’ affairs, immigration, and homeland security.

Priority bills: This year, Rep. Aguilar’s priorities for CD-33 have included 19 bills appointing congressmembers to House committees, modernizing government services, including veterans’ services, and protecting pathways for Dreamers. All currently remain in committee.

Member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus?: No.

Committee leadership/membership: Rep. Aguilar currently sits on 1 committee, the House Appropriations Committee. He also chairs the House Democratic Caucus.

Governance and community leadership experience: Rep. Aguilar has served in this congressional seat since 2014, when he was elected with over 51% of the vote. In 2022, he won his re-election against a Republican challenger by 16 points.

Prior to his election to Congress, Rep. Aguilar served as interim director and then was appointed deputy director of the Inland Empire Regional Office of the Governor by then Governor Gray Davis. He served as councilmember of Redlands City from 2006 to 2014. He is a longtime supporter of government transparency. 

Other background: Rep. Aguilar grew up in San Bernardino. He put himself through college with loans and Pell Grants, beginning his career in public service in 2001.

The Race


Primary election: There are 2 candidates running in the March 5 primary, including incumbent Rep. Pete Aguilar (D) and Tom Herman (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Rep. Aguilar’s campaign has raised $1,946,369 and is not funded by the police. He has accepted campaign contributions from corporate PACs, including more than $50,000 from weapons manufacturers and the pharmaceutical industry, respectively. He has also accepted nearly $15,000 from the real estate industry and more than $30,000 from the fossil fuel industry.

Opposing candidate: Republican Tom Herman
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Herman has not pledged to refuse donations from corporate PACs, the fossil fuel industry, the real estate industry, or the police. As of January 2024, Herman has not filed any campaign receipts for the current election cycle.

The District


Counties in district: California’s 33rd Congressional District includes parts of San Bernardino County.

Voter registration: 47% Democrat, 24% Republican, and 22% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 53% Latino, 6% Asian, and 14% Black. This district is considered to be one of the 16 strong Latino seats in the California congressional delegation.

Recent election results: CD-33 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 25 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 10 points.

The Position


Congressmembers represent and advocate for the needs of their district constituents at the United States Capitol. They are responsible for creating, debating, and voting on legislation that addresses issues within their district.

The United States is divided into 435 congressional districts, each with a population of about 710,000 individuals. Each district elects a representative to the House of Representatives for a two-year term. California has 52 congressional representatives, the largest delegation in the country. There is no term limit for this position.

State Assembly

Depending on where you live, you may have one of the below State Assembly races on your ballot.

State Assembly, 34th District

Member of the State Assembly

Ricardo Ortega photo
Democrat

Ricardo Ortega

Website Endorsements

Elect Ricardo Ortega for State Assembly to put AD-34 on the right track for progress. 



Ricardo Ortega’s policy positions demonstrate that he will be a progressive voice for the constituents of AD-34 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Ortega has the endorsement of some groups, including California Latino Legislative Caucus, Equality California, National Union of Healthcare Workers, and Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties. He has also received the endorsement of some elected leaders, including Assm. Luz Rivas, Assembly Speaker Emeritus Anthony Rendon, and State Sen. María Elena Durazo.

Electoral history: Ortega has not run for office before.

Top issues: Sustainable economic growth, public safety, infrastructure investments, health-care access and facilities, and improving the child welfare system.

Governance and community leadership experience: Ortega is a youth advocate, which he does to support the ongoing improvement and equity of the systems supporting underserved young people and their communities. In roles with Children’s Institute, California Youth Connection, and Children’s Law Center of California, Ortega has supported social-emotional development, crisis intervention, family communication, and client documentation. He has also served in a variety of public roles, including as a Los Angeles County Youth Commissioner, a member of the state’s Mental Health Board for Transitional Age Youth, and a member of the Huntington Park Civil Service Commission. Ortega experienced homelessness in his youth, and has been a committed advocate for legislation and policies that ease foster youth placements and other public support for this vulnerable population. 

Other background: Ortega is from Los Angeles County.

The Race


Primary election: There are two candidates running in the March 5 primary: Ricardo Ortega (D) and incumbent Assm. Tom Lackey (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Ortega’s campaign has raised $23,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, corporate PAC, fossil fuel, or real estate interests.

Opposing candidate: Republican Assm. Tom Lackey
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Assm. Lackey’s campaign has raised $131,000 as of December 2023, and is funded by police, fossil fuel, corporate PAC, and real estate interests.

The District


Counties in district: California’s 34th Assembly District includes parts of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Kern Counties.

Voter registration: 32% Democrat, 39% Republican, and 20% No Party Preference. Republicans typically hold this district.

District demographics: 28% Latino, 4% Asian, and 9% Black. 

Recent election results: AD-34 voted for Donald Trump for president in 2020 by 56 points and Brian Dahle for governor in 2022 by 26 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.


Elect Ricardo Ortega for State Assembly to put AD-34 on the right track for progress. 



Ricardo Ortega’s policy positions demonstrate that he will be a progressive voice for the constituents of AD-34 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Ortega has the endorsement of some groups, including California Latino Legislative Caucus, Equality California, National Union of Healthcare Workers, and Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties. He has also received the endorsement of some elected leaders, including Assm. Luz Rivas, Assembly Speaker Emeritus Anthony Rendon, and State Sen. María Elena Durazo.

Electoral history: Ortega has not run for office before.

Top issues: Sustainable economic growth, public safety, infrastructure investments, health-care access and facilities, and improving the child welfare system.

Governance and community leadership experience: Ortega is a youth advocate, which he does to support the ongoing improvement and equity of the systems supporting underserved young people and their communities. In roles with Children’s Institute, California Youth Connection, and Children’s Law Center of California, Ortega has supported social-emotional development, crisis intervention, family communication, and client documentation. He has also served in a variety of public roles, including as a Los Angeles County Youth Commissioner, a member of the state’s Mental Health Board for Transitional Age Youth, and a member of the Huntington Park Civil Service Commission. Ortega experienced homelessness in his youth, and has been a committed advocate for legislation and policies that ease foster youth placements and other public support for this vulnerable population. 

Other background: Ortega is from Los Angeles County.

The Race


Primary election: There are two candidates running in the March 5 primary: Ricardo Ortega (D) and incumbent Assm. Tom Lackey (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Ortega’s campaign has raised $23,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, corporate PAC, fossil fuel, or real estate interests.

Opposing candidate: Republican Assm. Tom Lackey
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Assm. Lackey’s campaign has raised $131,000 as of December 2023, and is funded by police, fossil fuel, corporate PAC, and real estate interests.

The District


Counties in district: California’s 34th Assembly District includes parts of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Kern Counties.

Voter registration: 32% Democrat, 39% Republican, and 20% No Party Preference. Republicans typically hold this district.

District demographics: 28% Latino, 4% Asian, and 9% Black. 

Recent election results: AD-34 voted for Donald Trump for president in 2020 by 56 points and Brian Dahle for governor in 2022 by 26 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.


State Assembly, 39th District

Member of the State Assembly

Juan Carrillo photo
Democrat

Juan Carrillo

Website Endorsements

Re-elect Assemblymember Juan Carrillo to keep AD-39 on the right track for progress. 



Assm. Juan Carrillo’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will continue to be a representative voice for the constituents of AD-39. While he has maintained concerning ties to problematic police organizations and has not supported some significant progressive legislation that has made it to a vote, our analysis shows that he will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district if he is subject to increased community accountability.  

Progressive endorsements: Assm. Carrillo has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including Equality California, AFSCME California, and SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West. He has also received problematic donations from a variety of organizations, including California Real Estate PAC, Edison International, California Association of Highway Patrolmen, and Amazon.com Services.

Top issues: Pandemic recovery, worker equity, homelessness and housing, clean energy and pollution protections, wildlife and water conservation, early childhood education, and transportation.

Priority bills: This year, Assm. Carrillo’s priorities for AD-39 have included 16 bills about clean energy and pollution, housing policy, wildlife conservation, and health care. Of these, five have been successfully chaptered into law, three have been vetoed, and the rest remain in committee. He has sponsored and passed legislation to create more efficiency in broadband permitting and installation, establish a system for the preapproval of accessory dwelling unit plans, and build data, modeling, and analytic tools to support sustainable transportation initiatives in the state. He scores a CS of 73 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assm. Carrillo has supported some progressive bills that made it to a vote. That said, Assm. Carrillo failed to cast a vote on several critical pieces of legislation, including bills to set a $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers, increase grant-fund reporting requirements for charter schools, and create protections from retaliation for workers who report labor violations or unequal pay. 

Committee leadership/membership: Assm. Carrillo currently sits on nine committees, including Education, Military and Veterans Affairs, and Transportation. He serves as chair of the Standing Committee on Local Government, and as chair of the Select Committee on Mobility in the Golden State. Assm. Carrillo is a member of the California Legislative Latino Caucus and the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan and bicameral group that claims that their collaborative work allows them to take a more holistic approach to evaluating legislation. In reality, the Problem Solvers Caucus actively works with problematic industries against progressive policies.

Governance and community leadership experience: Assm. Carrillo has served in this assembly seat since 2022, when he was elected with over 57% of the vote. 

Prior to his election to the Assembly, Assm. Carrillo served as a member of the Palmdale City Council and the Palmdale School District Board of Trustees. As a community leader, he was a strong supporter of efforts to create greater local equity in education, housing, and health care. As part of his policy work, he supported the establishment of a plan for $5,000 of local rental assistance. Before entering public service, he spent 10 years as a city planner in Palmdale.

Other background: Assm. Carrillo is from Guadalajara Jalisco, Mexico. He attended an ESL program when he was 15, after his immigration to the United States.

The Race


Primary election: There are two candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Assm. Juan Carrillo (D), and Paul Marsh (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Carrillo’s campaign has raised $430,000 as of December 2023, and is funded by police, real estate, fossil fuel, and corporate PAC interests.

Opposing candidate: Republican Paul Marsh
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Marsh’s campaign has raised $[NUMBER] and is funded by [PLEDGES].

The District


Counties in district: California’s 39th Assembly District includes parts of Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties.

Voter registration: 47% Democrat, 22% Republican, and 22% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 50% Latino, 4% Asian, and 17% Black. This district is considered to be one of the strong Latino seats in the California Assembly delegation.

Recent election results: AD-39 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 25 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 10 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 Juan Carrillo to keep AD-39 on the right track for progress. 



Assm. Juan Carrillo’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will continue to be a representative voice for the constituents of AD-39. While he has maintained concerning ties to problematic police organizations and has not supported some significant progressive legislation that has made it to a vote, our analysis shows that he will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district if he is subject to increased community accountability.  

Progressive endorsements: Assm. Carrillo has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including Equality California, AFSCME California, and SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West. He has also received problematic donations from a variety of organizations, including California Real Estate PAC, Edison International, California Association of Highway Patrolmen, and Amazon.com Services.

Top issues: Pandemic recovery, worker equity, homelessness and housing, clean energy and pollution protections, wildlife and water conservation, early childhood education, and transportation.

Priority bills: This year, Assm. Carrillo’s priorities for AD-39 have included 16 bills about clean energy and pollution, housing policy, wildlife conservation, and health care. Of these, five have been successfully chaptered into law, three have been vetoed, and the rest remain in committee. He has sponsored and passed legislation to create more efficiency in broadband permitting and installation, establish a system for the preapproval of accessory dwelling unit plans, and build data, modeling, and analytic tools to support sustainable transportation initiatives in the state. He scores a CS of 73 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assm. Carrillo has supported some progressive bills that made it to a vote. That said, Assm. Carrillo failed to cast a vote on several critical pieces of legislation, including bills to set a $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers, increase grant-fund reporting requirements for charter schools, and create protections from retaliation for workers who report labor violations or unequal pay. 

Committee leadership/membership: Assm. Carrillo currently sits on nine committees, including Education, Military and Veterans Affairs, and Transportation. He serves as chair of the Standing Committee on Local Government, and as chair of the Select Committee on Mobility in the Golden State. Assm. Carrillo is a member of the California Legislative Latino Caucus and the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan and bicameral group that claims that their collaborative work allows them to take a more holistic approach to evaluating legislation. In reality, the Problem Solvers Caucus actively works with problematic industries against progressive policies.

Governance and community leadership experience: Assm. Carrillo has served in this assembly seat since 2022, when he was elected with over 57% of the vote. 

Prior to his election to the Assembly, Assm. Carrillo served as a member of the Palmdale City Council and the Palmdale School District Board of Trustees. As a community leader, he was a strong supporter of efforts to create greater local equity in education, housing, and health care. As part of his policy work, he supported the establishment of a plan for $5,000 of local rental assistance. Before entering public service, he spent 10 years as a city planner in Palmdale.

Other background: Assm. Carrillo is from Guadalajara Jalisco, Mexico. He attended an ESL program when he was 15, after his immigration to the United States.

The Race


Primary election: There are two candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Assm. Juan Carrillo (D), and Paul Marsh (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Carrillo’s campaign has raised $430,000 as of December 2023, and is funded by police, real estate, fossil fuel, and corporate PAC interests.

Opposing candidate: Republican Paul Marsh
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Marsh’s campaign has raised $[NUMBER] and is funded by [PLEDGES].

The District


Counties in district: California’s 39th Assembly District includes parts of Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties.

Voter registration: 47% Democrat, 22% Republican, and 22% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 50% Latino, 4% Asian, and 17% Black. This district is considered to be one of the strong Latino seats in the California Assembly delegation.

Recent election results: AD-39 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 25 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 10 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.


State Assembly, 40th District

Member of the State Assembly

Pilar Schiavo photo
Democrat

Pilar Schiavo

Website

Re-elect Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo to keep AD-40 on the right track for progress. 



Assm. Schiavo’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will continue to be a representative voice for the constituents of AD-40 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Assm. Schiavo has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including Equality California, Sierra Club California, and California Environmental Voters. 

Top issues: Economy and jobs creation, Health Care for All, homelessness and housing, mutual aid, women’s issues, and environmental protections.

Priority bills: This year, Assm. Schiavo’s priorities for AD-40 have included 24 bills about PFAS and product safety, worker benefits, homelessness and housing, and childcare. Of these, five have been successfully chaptered into law, four have been vetoed, and the rest remain in committee. She has sponsored and passed legislation to update standards for reporting and investigating elder abuse, establish an Affordable Housing Finance Workgroup, end the pipeline between the foster-care system and homelessness, and update the standards for providing annual sick leave to health-care workers. She scores a CS of 75 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assm. Schiavo has supported some progressive bills that made it to a vote. That said, Assm. Schiavo failed to cast a vote on several important pieces of legislation this session, including ACA13 to amend the threshold for passing ballot measures, AB600 to allow a judge to recall a sentence if there is a change to the law after sentencing, and AB12 to cap the security deposit amount a landlord can require to one month of rent.

Committee leadership/membership: Assm. Schiavo currently sits on 11 committees, including Emergency Management, Public Employment and Retirement, Utilities and Energy, Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management, and Water, Parks, and Wildlife. She serves as chair of the Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs, and chair of the Select Committee on Electric Vehicles and Charging Infrastructure.

Governance and community leadership experience: Assm. Schiavo has served in this assembly seat since 2022, when she was elected with 50.2% of the vote, a margin of just 500 votes over her Republican opponent.

Prior to her election to the Assembly, Assm. Schiavo was long involved in labor-organizing work. She served as political director for the San Francisco Labor Council, which guaranteed health care in San Francisco. Schiavo also recruited and trained new organizers at the AFL-CIO Organizing Institute and represented mental-health workers for SEIU in Massachusetts, where she also did low-income tenant organizing. She spent 13 years with the California Nurses Association (CNA), where she worked closely with nurses to organize a statewide coalition for a single-payer system in California, including coordinating the field campaign for SB 562. Her work with CNA also involved time as a field coordinator to deploy nurses for disasters and humanitarian missions to hurricane sites, border shelters, California wildfires, and a COVID-19 vaccine clinic in South Los Angeles. Assm. Schiavo has worked with APEN and a broad coalition in the East Bay on environmental issues, and with Jobs with Justice SF, the Chinese Progressive Association, and various SEIU Local and unions in San Francisco while at the San Francisco Labor Council. In her more recent organizing, Schiavo co-founded West Valley Homes YES! (WVHY) to fight for housing for unhoused neighbors. In 2020, the organization became the largest mutual-aid program in the San Fernando Valley. 

Other background: Assm. Schiavo is from Southern California’s West Valley and currently lives in Chatsworth.

The Race


Primary election: There are two candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Assm. Pilar Schiavo (D), and Patrick Lee Gipson (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Schiavo’s campaign has raised $745,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by fossil fuel, or police interests.

Opposing candidate: Republican Patrick Lee Gipson
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Gipson’s campaign has raised $47,000 as of December 2023, and is funded by police interests.

The District


Counties in district: California’s 40th Assembly District includes parts of Los Angeles County.

Voter registration: 42% Democrat, 29% Republican, and 22% No Party Preference. This district was held by Republicans until 2018 when James Ramos won and flipped it from red to blue. 

District demographics: 27% Latino, 15% Asian, and 6% Black. 

Recent election results: AD-40 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 16 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.


Re-elect Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo to keep AD-40 on the right track for progress. 



Assm. Schiavo’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will continue to be a representative voice for the constituents of AD-40 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Assm. Schiavo has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including Equality California, Sierra Club California, and California Environmental Voters. 

Top issues: Economy and jobs creation, Health Care for All, homelessness and housing, mutual aid, women’s issues, and environmental protections.

Priority bills: This year, Assm. Schiavo’s priorities for AD-40 have included 24 bills about PFAS and product safety, worker benefits, homelessness and housing, and childcare. Of these, five have been successfully chaptered into law, four have been vetoed, and the rest remain in committee. She has sponsored and passed legislation to update standards for reporting and investigating elder abuse, establish an Affordable Housing Finance Workgroup, end the pipeline between the foster-care system and homelessness, and update the standards for providing annual sick leave to health-care workers. She scores a CS of 75 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assm. Schiavo has supported some progressive bills that made it to a vote. That said, Assm. Schiavo failed to cast a vote on several important pieces of legislation this session, including ACA13 to amend the threshold for passing ballot measures, AB600 to allow a judge to recall a sentence if there is a change to the law after sentencing, and AB12 to cap the security deposit amount a landlord can require to one month of rent.

Committee leadership/membership: Assm. Schiavo currently sits on 11 committees, including Emergency Management, Public Employment and Retirement, Utilities and Energy, Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management, and Water, Parks, and Wildlife. She serves as chair of the Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs, and chair of the Select Committee on Electric Vehicles and Charging Infrastructure.

Governance and community leadership experience: Assm. Schiavo has served in this assembly seat since 2022, when she was elected with 50.2% of the vote, a margin of just 500 votes over her Republican opponent.

Prior to her election to the Assembly, Assm. Schiavo was long involved in labor-organizing work. She served as political director for the San Francisco Labor Council, which guaranteed health care in San Francisco. Schiavo also recruited and trained new organizers at the AFL-CIO Organizing Institute and represented mental-health workers for SEIU in Massachusetts, where she also did low-income tenant organizing. She spent 13 years with the California Nurses Association (CNA), where she worked closely with nurses to organize a statewide coalition for a single-payer system in California, including coordinating the field campaign for SB 562. Her work with CNA also involved time as a field coordinator to deploy nurses for disasters and humanitarian missions to hurricane sites, border shelters, California wildfires, and a COVID-19 vaccine clinic in South Los Angeles. Assm. Schiavo has worked with APEN and a broad coalition in the East Bay on environmental issues, and with Jobs with Justice SF, the Chinese Progressive Association, and various SEIU Local and unions in San Francisco while at the San Francisco Labor Council. In her more recent organizing, Schiavo co-founded West Valley Homes YES! (WVHY) to fight for housing for unhoused neighbors. In 2020, the organization became the largest mutual-aid program in the San Fernando Valley. 

Other background: Assm. Schiavo is from Southern California’s West Valley and currently lives in Chatsworth.

The Race


Primary election: There are two candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Assm. Pilar Schiavo (D), and Patrick Lee Gipson (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Schiavo’s campaign has raised $745,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by fossil fuel, or police interests.

Opposing candidate: Republican Patrick Lee Gipson
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Gipson’s campaign has raised $47,000 as of December 2023, and is funded by police interests.

The District


Counties in district: California’s 40th Assembly District includes parts of Los Angeles County.

Voter registration: 42% Democrat, 29% Republican, and 22% No Party Preference. This district was held by Republicans until 2018 when James Ramos won and flipped it from red to blue. 

District demographics: 27% Latino, 15% Asian, and 6% Black. 

Recent election results: AD-40 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 16 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.


State Assembly, 41st District

Member of the State Assembly

No Recommendation

Based on our analysis, two candidates for this position have distinct visions for the district. We recommend that you choose the candidate who best aligns to your values in this race.



Progressive endorsements: Dr. Phlunté Riddle has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including SEIU California, Planned Parenthood, National Women’s Political Caucus California, and California Democratic Party Progressive Caucus. She has also received the endorsement of some local leaders, including Treasurer Fiona Ma, and outgoing AD-41 Assm. Chris Holden. She has also received endorsements from problematic stakeholders, including AFSCME Deputy Probation Officers Union. 

Jed Leano has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including Abundant Housing LA, Housing Action Coalition, Reproductive Freedom for All California (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice California), and YIMBY Action. He has also received the endorsement of many elected leaders, including State Sen. Scott Wiener, Assm. Alex Lee, and Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan. He has received endorsements from problematic stakeholders, including Claremont Police Officers Association.

Key initiatives: Dr. Riddle is a longtime public servant, which she does to provide representative leadership and create resources for marginalized communities. For 30 years, she served as an officer, detective, sergeant, lieutenant, and community liaison with the Pasadena Police Department. In many of her ranks, she was the first African American woman in the department, and experienced systemic discrimination in several of her roles. She is a longtime supporter of reducing recidivism and creating pathways to success for justice involved individuals. As the Board of Juvenile Hearings Commissioner she created pipelines between the justice system and education, mental health treatment, job training, and workforce-development programs. As district director for outgoing Assm. Chris Holden, she supported college and career pathway programs, public transit expansion, and clean energy initiatives. Dr. Riddle is also an organizational consultant, and an adjunct professor of criminal justice. 

Notably, Dr. Riddle was briefly named in a wrongful death lawsuit by the family of an unarmed Black man, Kendrec McDade, who was killed by police in 2012. While Riddle was not present on the night of the shooting, she served as the police spokesperson for the case, and the family felt that she was slow to correct the record on inaccurate reports that McDade was armed or had committed a crime on the night of his death.

Leano has been an outspoken advocate of improved housing policy as a member of the Claremont City Council. He has been proactive in securing significant funding to create a housing navigator program, provide transitional housing options, increase the shelter bed availability, supply motel vouchers to families, and create intervention programs to help individuals and families avoid experiencing homelessness. Leano has also worked to establish a low-income affordable housing development, and the Psychiatric Assessment Care Team to provide wraparound social service support for local residents. He serves as a representative of the city council on the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments Homelessness Committee, and as chair of the San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust Board. A small-business owner, he has also provided leadership on economic relief and revitalization throughout the pandemic years. 

In addition to his work on the city council, Leano is an immigration attorney and has had his own practice in Pasadena for 15 years. The son of Filipino immigrants, he works to help immigrant families legally navigate threats of deportation, and pursue refugee status and naturalization in the United States. In 2009, he helped found the Neighborhood Immigration Clinic to provide pro bono services, and later served a two-year term as board chair. Apart from his law practice, he has been very involved in his local community, serving on the Tournament of Roses post-parade committee, as vice chair of the Community and Human Services Commission, and as founding chair of Housing Claremont. 

Governance and community leadership experience: Dr. Riddle ran for the SD-25 seat in 2016, but failed to advance to the general election after receiving only 7% of the vote.  

Leano was elected to the Claremont City Council in 2018 with over 21% of the vote. He was re-elected to the 4th district seat in 2022 after earning over 57% of the vote. He has served a term as mayor during his time on the council.

Other background: Dr. Riddle is from Altadena and has lived in Pasadena for over 30 years. She holds a doctoral degree in psychology and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico. 

Leano is from Anaheim and is a longtime resident of the San Gabriel Valley. He is the son of Filipino immigrants and a first-generation American. 

The Race


Primary election: There are four candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Dr. Phlunté Riddle (D), Jed Leano (D), John Harabedian (D), and Michelle Del Rosario Martinez (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Dr. Riddle’s campaign has raised $341,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by real estate, fossil fuel, or corporate PAC interests.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Leano’s campaign has raised $176,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by real estate, fossil fuel, or corporate PAC interests.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Harabedian’s campaign has raised $69,000 as of December 2023, and is primarily funded by individual donors.

The District


Counties in district: California’s 41st Assembly District includes parts of Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties.

Voter registration: 45% Democrat, 28% Republican, and 20% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 26% Latino, 13% Asian, and 8% Black.

Recent election results: AD-41 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 25 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 17 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.


Based on our analysis, two candidates for this position have distinct visions for the district. We recommend that you choose the candidate who best aligns to your values in this race.



Progressive endorsements: Dr. Phlunté Riddle has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including SEIU California, Planned Parenthood, National Women’s Political Caucus California, and California Democratic Party Progressive Caucus. She has also received the endorsement of some local leaders, including Treasurer Fiona Ma, and outgoing AD-41 Assm. Chris Holden. She has also received endorsements from problematic stakeholders, including AFSCME Deputy Probation Officers Union. 

Jed Leano has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including Abundant Housing LA, Housing Action Coalition, Reproductive Freedom for All California (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice California), and YIMBY Action. He has also received the endorsement of many elected leaders, including State Sen. Scott Wiener, Assm. Alex Lee, and Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan. He has received endorsements from problematic stakeholders, including Claremont Police Officers Association.

Key initiatives: Dr. Riddle is a longtime public servant, which she does to provide representative leadership and create resources for marginalized communities. For 30 years, she served as an officer, detective, sergeant, lieutenant, and community liaison with the Pasadena Police Department. In many of her ranks, she was the first African American woman in the department, and experienced systemic discrimination in several of her roles. She is a longtime supporter of reducing recidivism and creating pathways to success for justice involved individuals. As the Board of Juvenile Hearings Commissioner she created pipelines between the justice system and education, mental health treatment, job training, and workforce-development programs. As district director for outgoing Assm. Chris Holden, she supported college and career pathway programs, public transit expansion, and clean energy initiatives. Dr. Riddle is also an organizational consultant, and an adjunct professor of criminal justice. 

Notably, Dr. Riddle was briefly named in a wrongful death lawsuit by the family of an unarmed Black man, Kendrec McDade, who was killed by police in 2012. While Riddle was not present on the night of the shooting, she served as the police spokesperson for the case, and the family felt that she was slow to correct the record on inaccurate reports that McDade was armed or had committed a crime on the night of his death.

Leano has been an outspoken advocate of improved housing policy as a member of the Claremont City Council. He has been proactive in securing significant funding to create a housing navigator program, provide transitional housing options, increase the shelter bed availability, supply motel vouchers to families, and create intervention programs to help individuals and families avoid experiencing homelessness. Leano has also worked to establish a low-income affordable housing development, and the Psychiatric Assessment Care Team to provide wraparound social service support for local residents. He serves as a representative of the city council on the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments Homelessness Committee, and as chair of the San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust Board. A small-business owner, he has also provided leadership on economic relief and revitalization throughout the pandemic years. 

In addition to his work on the city council, Leano is an immigration attorney and has had his own practice in Pasadena for 15 years. The son of Filipino immigrants, he works to help immigrant families legally navigate threats of deportation, and pursue refugee status and naturalization in the United States. In 2009, he helped found the Neighborhood Immigration Clinic to provide pro bono services, and later served a two-year term as board chair. Apart from his law practice, he has been very involved in his local community, serving on the Tournament of Roses post-parade committee, as vice chair of the Community and Human Services Commission, and as founding chair of Housing Claremont. 

Governance and community leadership experience: Dr. Riddle ran for the SD-25 seat in 2016, but failed to advance to the general election after receiving only 7% of the vote.  

Leano was elected to the Claremont City Council in 2018 with over 21% of the vote. He was re-elected to the 4th district seat in 2022 after earning over 57% of the vote. He has served a term as mayor during his time on the council.

Other background: Dr. Riddle is from Altadena and has lived in Pasadena for over 30 years. She holds a doctoral degree in psychology and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico. 

Leano is from Anaheim and is a longtime resident of the San Gabriel Valley. He is the son of Filipino immigrants and a first-generation American. 

The Race


Primary election: There are four candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Dr. Phlunté Riddle (D), Jed Leano (D), John Harabedian (D), and Michelle Del Rosario Martinez (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Dr. Riddle’s campaign has raised $341,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by real estate, fossil fuel, or corporate PAC interests.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Leano’s campaign has raised $176,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by real estate, fossil fuel, or corporate PAC interests.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Harabedian’s campaign has raised $69,000 as of December 2023, and is primarily funded by individual donors.

The District


Counties in district: California’s 41st Assembly District includes parts of Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties.

Voter registration: 45% Democrat, 28% Republican, and 20% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 26% Latino, 13% Asian, and 8% Black.

Recent election results: AD-41 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 25 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 17 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.


State Assembly, 44th District

Member of the State Assembly

Nick Schultz photo
Democrat

Nick Schultz

Website Endorsements

Elect Nick Schultz to put AD-44 on the right track for progress. 



Nick Schultz’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will be a progressive voice for the constituents of AD-44 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Schultz has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including California Legislative Progressive Caucus, Abundant Housing Los Angeles, California Environmental Voters, Smart Justice California, and SEIU California. He has also received the endorsement of some local leaders, including outgoing AD-44 Assm. Laura Friedman, and Burbank Vice Mayor Nikki Perez. 

Electoral history: Schultz has run for office previously, and won his race for Burbank City Council in 2020 after earning over 15% of the vote. As of December 2023, he is serving as mayor. 

Top issues: Climate protections, criminal justice reform, homelessness and housing affordability, economic growth, and health care for all

Governance and community leadership experience: Schultz is a public official and a public servant, which he does to use his knowledge and leadership to support community initiatives. As a member of the Burbank City Council, he has worked to support economic development and stimulation through the challenging pandemic years, support hero pay for grocery and other essential workers, steward a pollution-reduction plan designed to lead the city to eventual carbon neutrality, and establish 1,000 new housing units within the city. Schultz is an attorney, and currently serves as deputy attorney general for the California Department of Justice. As a Special Prosecutions AG, he primarily prosecutes cases of public corruption, tax evasion, human trafficking, and police misconduct. He has helped improve policy at the DOJ by assisting in the creation of a Post-Conviction Review Unit to evaluate potential wrongful convictions in the state. Long involved in local politics, Schultz currently serves as vice chair of the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley. 

Other background: Schultz lives in Burbank. He is a first-generation college student. 

The Race


Primary election: There are seven candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Nick Schultz (D), Elen Asatryan (D), Ed Han (D), Carmenita Helligar (D), Steve Pierson (D), Adam Pryor (D), and Adam Summer (D). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Nick Schultz’s campaign has raised $290,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, or corporate PAC interests.

Opposing candidate: Democrat Elen Asatryan
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Asatryan’s campaign has raised $206,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, real estate, corporate PAC, or fossil fuel interests.

Opposing candidate: Democrat Ed Han
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Han’s campaign has raised $138,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, corporate PAC, or fossil fuel interests.

Opposing candidate: Democrat Steve Pierson
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Pierson’s campaign has raised $193,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, real estate, corporate PAC, or fossil fuel interests.

Opposing candidate: Democrat Adam Summer
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Summer’s campaign has raised $12,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, corporate PAC, fossil fuel, or real estate interests.

The District


Counties in district: California’s 44th Assembly District includes parts of Los Angeles County.

Voter registration: 51% Democrat, 19% Republican, and 24% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 18% Latino, 11% Asian, and 5% Black. 

Recent election results: AD-44 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 39 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 40 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.


Elect Nick Schultz to put AD-44 on the right track for progress. 



Nick Schultz’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will be a progressive voice for the constituents of AD-44 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Schultz has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including California Legislative Progressive Caucus, Abundant Housing Los Angeles, California Environmental Voters, Smart Justice California, and SEIU California. He has also received the endorsement of some local leaders, including outgoing AD-44 Assm. Laura Friedman, and Burbank Vice Mayor Nikki Perez. 

Electoral history: Schultz has run for office previously, and won his race for Burbank City Council in 2020 after earning over 15% of the vote. As of December 2023, he is serving as mayor. 

Top issues: Climate protections, criminal justice reform, homelessness and housing affordability, economic growth, and health care for all

Governance and community leadership experience: Schultz is a public official and a public servant, which he does to use his knowledge and leadership to support community initiatives. As a member of the Burbank City Council, he has worked to support economic development and stimulation through the challenging pandemic years, support hero pay for grocery and other essential workers, steward a pollution-reduction plan designed to lead the city to eventual carbon neutrality, and establish 1,000 new housing units within the city. Schultz is an attorney, and currently serves as deputy attorney general for the California Department of Justice. As a Special Prosecutions AG, he primarily prosecutes cases of public corruption, tax evasion, human trafficking, and police misconduct. He has helped improve policy at the DOJ by assisting in the creation of a Post-Conviction Review Unit to evaluate potential wrongful convictions in the state. Long involved in local politics, Schultz currently serves as vice chair of the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley. 

Other background: Schultz lives in Burbank. He is a first-generation college student. 

The Race


Primary election: There are seven candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Nick Schultz (D), Elen Asatryan (D), Ed Han (D), Carmenita Helligar (D), Steve Pierson (D), Adam Pryor (D), and Adam Summer (D). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Nick Schultz’s campaign has raised $290,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, or corporate PAC interests.

Opposing candidate: Democrat Elen Asatryan
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Asatryan’s campaign has raised $206,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, real estate, corporate PAC, or fossil fuel interests.

Opposing candidate: Democrat Ed Han
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Han’s campaign has raised $138,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, corporate PAC, or fossil fuel interests.

Opposing candidate: Democrat Steve Pierson
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Pierson’s campaign has raised $193,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, real estate, corporate PAC, or fossil fuel interests.

Opposing candidate: Democrat Adam Summer
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Summer’s campaign has raised $12,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, corporate PAC, fossil fuel, or real estate interests.

The District


Counties in district: California’s 44th Assembly District includes parts of Los Angeles County.

Voter registration: 51% Democrat, 19% Republican, and 24% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 18% Latino, 11% Asian, and 5% Black. 

Recent election results: AD-44 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 39 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 40 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.


State Assembly, 45th District

Member of the State Assembly

No Recommendation

This is a safe seat for the Democratic incumbent, who is running unopposed. Voters should focus on holding him accountable for his policy ideas and votes and ensure that he represents the diverse communities of the district.



Endorsements: Assm. James Ramos does not have the endorsement of any progressive groups. He has also received endorsements from many problematic stakeholders, including California Association of Realtors, California Association of Highway Patrol, Peace Officers Research Association of California, San Bernardino Police Officers Association, and Sheriff’s Employees’ Benefit Association. 

Key initiatives: This year, Assm. Ramos authored 30 bills about tribal gaming regulation, housing policy, mental health care, and recognition of Indigenous people. Of these, 18 have been successfully chaptered into law, one has been vetoed, and the rest remain in committee. Assm. Ramos has had a disappointing record on progressive legislation this session, scoring a CS of 32 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. A frequent recipient of endorsements and donations from police organizations, he failed to cast a vote on nearly half of the criminal justice bills evaluated for this year’s scorecard. Although he has authored some legislation to amend housing policy and serves as chair of the Select Committee on Youth Homelessness in San Bernardino County, he also failed to vote on SB567 to close frequently abused loopholes that allow no-fault just-cause evictions. 

Governance and community leadership experience: Assm. Ramos has served in this assembly seat since 2018, when he was elected with over 59% of the vote. In 2022, he won his reelection against a Republican challenger by 22 points.

Prior to his election to the State Assembly, Assm. Ramos served his community in a variety of leadership roles. He was a member of the San Bernardino Board of Supervisors starting in 2012, where he has served as chair, and was a member of the San Bernardino Community College Board of Trustees. Assm. Ramos was appointed to serve on the State Native American Heritage Commission and to the State Board of Education. He has also served as chair of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, and has been a committed steward of California’s Indian culture. He grew up in an impoverished region of San Bernardino County, and has been a longtime supporter of anti-bullying, youth mental-health support, and suicide-prevention efforts. 

Other background: Assm. Ramos has lived on the San Manuel Indian Reservation in San Bernardino all his life. 

The Race


Primary election: Incumbent Democratic Assm. James Ramos is running unopposed in the March 5 primary.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Ramos’s campaign has raised $437,000 as of December 2023, and is funded by police, corporate PAC, real estate, and fossil fuel interests.

The District


Counties in district: California’s 45th Assembly District includes parts of San Bernardino County.

Voter registration: 48% Democrat, 22% Republican, and 22% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 55% Latino, 5% Asian, and 16% Black. This district is considered to be one of the strong Latino seats in the California Assembly delegation.

Recent election results: AD-45 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 31 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 16 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.


This is a safe seat for the Democratic incumbent, who is running unopposed. Voters should focus on holding him accountable for his policy ideas and votes and ensure that he represents the diverse communities of the district.



Endorsements: Assm. James Ramos does not have the endorsement of any progressive groups. He has also received endorsements from many problematic stakeholders, including California Association of Realtors, California Association of Highway Patrol, Peace Officers Research Association of California, San Bernardino Police Officers Association, and Sheriff’s Employees’ Benefit Association. 

Key initiatives: This year, Assm. Ramos authored 30 bills about tribal gaming regulation, housing policy, mental health care, and recognition of Indigenous people. Of these, 18 have been successfully chaptered into law, one has been vetoed, and the rest remain in committee. Assm. Ramos has had a disappointing record on progressive legislation this session, scoring a CS of 32 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. A frequent recipient of endorsements and donations from police organizations, he failed to cast a vote on nearly half of the criminal justice bills evaluated for this year’s scorecard. Although he has authored some legislation to amend housing policy and serves as chair of the Select Committee on Youth Homelessness in San Bernardino County, he also failed to vote on SB567 to close frequently abused loopholes that allow no-fault just-cause evictions. 

Governance and community leadership experience: Assm. Ramos has served in this assembly seat since 2018, when he was elected with over 59% of the vote. In 2022, he won his reelection against a Republican challenger by 22 points.

Prior to his election to the State Assembly, Assm. Ramos served his community in a variety of leadership roles. He was a member of the San Bernardino Board of Supervisors starting in 2012, where he has served as chair, and was a member of the San Bernardino Community College Board of Trustees. Assm. Ramos was appointed to serve on the State Native American Heritage Commission and to the State Board of Education. He has also served as chair of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, and has been a committed steward of California’s Indian culture. He grew up in an impoverished region of San Bernardino County, and has been a longtime supporter of anti-bullying, youth mental-health support, and suicide-prevention efforts. 

Other background: Assm. Ramos has lived on the San Manuel Indian Reservation in San Bernardino all his life. 

The Race


Primary election: Incumbent Democratic Assm. James Ramos is running unopposed in the March 5 primary.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Ramos’s campaign has raised $437,000 as of December 2023, and is funded by police, corporate PAC, real estate, and fossil fuel interests.

The District


Counties in district: California’s 45th Assembly District includes parts of San Bernardino County.

Voter registration: 48% Democrat, 22% Republican, and 22% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 55% Latino, 5% Asian, and 16% Black. This district is considered to be one of the strong Latino seats in the California Assembly delegation.

Recent election results: AD-45 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 31 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 16 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.


State Assembly, 48th District

Member of the State Assembly

Brian Calderon Tabatabai photo
Democrat

Brian Calderon Tabatabai

Website Endorsements

Elect Brian Calderon Tabatabai to put AD-48 on the right track for progress. 



Brian Calderon Tabatabai policy positions demonstrate that he will be a progressive voice for the constituents of AD-48 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Tabatabai has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including California Working Families Party, Dolores Huerta Action Fund, LA Voice, and California Democratic Renters Council, as well as labor unions like SEIU California, California Teachers Association and Federation of Teachers, National Union of Healthcare Workers, AFSCME, and LA County Federation of Labor.

Electoral history: Tabatabai has run for office previously, and won his 2020 race for West Covina City Council. He finished as the top vote-getter in a field of three.

Top issues: Housing, justice reform, and education.

Governance and community leadership experience: Brian Calderon Tabatabai sits on the West Covina City Council, currently serving as mayor pro tem, which he does to increase transparency and neighborhood empowerment to his community. He has been a longtime supporter of education, housing, and justice reform. He sits on the League of California Cities Public Safety Commission, where he advocates for alternatives to incarceration. He was also recently appointed to the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, which incentivizes low-income housing through tax credits. Tabatabai taught for more than 20 years before running for public office, and helped write El Monte High School’s ethnic studies curriculum. 

Other background: Tabatabai is from the San Gabriel Valley. He earned his BA from UCLA and a master’s degree from Cal State Los Angeles. 

The Race


Primary election: There are 3 candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Brian Calderon Tabatabai (D), incumbent Assm. Blanca Rubio (D), and Dan Tran (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Tabatabai’s campaign has raised $149,233 and is not funded by corporate PACs, the fossil fuel industry, the real estate industry, or the police.

Opposing candidate: Incumbent Democrat Blanca Rubio
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Rubio’s campaign has raised $830,069 and is funded by corporate PACs and the police. She has also accepted more than $35,000 from the real estate industry, and more than $75,000 from the fossil fuel industry. She has accepted donations from the PAC Californians for Jobs and a Strong Economy, which fundraises with problematic donors like fossil fuel corporations and the police. Rubio is in the Hall of Shame on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records, for opposing or not voting on key bills in the 2023 legislative session. She has a lifetime Courage Score of 46 out of 100.

The District


Counties in district: California’s 48th Assembly District includes parts of County Los Angeles.

Voter registration: 49% Democrat, 22% Republican, and 23% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 56% Latino, 18% Asian, and 4% Black. This district is considered to be one of the strong Latino seats in the California Assembly delegation. 

Recent election results: AD-48 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 31 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 16 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.


Elect Brian Calderon Tabatabai to put AD-48 on the right track for progress. 



Brian Calderon Tabatabai policy positions demonstrate that he will be a progressive voice for the constituents of AD-48 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Tabatabai has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including California Working Families Party, Dolores Huerta Action Fund, LA Voice, and California Democratic Renters Council, as well as labor unions like SEIU California, California Teachers Association and Federation of Teachers, National Union of Healthcare Workers, AFSCME, and LA County Federation of Labor.

Electoral history: Tabatabai has run for office previously, and won his 2020 race for West Covina City Council. He finished as the top vote-getter in a field of three.

Top issues: Housing, justice reform, and education.

Governance and community leadership experience: Brian Calderon Tabatabai sits on the West Covina City Council, currently serving as mayor pro tem, which he does to increase transparency and neighborhood empowerment to his community. He has been a longtime supporter of education, housing, and justice reform. He sits on the League of California Cities Public Safety Commission, where he advocates for alternatives to incarceration. He was also recently appointed to the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, which incentivizes low-income housing through tax credits. Tabatabai taught for more than 20 years before running for public office, and helped write El Monte High School’s ethnic studies curriculum. 

Other background: Tabatabai is from the San Gabriel Valley. He earned his BA from UCLA and a master’s degree from Cal State Los Angeles. 

The Race


Primary election: There are 3 candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Brian Calderon Tabatabai (D), incumbent Assm. Blanca Rubio (D), and Dan Tran (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Tabatabai’s campaign has raised $149,233 and is not funded by corporate PACs, the fossil fuel industry, the real estate industry, or the police.

Opposing candidate: Incumbent Democrat Blanca Rubio
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Rubio’s campaign has raised $830,069 and is funded by corporate PACs and the police. She has also accepted more than $35,000 from the real estate industry, and more than $75,000 from the fossil fuel industry. She has accepted donations from the PAC Californians for Jobs and a Strong Economy, which fundraises with problematic donors like fossil fuel corporations and the police. Rubio is in the Hall of Shame on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records, for opposing or not voting on key bills in the 2023 legislative session. She has a lifetime Courage Score of 46 out of 100.

The District


Counties in district: California’s 48th Assembly District includes parts of County Los Angeles.

Voter registration: 49% Democrat, 22% Republican, and 23% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 56% Latino, 18% Asian, and 4% Black. This district is considered to be one of the strong Latino seats in the California Assembly delegation. 

Recent election results: AD-48 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 31 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 16 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.


State Assembly, 49th District

Member of the State Assembly

Mike Fong photo
Democrat

Mike Fong

Website

Re-elect Assemblymember Mike Fong to keep AD-49 on the right track for progress. 



Assm. Mike Fong’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will continue to be a progressive voice for the constituents of AD-49 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Assm. Fong has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including Equality California, California Environmental Voters, and SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West. 

Top issues: Education, workforce development, disability access, environmental protections, homelessness and housing, firearm safety, and technological infrastructure.

Priority bills: This year, Assm. Fong’s priorities for AD-49 have included 22 bills about higher education, firearm safety, workforce development, and postsecondary education. Of these, ten have been successfully chaptered into law, two have been vetoed, and the rest remain in committee. He has sponsored and passed legislation to provide official government emergency communication in more than one language, allow student members of community college boards an advisory vote, and improve retirement benefits for employees of the City of San Gabriel. He scores a CS of 100 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assm. Fong has supported all progressive bills that made it to a vote, and was designated as an Honorable Mention legislator in 2022 and 2023. 

Committee leadership/membership: Assm. Fong currently sits on six committees, including Appropriations, Banking and Finance, and Budget. He serves as the chair of the Standing Committee on Higher Education, and the Select Committee on Racism, Hate, and Xenophobia. 

Governance and community leadership experience: Assm. Fong has served in this assembly seat since February 2022, when he won a special election with over 67% of the vote. In 2022, he won his full-term re-election against a Republican challenger by 34 points.

Prior to his election to the Assembly, Assm. Fong served as director of policy and government relations for the City of Los Angeles Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, which he did to support local integration of public services. Before holding this role, Fong served as the East Area director for Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa. He also served as commissioner of the Alhambra Transportation Commission, and as an advisory board member for LA’s BEST Afterschool Enrichment Program. In 2020, he was elected to seat number 7 on the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees after earning 42% of the vote. Throughout his career, Fong has shown a commitment to supporting education initiatives and programs that allow young people to transition from the classroom through workforce-development opportunities and into meaningful careers in their communities. 

Other background: Assm. Fong is a lifelong resident of Los Angeles.

The Race


Primary election: There are two candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Assm. Mike Fong (D), Long “David” Liu (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Fong’s campaign has raised $474,000 as of December 2023, and is funded by police, corporate PAC, fossil fuel, and real estate interests.

Opposing candidate: Republican Long “David” Liu
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Liu’s campaign has raised $3,500 as of December 2023, and is funded entirely by individual donors.

The District


Counties in district: California’s 49th Assembly District includes parts of Los Angeles County.

Voter registration: 46% Democrat, 18% Republican, and 30% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 28% Latino, 53% Asian, and 2% Black. This district is considered to be one of the strong Asian seats in the California Assembly delegation.

Recent election results: AD-49 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 36 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 26 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 Mike Fong to keep AD-49 on the right track for progress. 



Assm. Mike Fong’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will continue to be a progressive voice for the constituents of AD-49 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Assm. Fong has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including Equality California, California Environmental Voters, and SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West. 

Top issues: Education, workforce development, disability access, environmental protections, homelessness and housing, firearm safety, and technological infrastructure.

Priority bills: This year, Assm. Fong’s priorities for AD-49 have included 22 bills about higher education, firearm safety, workforce development, and postsecondary education. Of these, ten have been successfully chaptered into law, two have been vetoed, and the rest remain in committee. He has sponsored and passed legislation to provide official government emergency communication in more than one language, allow student members of community college boards an advisory vote, and improve retirement benefits for employees of the City of San Gabriel. He scores a CS of 100 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assm. Fong has supported all progressive bills that made it to a vote, and was designated as an Honorable Mention legislator in 2022 and 2023. 

Committee leadership/membership: Assm. Fong currently sits on six committees, including Appropriations, Banking and Finance, and Budget. He serves as the chair of the Standing Committee on Higher Education, and the Select Committee on Racism, Hate, and Xenophobia. 

Governance and community leadership experience: Assm. Fong has served in this assembly seat since February 2022, when he won a special election with over 67% of the vote. In 2022, he won his full-term re-election against a Republican challenger by 34 points.

Prior to his election to the Assembly, Assm. Fong served as director of policy and government relations for the City of Los Angeles Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, which he did to support local integration of public services. Before holding this role, Fong served as the East Area director for Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa. He also served as commissioner of the Alhambra Transportation Commission, and as an advisory board member for LA’s BEST Afterschool Enrichment Program. In 2020, he was elected to seat number 7 on the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees after earning 42% of the vote. Throughout his career, Fong has shown a commitment to supporting education initiatives and programs that allow young people to transition from the classroom through workforce-development opportunities and into meaningful careers in their communities. 

Other background: Assm. Fong is a lifelong resident of Los Angeles.

The Race


Primary election: There are two candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Assm. Mike Fong (D), Long “David” Liu (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Fong’s campaign has raised $474,000 as of December 2023, and is funded by police, corporate PAC, fossil fuel, and real estate interests.

Opposing candidate: Republican Long “David” Liu
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Liu’s campaign has raised $3,500 as of December 2023, and is funded entirely by individual donors.

The District


Counties in district: California’s 49th Assembly District includes parts of Los Angeles County.

Voter registration: 46% Democrat, 18% Republican, and 30% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 28% Latino, 53% Asian, and 2% Black. This district is considered to be one of the strong Asian seats in the California Assembly delegation.

Recent election results: AD-49 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 36 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 26 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.


State Assembly, 50th District

Member of the State Assembly

DeJonae Shaw photo
Democrat

DeJonae Shaw

Website Endorsements
Endorsed by Courage California

Courage California endorses DeJonáe Shaw for State Assembly to put AD-50 on the right track for progress. 



DeJonáe Shaw’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will be a progressive voice for the constituents of AD-50 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Shaw has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including Courage California, Equality California, IE United, and California Working Families Party, as well as labor unions SEIU, the National Union of Healthcare Workers, California Faculty Association, California Nurses Association, and AFSCME. She has also been endorsed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, former State Senator Connie Leyva, San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran, and many other local and state elected officials. 

Electoral history: DeJonáe Shaw ran for San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors in 2022, placing third in the primary and missing out on the general election. 

Top issues: Public safety, housing, employment, clean air, solutions for homelessness, and a stronger economy for workers.

Governance and community leadership experience: DeJonáe Shaw is a licensed vocational nurse, and worked in health care throughout the pandemic. She is a longtime supporter of youth advocacy and education. Shaw founded the Greater Empire Pageants for young people in the area, and has worked with local organizations like the Young Women’s Empowerment Summit and Just Us 4 Youth. She serves as a leader in her union as the vice chair of Legislation and Education and worked with unions across the country to pass the National Workplace Violence Prevention Health Care and Social Service Workers Act. Shaw is also a board member for the Optimist Youth and Family Home Services and an active member of the Democratic Party Central Committee, the Democratic Club of the Inland Valley, the San Bernardino County Young Democrats, and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Next Gen Committee, aimed at increasing community solutions to policing. She volunteered to serve on the Inland Empire Labor Council’s Civil Rights Committee to conduct outreach to ensure that San Bernardino County immigrant communities participated in the 2020 Census. 

Other background: Shaw is from San Bernardino County.

 

The Race


Primary election: There are 3 candidates running in the March 5 primary, including DeJonae Shaw (D), Robert Garcia (D), and Adam Perez (D). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Shaw’s campaign has raised $299,759 and is not funded by corporate PACs, the fossil fuel industry, or the police. She has accepted donations from the real estate industry.

Opposing candidate: Democrats Robert Garcia and Adam Perez
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Garcia’s campaign has raised $217,125; he has loaned $100,000 of his own money to maintain his campaign. Perez’s campaign has raised $81,400 and is funded by corporate PACs, the fossil fuel industry, the real estate industry, and the police.

 

The District


Counties in district: California’s 50th Assembly District includes parts of San Bernardino County.

Voter registration: 46% Democrat, 24% Republican, and 22% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 53% Latino, 8% Asian, and 10% Black. This district is considered to be one of the strong Latino seats in the California Assembly delegation.

Recent election results: AD-50 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 25 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 10 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.


 

Courage California endorses DeJonáe Shaw for State Assembly to put AD-50 on the right track for progress. 



DeJonáe Shaw’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will be a progressive voice for the constituents of AD-50 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Shaw has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including Courage California, Equality California, IE United, and California Working Families Party, as well as labor unions SEIU, the National Union of Healthcare Workers, California Faculty Association, California Nurses Association, and AFSCME. She has also been endorsed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, former State Senator Connie Leyva, San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran, and many other local and state elected officials. 

Electoral history: DeJonáe Shaw ran for San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors in 2022, placing third in the primary and missing out on the general election. 

Top issues: Public safety, housing, employment, clean air, solutions for homelessness, and a stronger economy for workers.

Governance and community leadership experience: DeJonáe Shaw is a licensed vocational nurse, and worked in health care throughout the pandemic. She is a longtime supporter of youth advocacy and education. Shaw founded the Greater Empire Pageants for young people in the area, and has worked with local organizations like the Young Women’s Empowerment Summit and Just Us 4 Youth. She serves as a leader in her union as the vice chair of Legislation and Education and worked with unions across the country to pass the National Workplace Violence Prevention Health Care and Social Service Workers Act. Shaw is also a board member for the Optimist Youth and Family Home Services and an active member of the Democratic Party Central Committee, the Democratic Club of the Inland Valley, the San Bernardino County Young Democrats, and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Next Gen Committee, aimed at increasing community solutions to policing. She volunteered to serve on the Inland Empire Labor Council’s Civil Rights Committee to conduct outreach to ensure that San Bernardino County immigrant communities participated in the 2020 Census. 

Other background: Shaw is from San Bernardino County.

 

The Race


Primary election: There are 3 candidates running in the March 5 primary, including DeJonae Shaw (D), Robert Garcia (D), and Adam Perez (D). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Shaw’s campaign has raised $299,759 and is not funded by corporate PACs, the fossil fuel industry, or the police. She has accepted donations from the real estate industry.

Opposing candidate: Democrats Robert Garcia and Adam Perez
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Garcia’s campaign has raised $217,125; he has loaned $100,000 of his own money to maintain his campaign. Perez’s campaign has raised $81,400 and is funded by corporate PACs, the fossil fuel industry, the real estate industry, and the police.

 

The District


Counties in district: California’s 50th Assembly District includes parts of San Bernardino County.

Voter registration: 46% Democrat, 24% Republican, and 22% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 53% Latino, 8% Asian, and 10% Black. This district is considered to be one of the strong Latino seats in the California Assembly delegation.

Recent election results: AD-50 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 25 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 10 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.


 

Endorsed By: Courage California

State Assembly, 52nd District

Member of the State Assembly

Jessica Caloza photo
Democrat

Jessica Caloza

Website Endorsements

Elect Jessica Caloza for State Assembly to put AD-52 on the right track for progress. 



Caloza’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will be a progressive voice for the constituents of AD-52 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Caloza has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including Planned Parenthood, California Environmental Voters, Reproductive Freedom for All CA, Equality California, Abundant Housing LA, Housing Action Coalition, YIMBY Action, as well as labor unions like SEIU, California Federation of Teachers, AFSCME, and United Healthcare Workers West. She has also been endorsed by elected officials like Attorney General Rob Bonta, State Controller Malia Cohen, and Assemblymembers Mia Bonta and Reggie Jones-Sawyer.  

Electoral history: Caloza has not run for office previously.

Top issues: Reproductive rights, clean air and water, public education, and affordable housing and housing protections.

Governance and community leadership experience: Caloza is a longtime political staffer, which she does to expand economic opportunity, gender equity, and public safety. She currently serves as deputy chief of staff to California Attorney General Rob Bonta. She has previously served as Los Angeles Public Works Commissioner, supporting the delivery of city services, like infrastructure improvement and housing development to LA residents, and as a policy analyst in President Obama’s Department of Education. She has been a longtime supporter of efforts to increase representation for the Filipino-American and Asian-American communities. She was a delegate in the Filipino Youth Leadership Program, and served on the board of organizations like KAYA: Filipino Americans for Progress and the Leadership Council of the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment.

Other background: Caloza is from the Philippines. She earned a bachelor’s degree from UC San Diego. She is a first-generation immigrant, and the first Filipina-American to serve on the Los Angeles Board of Public Works.

The Race


Primary election: There are 10 candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Jessica Caloza (D), Ari Ruiz (D), David Giron (D), Carlos Leon (D), and Franky Carrillo. The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Caloza’s campaign has raised $324,600 and is not funded by the police. She has accepted donations from the fossil fuel industry, the real estate industry, and corporate PACs.

Opposing candidate: Democrats Ari Ruiz, David Giron, Carlos Leon, and Franky Carillo
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Ruiz’s campaign has raised $118,062 and is funded by the fossil fuel industry and the real estate industry. Giron’s campaign has raised $127,484. Leon’s campaign has raised $55,989 and is funded by the police. Carrillo’s campaign has raised $266,00, but he has donated $250,000 of those funds himself.

The District


Counties in district: California’s 52nd Assembly District includes parts of Los Angeles County.

Voter registration: 62% Democrat, 10% Republican, and 22% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 50% Latino, 15% Asian, and 3% Black. This district is considered to be one of the strong Latino seats in the California Assembly delegation.

Recent election results: AD-52 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 63 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 67 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.


Elect Jessica Caloza for State Assembly to put AD-52 on the right track for progress. 



Caloza’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will be a progressive voice for the constituents of AD-52 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Caloza has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including Planned Parenthood, California Environmental Voters, Reproductive Freedom for All CA, Equality California, Abundant Housing LA, Housing Action Coalition, YIMBY Action, as well as labor unions like SEIU, California Federation of Teachers, AFSCME, and United Healthcare Workers West. She has also been endorsed by elected officials like Attorney General Rob Bonta, State Controller Malia Cohen, and Assemblymembers Mia Bonta and Reggie Jones-Sawyer.  

Electoral history: Caloza has not run for office previously.

Top issues: Reproductive rights, clean air and water, public education, and affordable housing and housing protections.

Governance and community leadership experience: Caloza is a longtime political staffer, which she does to expand economic opportunity, gender equity, and public safety. She currently serves as deputy chief of staff to California Attorney General Rob Bonta. She has previously served as Los Angeles Public Works Commissioner, supporting the delivery of city services, like infrastructure improvement and housing development to LA residents, and as a policy analyst in President Obama’s Department of Education. She has been a longtime supporter of efforts to increase representation for the Filipino-American and Asian-American communities. She was a delegate in the Filipino Youth Leadership Program, and served on the board of organizations like KAYA: Filipino Americans for Progress and the Leadership Council of the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment.

Other background: Caloza is from the Philippines. She earned a bachelor’s degree from UC San Diego. She is a first-generation immigrant, and the first Filipina-American to serve on the Los Angeles Board of Public Works.

The Race


Primary election: There are 10 candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Jessica Caloza (D), Ari Ruiz (D), David Giron (D), Carlos Leon (D), and Franky Carrillo. The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Caloza’s campaign has raised $324,600 and is not funded by the police. She has accepted donations from the fossil fuel industry, the real estate industry, and corporate PACs.

Opposing candidate: Democrats Ari Ruiz, David Giron, Carlos Leon, and Franky Carillo
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Ruiz’s campaign has raised $118,062 and is funded by the fossil fuel industry and the real estate industry. Giron’s campaign has raised $127,484. Leon’s campaign has raised $55,989 and is funded by the police. Carrillo’s campaign has raised $266,00, but he has donated $250,000 of those funds himself.

The District


Counties in district: California’s 52nd Assembly District includes parts of Los Angeles County.

Voter registration: 62% Democrat, 10% Republican, and 22% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 50% Latino, 15% Asian, and 3% Black. This district is considered to be one of the strong Latino seats in the California Assembly delegation.

Recent election results: AD-52 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 63 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 67 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.


State Senator, 25th District

Member of the State Senate

Sasha Renée Pérez photo
Democrat

Sasha Renée Pérez

Website Endorsements
Endorsed by Courage California

Courage California endorses Sasha Renée Pérez for state Senate to put SD-25 on the right track for progress. 



Sasha Renée Pérez’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will be a progressive voice for the constituents of SD-25 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Pérez has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including Courage California, California Environmental Voters, California LGBTQ Legislative Caucus, and many local labor unions. She has also received the endorsement of many elected officials, including Rep. Robert Garcia, State Sen. Lola Smallwood Cuevas, Assm. Tina McKinnor, and a majority of members from the California Legislative Progressive Caucus.

Electoral history: Pérez won her 2020 race for Alhambra City Council with over 58% of the vote. She served a term as mayor early in her time on the City Council. 

Top issues: Homelessness and housing, small-business pandemic recovery, immigration protections, mental health care, supporting organized labor, CalGrant expansion, gun reform, and youth empowerment.

Priority bills: As a member of the Alhambra City Council, she has been a strong supporter of local efforts to improve public safety, labor empowerment, and sustainability through focused collaborative leadership. Pérez led successful organizing efforts to pass the HERO Pay Ordinance to temporarily increase wages for essential grocery and pharmacy workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has also supported an initiative that brings mental health care and social workers to work as part of the public-safety response team, and to solidify government funding for the development of a $25 million community center. Pérez has deep personal and professional ties to organized labor, and was instrumental in establishing the city’s Project Labor Agreement. She has also worked to help develop the communities first sustainability plan, which earned her the Congressional Woman of the Year award from Rep. Judy Chu in 2022. Pérez is an outspoken progressive, and has consistently used her platform to advocate for working people when she encounters systems that are designed to create inequity.

Governance and community leadership experience: Pérez is an educator and a public servant, which she does to create diverse coalitions that work to improve policy outcomes across communities. As a student, Pérez was a member of student government, and worked to support an initiative that was ultimately awarded $97 million to support college access and affordability for students across the state. Building on that work, she spent her early career as an educator who taught civic engagement to high school students. She built on those efforts when she joined Campaign for College Opportunity. She collaborated with Sen. Leyva and Assm. Medina to expand Cal Grant access to more California students, and would continue to advocate for the passage of that policy as a member of the state Senate. More recently, she was political director for California’s 2022 Prop 1 campaign, which successfully protected the right to abortion and contraception in the state’s constitution.

Other background: Pérez is from the San Gabriel Valley. Her family has a long history of labor organizing, which was instrumental in her pursuit of advocacy and public service. She is the youngest Latina mayor to serve in the state of California.

 

The Race


Primary election: There are five candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Sasha Renée Pérez (D), Sandra Armenta (D), Teddy Choi (D), Yvonne Yiu (D), and Elizabeth Ahlers (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Pérez’s campaign has raised $325,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, or corporate PAC interests.

Opposing candidate: Democrat Yvonne Yiu
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Yiu’s campaign has raised $524,000 as of October 2023, and is funded by real estate interests.

Opposing candidate: Republican Elizabeth Ahlers
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Ahlers’s campaign has raised $95,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, real estate, or corporate PAC interests.

Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: The campaigns of Armenta and Choi have not submitted any fundraising receipts to the California Secretary of State’s office as of October 2023.

 

The District


Counties in district: California’s 25th State Senate District includes parts of Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties.

Voter registration: 46% Democrat, 22% Republican, and 26% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 23% Latino, 30% Asian, and 5% Black. 

Recent election results: SD-25 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 31 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 26 points.

 

The Position


State senators 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 Senate has 40 districts. Each represents a population of about 930,000 Californians. Representatives are elected to the Senate for a four-year term. Every two years, half of the Senate's 40 seats are subject to election. Members elected before 2012 are restricted to two four-year terms (eight years) in the Senate. 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 two-thirds supermajority of 31 seats in the California State Senate, while Republicans hold 9 seats.


 

Courage California endorses Sasha Renée Pérez for state Senate to put SD-25 on the right track for progress. 



Sasha Renée Pérez’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will be a progressive voice for the constituents of SD-25 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Pérez has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including Courage California, California Environmental Voters, California LGBTQ Legislative Caucus, and many local labor unions. She has also received the endorsement of many elected officials, including Rep. Robert Garcia, State Sen. Lola Smallwood Cuevas, Assm. Tina McKinnor, and a majority of members from the California Legislative Progressive Caucus.

Electoral history: Pérez won her 2020 race for Alhambra City Council with over 58% of the vote. She served a term as mayor early in her time on the City Council. 

Top issues: Homelessness and housing, small-business pandemic recovery, immigration protections, mental health care, supporting organized labor, CalGrant expansion, gun reform, and youth empowerment.

Priority bills: As a member of the Alhambra City Council, she has been a strong supporter of local efforts to improve public safety, labor empowerment, and sustainability through focused collaborative leadership. Pérez led successful organizing efforts to pass the HERO Pay Ordinance to temporarily increase wages for essential grocery and pharmacy workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has also supported an initiative that brings mental health care and social workers to work as part of the public-safety response team, and to solidify government funding for the development of a $25 million community center. Pérez has deep personal and professional ties to organized labor, and was instrumental in establishing the city’s Project Labor Agreement. She has also worked to help develop the communities first sustainability plan, which earned her the Congressional Woman of the Year award from Rep. Judy Chu in 2022. Pérez is an outspoken progressive, and has consistently used her platform to advocate for working people when she encounters systems that are designed to create inequity.

Governance and community leadership experience: Pérez is an educator and a public servant, which she does to create diverse coalitions that work to improve policy outcomes across communities. As a student, Pérez was a member of student government, and worked to support an initiative that was ultimately awarded $97 million to support college access and affordability for students across the state. Building on that work, she spent her early career as an educator who taught civic engagement to high school students. She built on those efforts when she joined Campaign for College Opportunity. She collaborated with Sen. Leyva and Assm. Medina to expand Cal Grant access to more California students, and would continue to advocate for the passage of that policy as a member of the state Senate. More recently, she was political director for California’s 2022 Prop 1 campaign, which successfully protected the right to abortion and contraception in the state’s constitution.

Other background: Pérez is from the San Gabriel Valley. Her family has a long history of labor organizing, which was instrumental in her pursuit of advocacy and public service. She is the youngest Latina mayor to serve in the state of California.

 

The Race


Primary election: There are five candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Sasha Renée Pérez (D), Sandra Armenta (D), Teddy Choi (D), Yvonne Yiu (D), and Elizabeth Ahlers (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Pérez’s campaign has raised $325,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, or corporate PAC interests.

Opposing candidate: Democrat Yvonne Yiu
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Yiu’s campaign has raised $524,000 as of October 2023, and is funded by real estate interests.

Opposing candidate: Republican Elizabeth Ahlers
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Ahlers’s campaign has raised $95,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, real estate, or corporate PAC interests.

Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: The campaigns of Armenta and Choi have not submitted any fundraising receipts to the California Secretary of State’s office as of October 2023.

 

The District


Counties in district: California’s 25th State Senate District includes parts of Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties.

Voter registration: 46% Democrat, 22% Republican, and 26% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.

District demographics: 23% Latino, 30% Asian, and 5% Black. 

Recent election results: SD-25 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 31 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 26 points.

 

The Position


State senators 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 Senate has 40 districts. Each represents a population of about 930,000 Californians. Representatives are elected to the Senate for a four-year term. Every two years, half of the Senate's 40 seats are subject to election. Members elected before 2012 are restricted to two four-year terms (eight years) in the Senate. 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 two-thirds supermajority of 31 seats in the California State Senate, while Republicans hold 9 seats.


 

Endorsed By: Courage California

Los Angeles County Superior Court

Depending on where you live, you may have one of the below judicial races on your ballot.

Los Angeles County, Judge of the Superior Court, Seat #39

George Turner Jr. photo

George Turner Jr.

Website

Elect George Turner Jr. to put Los Angeles County on the right track for progress. 



George Turner Jr.’s track record and legal background demonstrate that he will use his judicial prudence effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Turner has the endorsement of some local groups, including LA County Public Defenders Union Local 148 and Culver City Democratic Club. He has also received endorsements from some local leaders, including LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia, LA City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, and LA Superior Court Judge Holly Hancock. Turner is part of the three-candidate Defenders of Justice slate developed by La Defensa, Ground Game LA, and Working Families Party. 

Electoral history: Turner has not run for public office before.

Top issues: According to campaign materials, Turner is running for election to bring a democratized approach to the bench. He is interested in fairness, rehabilitation, and repairing a system that often does not support the rights and dignity of all. 

Governance and community leadership experience: Turner has been a public defender in Los Angeles County for over 15 years, including working with defendants in juvenile and criminal trials. He has a strong interest in providing legal representation to vulnerable and marginalized communities, and currently works in a unit focused on individuals experiencing homelessness. Turner’s legal approach centers the equitable protection of human rights, especially for individuals who have been disadvantaged by broken social systems. 

Other background: Turner is a lifelong resident of Inglewood.

 

The Race


Primary election: There are four candidates running in the nonpartisan March 5 primary, including George Turner Jr., Ronda Dixon, Jacob Lee, and Steve Napolitano. The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5, unless one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote and wins outright in the primary.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: None of the candidates in this race have filed any campaign fundraising receipts with Los Angeles County as of December 2023.

 

The District


County: The Superior Court of Los Angeles County operates as the trial court for criminal, civil, and other cases filed in the county. 

 

The Position


Judges of the California Superior Courts are elected in nonpartisan, county-wide elections to six-year terms. Once voted in, a judge can run for retention at the expiration of their term. A retention election is a process by which voters decide whether an incumbent judge should remain for another term. If the judge, when not facing an opponent, does not obtain a certain percentage of voters (often 50%), they are removed from the position. Many judges join the court through a gubernatorial appointment. If a judge is appointed, they compete in the next general election following the appointment.

California has 58 trial, or superior courts, one in each county. In the more than 450 courthouses of the superior courts, a judge and sometimes a jury hears witness testimony and other evidence. These courts hear civil, criminal, family, probate, and juvenile cases. The judge decides cases through the application of relevant law to the relevant facts. 


 

Elect George Turner Jr. to put Los Angeles County on the right track for progress. 



George Turner Jr.’s track record and legal background demonstrate that he will use his judicial prudence effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Turner has the endorsement of some local groups, including LA County Public Defenders Union Local 148 and Culver City Democratic Club. He has also received endorsements from some local leaders, including LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia, LA City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, and LA Superior Court Judge Holly Hancock. Turner is part of the three-candidate Defenders of Justice slate developed by La Defensa, Ground Game LA, and Working Families Party. 

Electoral history: Turner has not run for public office before.

Top issues: According to campaign materials, Turner is running for election to bring a democratized approach to the bench. He is interested in fairness, rehabilitation, and repairing a system that often does not support the rights and dignity of all. 

Governance and community leadership experience: Turner has been a public defender in Los Angeles County for over 15 years, including working with defendants in juvenile and criminal trials. He has a strong interest in providing legal representation to vulnerable and marginalized communities, and currently works in a unit focused on individuals experiencing homelessness. Turner’s legal approach centers the equitable protection of human rights, especially for individuals who have been disadvantaged by broken social systems. 

Other background: Turner is a lifelong resident of Inglewood.

 

The Race


Primary election: There are four candidates running in the nonpartisan March 5 primary, including George Turner Jr., Ronda Dixon, Jacob Lee, and Steve Napolitano. The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5, unless one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote and wins outright in the primary.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: None of the candidates in this race have filed any campaign fundraising receipts with Los Angeles County as of December 2023.

 

The District


County: The Superior Court of Los Angeles County operates as the trial court for criminal, civil, and other cases filed in the county. 

 

The Position


Judges of the California Superior Courts are elected in nonpartisan, county-wide elections to six-year terms. Once voted in, a judge can run for retention at the expiration of their term. A retention election is a process by which voters decide whether an incumbent judge should remain for another term. If the judge, when not facing an opponent, does not obtain a certain percentage of voters (often 50%), they are removed from the position. Many judges join the court through a gubernatorial appointment. If a judge is appointed, they compete in the next general election following the appointment.

California has 58 trial, or superior courts, one in each county. In the more than 450 courthouses of the superior courts, a judge and sometimes a jury hears witness testimony and other evidence. These courts hear civil, criminal, family, probate, and juvenile cases. The judge decides cases through the application of relevant law to the relevant facts. 


 

Los Angeles County, Judge of the Superior Court, Seat #48

Ericka Wiley photo

Ericka Wiley

Website Endorsements

Elect Ericka Wiley for Superior Court to put Los Angeles County on the right track for progress. 



Ericka Wiley’s track record and legal background demonstrate that she will use her judicial prudence effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Wiley has the endorsement of some local groups, including SEIU Local 721, LA County Public Defenders Union Local 148, The National Women’s Political Caucus, and LA County Federation of Labor. She has also received the endorsement of some elected leaders, including nine current judges of the Los Angeles Superior Court, LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia, and LA City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez. Wiley is part of the three-candidate Defenders of Justice slate developed by La Defensa, Ground Game LA, and Working Families Party. 

Electoral history: Wiley has not run for public office before.

Top issues: According to campaign materials, Wiley is running for election to bring fairness, patience, integrity, compassion, and a community approach to the bench. She will work to promote just sentencing, criminal justice reform, and breaking the cycle of recidivism through her judicial work.

Governance and community leadership experience: Wiley has been a public defender in Los Angeles County for over 20 years, which she does to bring advocacy and a restorative approach to the individuals she works with. With a strong understanding of the dysfunctions within the criminal justice system, she has worked to create resources and pathways to recovery for her clients. Wiley has worked within her community to educate young people about the legal system and the rights they hold as citizens, and has been a supervising and training attorney for new lawyers joining the Los Angeles County legal community. 

Other background: Wiley is from Los Angeles, and returned to the city after attending college in Nashville and completing her law degree at the University of Cincinnati. 

 

The Race


Primary election: There are three candidates running in the nonpartisan March 5 primary, including Ericka Wiley, Malik Burroughs, and Renee Rose. The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5, unless one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote and wins outright in the primary.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: None of the candidates in this race have filed any campaign fundraising receipts with Los Angeles County as of December 2023.

 

The District


County: The Superior Court of Los Angeles County operates as the trial court for criminal, civil, and other cases filed in the county. 

 

The Position


Judges of the California Superior Courts are elected in nonpartisan, county-wide elections to six-year terms. Once voted in, a judge can run for retention at the expiration of their term. A retention election is a process by which voters decide whether an incumbent judge should remain for another term. If the judge, when not facing an opponent, does not obtain a certain percentage of voters (often 50%), they are removed from the position. Many judges join the court through a gubernatorial appointment. If a judge is appointed, they compete in the next general election following the appointment.

California has 58 trial, or superior courts, one in each county. In the more than 450 courthouses of the superior courts, a judge and sometimes a jury hears witness testimony and other evidence. These courts hear civil, criminal, family, probate, and juvenile cases. The judge decides cases through the application of relevant law to the relevant facts. 


 

Elect Ericka Wiley for Superior Court to put Los Angeles County on the right track for progress. 



Ericka Wiley’s track record and legal background demonstrate that she will use her judicial prudence effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Wiley has the endorsement of some local groups, including SEIU Local 721, LA County Public Defenders Union Local 148, The National Women’s Political Caucus, and LA County Federation of Labor. She has also received the endorsement of some elected leaders, including nine current judges of the Los Angeles Superior Court, LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia, and LA City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez. Wiley is part of the three-candidate Defenders of Justice slate developed by La Defensa, Ground Game LA, and Working Families Party. 

Electoral history: Wiley has not run for public office before.

Top issues: According to campaign materials, Wiley is running for election to bring fairness, patience, integrity, compassion, and a community approach to the bench. She will work to promote just sentencing, criminal justice reform, and breaking the cycle of recidivism through her judicial work.

Governance and community leadership experience: Wiley has been a public defender in Los Angeles County for over 20 years, which she does to bring advocacy and a restorative approach to the individuals she works with. With a strong understanding of the dysfunctions within the criminal justice system, she has worked to create resources and pathways to recovery for her clients. Wiley has worked within her community to educate young people about the legal system and the rights they hold as citizens, and has been a supervising and training attorney for new lawyers joining the Los Angeles County legal community. 

Other background: Wiley is from Los Angeles, and returned to the city after attending college in Nashville and completing her law degree at the University of Cincinnati. 

 

The Race


Primary election: There are three candidates running in the nonpartisan March 5 primary, including Ericka Wiley, Malik Burroughs, and Renee Rose. The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5, unless one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote and wins outright in the primary.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: None of the candidates in this race have filed any campaign fundraising receipts with Los Angeles County as of December 2023.

 

The District


County: The Superior Court of Los Angeles County operates as the trial court for criminal, civil, and other cases filed in the county. 

 

The Position


Judges of the California Superior Courts are elected in nonpartisan, county-wide elections to six-year terms. Once voted in, a judge can run for retention at the expiration of their term. A retention election is a process by which voters decide whether an incumbent judge should remain for another term. If the judge, when not facing an opponent, does not obtain a certain percentage of voters (often 50%), they are removed from the position. Many judges join the court through a gubernatorial appointment. If a judge is appointed, they compete in the next general election following the appointment.

California has 58 trial, or superior courts, one in each county. In the more than 450 courthouses of the superior courts, a judge and sometimes a jury hears witness testimony and other evidence. These courts hear civil, criminal, family, probate, and juvenile cases. The judge decides cases through the application of relevant law to the relevant facts. 


 

Los Angeles County, Judge of the Superior Court, Seat #97

La Shae Henderson photo

La Shae Henderson

Website

Elect La Shae Henderson to put Los Angeles County on the right track for progress. 



La Shae Henderson’s track record and legal background demonstrate that she will use her judicial prudence effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Henderson has the endorsement of some local groups, including LA County Public Defenders Union Local 148 and Culver City Democratic Club. She has also received endorsements from some local leaders, including LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia, LA City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, and LA Superior Court Judge Holly Hancock. Henderson is part of the three-candidate Defenders of Justice slate developed by La Defensa, Ground Game LA, and Working Families Party. 

Electoral history: Henderson has not run for public office before.

Top issues: According to campaign materials, Henderson is running for election to bring impartiality, fairness, equity, and accountability to the bench. She is committed to rendering verdicts based on the facts presented in the courtroom, and taking an unbiased approach to each case. 

Governance and community leadership experience: Henderson was a public defender in Los Angeles County for 18 years, and now works in private practice. During her time as a public defender, she worked on cases in the civil contempt and racial justice unit, family law, and juvenile justice division. She is bilingual, and served as a training attorney for fellow lawyers interested in more legal strategies for working inside of the Racial Justice Act. She is experienced in case review and legal analysis, and is dedicated to ensuring that her analysis of the case before her is never predetermined or rooted in bias. Henderson has also long been involved in her community, including as a youth pastor at a local church, and as a professor at her alma mater, Pepperdine Caruso School of Law.

Other background: Henderson has lived in Los Angeles for 20 years. 

 

The Race


Primary election: There are three candidates running in the nonpartisan March 5 primary, including La Shae Henderson, Sam Abourched, and Sharon Ransom. The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: None of the candidates in this race have filed any campaign fundraising receipts with Los Angeles County as of December 2023.

 

The District


County: The Superior Court of Los Angeles County operates as the trial court for criminal, civil, and other cases filed in the county. 

 

The Position


Judges of the California Superior Courts are elected in nonpartisan, county-wide elections to six-year terms. Once voted in, a judge can run for retention at the expiration of their term. A retention election is a process by which voters decide whether an incumbent judge should remain for another term. If the judge, when not facing an opponent, does not obtain a certain percentage of voters (often 50%), they are removed from the position. Many judges join the court through a gubernatorial appointment. If a judge is appointed, they compete in the next general election following the appointment.

California has 58 trial, or superior courts, one in each county. In the more than 450 courthouses of the superior courts, a judge and sometimes a jury hears witness testimony and other evidence. These courts hear civil, criminal, family, probate, and juvenile cases. The judge decides cases through the application of relevant law to the relevant facts. 


 

Elect La Shae Henderson to put Los Angeles County on the right track for progress. 



La Shae Henderson’s track record and legal background demonstrate that she will use her judicial prudence effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Henderson has the endorsement of some local groups, including LA County Public Defenders Union Local 148 and Culver City Democratic Club. She has also received endorsements from some local leaders, including LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia, LA City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, and LA Superior Court Judge Holly Hancock. Henderson is part of the three-candidate Defenders of Justice slate developed by La Defensa, Ground Game LA, and Working Families Party. 

Electoral history: Henderson has not run for public office before.

Top issues: According to campaign materials, Henderson is running for election to bring impartiality, fairness, equity, and accountability to the bench. She is committed to rendering verdicts based on the facts presented in the courtroom, and taking an unbiased approach to each case. 

Governance and community leadership experience: Henderson was a public defender in Los Angeles County for 18 years, and now works in private practice. During her time as a public defender, she worked on cases in the civil contempt and racial justice unit, family law, and juvenile justice division. She is bilingual, and served as a training attorney for fellow lawyers interested in more legal strategies for working inside of the Racial Justice Act. She is experienced in case review and legal analysis, and is dedicated to ensuring that her analysis of the case before her is never predetermined or rooted in bias. Henderson has also long been involved in her community, including as a youth pastor at a local church, and as a professor at her alma mater, Pepperdine Caruso School of Law.

Other background: Henderson has lived in Los Angeles for 20 years. 

 

The Race


Primary election: There are three candidates running in the nonpartisan March 5 primary, including La Shae Henderson, Sam Abourched, and Sharon Ransom. The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: None of the candidates in this race have filed any campaign fundraising receipts with Los Angeles County as of December 2023.

 

The District


County: The Superior Court of Los Angeles County operates as the trial court for criminal, civil, and other cases filed in the county. 

 

The Position


Judges of the California Superior Courts are elected in nonpartisan, county-wide elections to six-year terms. Once voted in, a judge can run for retention at the expiration of their term. A retention election is a process by which voters decide whether an incumbent judge should remain for another term. If the judge, when not facing an opponent, does not obtain a certain percentage of voters (often 50%), they are removed from the position. Many judges join the court through a gubernatorial appointment. If a judge is appointed, they compete in the next general election following the appointment.

California has 58 trial, or superior courts, one in each county. In the more than 450 courthouses of the superior courts, a judge and sometimes a jury hears witness testimony and other evidence. These courts hear civil, criminal, family, probate, and juvenile cases. The judge decides cases through the application of relevant law to the relevant facts. 


 

Los Angeles County

Depending on where you live, you may have the below county races on your ballot.

Voting has changed in Los Angeles County this year. The Voter’s Choice Act was enacted in the county to make voting more convenient. Changes include an expanded period of in-person early voting, every registered voter in the county will receive a vote-by-mail ballot, and every registered voter in the county is able to vote in-person at any Vote Center in their county. Also, in-person voters in Los Angeles County will have the opportunity to use the new Ballot Marking Device, a touchscreen with audio features, to mark their ballots. Have questions about the changes to voting in Los Angeles County? Find out how to vote in Los Angeles County.

Los Angeles District Attorney

George Gascón photo
Non-Partisan

George Gascón

Website Endorsements

Re-elect District Attorney George Gascón to keep Los Angeles County on the right track for progress. 



District Attorney George Gascón’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will continue to be a progressive voice for the constituents of Los Angeles County and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: District Attorney Gascón has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including California Working Families Party, Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project, and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. 

Top issues: Public safety, police accountability, criminal justice reform, reducing violent crime, immigration, climate justice, and ending mass incarceration.

Key initiatives: District Attorney Gascón has successfully returned the DA’s office to its pre-pandemic felony case filing rate, eliminated the death penalty from sentencing, and stopped the scheduling of executions for individuals previously sentenced to death. He has also reduced the frequency of transferring minors to adult court, and has recalled cases in which minors were sentenced. District Attorney Gascón has also reduced the frequency of sentence enhancements, a policy that saves California taxpayers millions of dollars in prison costs. After a March 2021 State Supreme Court decision that eliminated cash bail in the state for individuals who can’t afford it, District Attorney Gascón’s office stopped seeking bail for misdemeanor and nonviolent felonies, which has increased the equity of the criminal justice system. 

District Attorney Gascón faced two recall efforts in 2021 and 2022, although neither gathered enough valid petition signatures to qualify for the ballot. A recall was supported by controversial former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, and District Attorney Gascón’s efforts to reform the dysfunctional and inequitable criminal justice system have been unpopular with rank-and-file law enforcement.

Governance and community leadership experience: District Attorney Gascón has served in this seat since 2020, when he was elected with over 53% of the vote. 

Prior to his election in Los Angeles, District Attorney Gascón served two terms as San Francisco DA, where he increased the prosecution of sexual assault cases, and created a new law-enforcement unit focused on addressing child abuse and sexual assault. He implemented practices and resources that centered on survivors, and has proposed policies that protect undocumented, LGBTQIA+, and student survivors while prioritizing cultural and linguistic competency. He is a staunch opponent of the death penalty, often citing its disproportionate impact on Black and brown communities, and has implemented reformist sentencing policies since his election as Los Angeles DA. District Attorney Gascón’s track record and position on law-enforcement accountability is rare, particularly for someone with a law enforcement background. During his term as San Francisco DA, Gascón prosecuted more than 30 police officers for criminal conduct. In 2019, while many police, law-enforcement officials, and prosecutors fought against its passage, he advocated for Assembly Bill 392, also known as the Stephon Clark Bill, which created a stricter standard for police use of force. He remains the only law-enforcement official in California to advocate for this legislation and his willingness to pursue police brutality cases has been a highlight of his prosecutorial leadership. 

Other background: District Attorney Gascón is from Cuba and immigrated to Los Angeles when he was 13. He has had a 40-year career in law enforcement, in which he started as a beat cop and rose through the ranks to serve as chief of police in San Francisco before pursuing elected office. 

The Race


Primary election: There are 12 candidates running in the nonpartisan March 5 primary, including District Attorney George Gascón, John McKinney, Maria Ramirez, Jonathan Hatami, and Nathan Hochman. The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5 unless one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote and wins outright in the primary.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: District Attorney Gascón’s campaign has raised $100,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, real estate, corporate PAC, or fossil fuel interests.

Opposing candidate: John McKinney
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: McKinney’s campaign has raised $165,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, real estate, corporate PAC, or fossil fuel interests.

Opposing candidate: Maria Ramirez
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Ramirez’s campaign has raised $166,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, real estate, corporate PAC, or fossil fuel interests.

Opposing candidate: Jonathan Hatami
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Hatami’s campaign has raised $240,000 as of December 2023, and is funded by real estate, police, and fossil fuel interests.

Opposing candidate: Nathan Hochman
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Hochman’s campaign has raised $645,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, real estate, corporate PAC, or fossil fuel interests.

The District


County: Los Angeles County is California's most populous county. Los Angeles County has a population of 9.7 million and a demographic breakdown of 49% Latino, 16% Asian, 9% Black.

Governance structure: Los Angeles County’s District Attorney oversees an office of nearly 1,000 deputy district attorneys, and the prosecution of criminal offenses across the county and unincorporated areas. It is the largest local district attorney office in the nation.

The Position


Each of the 58 counties in California elects a district Attorney to manage prosecution of criminal offenses related to the violation of state and county law. The district attorney has investigative authority, manages the apprehension of individuals identified through the investigative process, and holds charging and prosecutorial power. The work of the district attorney includes Municipal and Superior court operations, and serving as a legal liaison to the grand jury. The county Board of Supervisors provides financial oversight to the district attorney’s office, but holds no operational power over their work. District attorneys are elected to four-year terms in office. 

Re-elect District Attorney George Gascón to keep Los Angeles County on the right track for progress. 



District Attorney George Gascón’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will continue to be a progressive voice for the constituents of Los Angeles County and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: District Attorney Gascón has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including California Working Families Party, Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project, and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. 

Top issues: Public safety, police accountability, criminal justice reform, reducing violent crime, immigration, climate justice, and ending mass incarceration.

Key initiatives: District Attorney Gascón has successfully returned the DA’s office to its pre-pandemic felony case filing rate, eliminated the death penalty from sentencing, and stopped the scheduling of executions for individuals previously sentenced to death. He has also reduced the frequency of transferring minors to adult court, and has recalled cases in which minors were sentenced. District Attorney Gascón has also reduced the frequency of sentence enhancements, a policy that saves California taxpayers millions of dollars in prison costs. After a March 2021 State Supreme Court decision that eliminated cash bail in the state for individuals who can’t afford it, District Attorney Gascón’s office stopped seeking bail for misdemeanor and nonviolent felonies, which has increased the equity of the criminal justice system. 

District Attorney Gascón faced two recall efforts in 2021 and 2022, although neither gathered enough valid petition signatures to qualify for the ballot. A recall was supported by controversial former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, and District Attorney Gascón’s efforts to reform the dysfunctional and inequitable criminal justice system have been unpopular with rank-and-file law enforcement.

Governance and community leadership experience: District Attorney Gascón has served in this seat since 2020, when he was elected with over 53% of the vote. 

Prior to his election in Los Angeles, District Attorney Gascón served two terms as San Francisco DA, where he increased the prosecution of sexual assault cases, and created a new law-enforcement unit focused on addressing child abuse and sexual assault. He implemented practices and resources that centered on survivors, and has proposed policies that protect undocumented, LGBTQIA+, and student survivors while prioritizing cultural and linguistic competency. He is a staunch opponent of the death penalty, often citing its disproportionate impact on Black and brown communities, and has implemented reformist sentencing policies since his election as Los Angeles DA. District Attorney Gascón’s track record and position on law-enforcement accountability is rare, particularly for someone with a law enforcement background. During his term as San Francisco DA, Gascón prosecuted more than 30 police officers for criminal conduct. In 2019, while many police, law-enforcement officials, and prosecutors fought against its passage, he advocated for Assembly Bill 392, also known as the Stephon Clark Bill, which created a stricter standard for police use of force. He remains the only law-enforcement official in California to advocate for this legislation and his willingness to pursue police brutality cases has been a highlight of his prosecutorial leadership. 

Other background: District Attorney Gascón is from Cuba and immigrated to Los Angeles when he was 13. He has had a 40-year career in law enforcement, in which he started as a beat cop and rose through the ranks to serve as chief of police in San Francisco before pursuing elected office. 

The Race


Primary election: There are 12 candidates running in the nonpartisan March 5 primary, including District Attorney George Gascón, John McKinney, Maria Ramirez, Jonathan Hatami, and Nathan Hochman. The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5 unless one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote and wins outright in the primary.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: District Attorney Gascón’s campaign has raised $100,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, real estate, corporate PAC, or fossil fuel interests.

Opposing candidate: John McKinney
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: McKinney’s campaign has raised $165,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, real estate, corporate PAC, or fossil fuel interests.

Opposing candidate: Maria Ramirez
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Ramirez’s campaign has raised $166,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, real estate, corporate PAC, or fossil fuel interests.

Opposing candidate: Jonathan Hatami
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Hatami’s campaign has raised $240,000 as of December 2023, and is funded by real estate, police, and fossil fuel interests.

Opposing candidate: Nathan Hochman
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Hochman’s campaign has raised $645,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, real estate, corporate PAC, or fossil fuel interests.

The District


County: Los Angeles County is California's most populous county. Los Angeles County has a population of 9.7 million and a demographic breakdown of 49% Latino, 16% Asian, 9% Black.

Governance structure: Los Angeles County’s District Attorney oversees an office of nearly 1,000 deputy district attorneys, and the prosecution of criminal offenses across the county and unincorporated areas. It is the largest local district attorney office in the nation.

The Position


Each of the 58 counties in California elects a district Attorney to manage prosecution of criminal offenses related to the violation of state and county law. The district attorney has investigative authority, manages the apprehension of individuals identified through the investigative process, and holds charging and prosecutorial power. The work of the district attorney includes Municipal and Superior court operations, and serving as a legal liaison to the grand jury. The county Board of Supervisors provides financial oversight to the district attorney’s office, but holds no operational power over their work. District attorneys are elected to four-year terms in office. 

County District Races

Depending on where you live, you may have the below county-districted races on your ballot.

Los Angeles County, District 2

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, District 2

Holly Mitchell photo
Non-Partisan

Holly Mitchell

Website Endorsements
Endorsed by Courage California

Courage California endorses Supervisor Holly Mitchell for re-election to keep Los Angeles County on the right track for progress. 



Supervisor Holly Mitchell’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will continue to be a progressive voice for the constituents of Los Angeles County and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Supervisor Mitchell has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including Courage California, Planned Parenthood Los Angeles County Action Fund, Los Angeles Federation of Labor, Sierra Club, California Working Families Party, and The Black Women’s Democratic Club. She also has the endorsement of many elected leaders, including LA Mayor Karen Bass, Redondo Beach Mayor Bill Brand, Sen. Laphonza Butler, Rep. Sydney Kamlager Dove, State Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, and Assm. Isaac Bryan.

Top issues: Alleviating poverty, universal basic income, climate protections, reducing oil drilling within the county, mental health care response, equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and family and youth development.

Key initiatives: Supervisor Mitchell has used her first term to successfully pass several important motions, including a first in the nation phased ban of oil drilling in Los Angeles County, a plan to transition fossil fuel workers to clean-energy jobs, and a guaranteed basic income pilot program. She also presented and passed a motion to establish behavioral health care teams at the Restorative Care Villages, a housing and health-care collaboration between Los Angeles County and University of Southern California. These mental health response teams provide real-time preventative intervention for residents in crisis. Supervisor Mitchell has been a progressive presence on the Board, combining her knowledge of the legislative process with her interest in building a secure social safety net across the county to give all residents the resources they need to thrive.

Governance and community leadership experience: Supervisor Mitchell has served in this seat since 2020, when she was elected with over 60% of the vote. 

Prior to her election to the Board of Supervisors, Sen. Mitchell was elected to the state Assembly in 2010 and moved to the state Senate in 2013. In the state Senate, she served as the first African American chair of the powerful Budget and Fiscal Review Committee. During her tenure, Sen. Mitchell was a strong proponent of criminal justice reform. She passed a set of criminal justice reforms that consisted of 10 laws to reduce barriers for Californians affected by the criminal justice system by reducing sentence enhancements for low-level drugs, removing court fees for the innocent, sealing arrest records for people not convicted, ending the sentencing of juveniles to life without parole, and other advancements. She was a notable progressive influence in other areas as well, with nearly 90 bills signed into law on issues that included homelessness, mental health, children’s rights, and job protections. Before holding elected office, Supervisor Mitchell was a longtime non-profit executive and ran Crystal Stairs, Inc., a youth and family development agency.

As a legislator, Supervisor Mitchell scored an overall 98 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records, and often earned the All-Star designation.  

Other background: Supervisor Mitchell is a third-generation Angeleno, and continues to reside in Los Angeles.

The Race


Primary election: There are four candidates running in the nonpartisan March 5 primary, including Supervisor Holly Mitchell, Katrina Williams, Clint Carlton, and Daphne Bradford. The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5 unless one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote and wins outright in the primary.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Supervisor Mitchell’s campaign has raised $153,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by fossil fuel or police interests. 

Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: None of the challengers in this race have filed any campaign fundraising receipts with the County Clerk as of December 2023.

The District


County: Los Angeles County is California’s most populous county. District 2 includes 
Leimert Park, Carson, Compton, Culver City, El Segundo, Gardena, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Inglewood, Lawndale, portions of Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, and unincorporated communities. 

Governance structure: Los Angeles County’s Board of Supervisors oversees the needs of 9.7 million people and manages an estimated budget of $39 billion annually. According to the County Charter, Los Angeles County is governed by the Board of Supervisors, which has executive, legislative, and quasi-judicial authority. Voters also elect an assessor, a district attorney, and a sheriff, who work alongside the Board of Supervisors to govern within the county. 

The Position


Each of the 58 counties in California is governed by a five-person Board of Supervisors. A Board of Supervisors has legislative and executive power to manage county services and resources, including courts, jails, public health, and public lands. They also have quasi-judicial powers, which gives them the right to hold hearings, conduct investigations, and make decisions in a manner similar to judicial courts. Laws passed by Boards of Supervisors are generally called ordinances. Because counties include both incorporated cities, which are administered by their own city councils, and unincorporated areas, which are directly administered by the county, ordinances may or may not apply in different areas of the county. Supervisors are typically ‎limited to 3 terms, or 12 years in office total. 

Courage California endorses Supervisor Holly Mitchell for re-election to keep Los Angeles County on the right track for progress. 



Supervisor Holly Mitchell’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will continue to be a progressive voice for the constituents of Los Angeles County and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Supervisor Mitchell has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including Courage California, Planned Parenthood Los Angeles County Action Fund, Los Angeles Federation of Labor, Sierra Club, California Working Families Party, and The Black Women’s Democratic Club. She also has the endorsement of many elected leaders, including LA Mayor Karen Bass, Redondo Beach Mayor Bill Brand, Sen. Laphonza Butler, Rep. Sydney Kamlager Dove, State Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, and Assm. Isaac Bryan.

Top issues: Alleviating poverty, universal basic income, climate protections, reducing oil drilling within the county, mental health care response, equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and family and youth development.

Key initiatives: Supervisor Mitchell has used her first term to successfully pass several important motions, including a first in the nation phased ban of oil drilling in Los Angeles County, a plan to transition fossil fuel workers to clean-energy jobs, and a guaranteed basic income pilot program. She also presented and passed a motion to establish behavioral health care teams at the Restorative Care Villages, a housing and health-care collaboration between Los Angeles County and University of Southern California. These mental health response teams provide real-time preventative intervention for residents in crisis. Supervisor Mitchell has been a progressive presence on the Board, combining her knowledge of the legislative process with her interest in building a secure social safety net across the county to give all residents the resources they need to thrive.

Governance and community leadership experience: Supervisor Mitchell has served in this seat since 2020, when she was elected with over 60% of the vote. 

Prior to her election to the Board of Supervisors, Sen. Mitchell was elected to the state Assembly in 2010 and moved to the state Senate in 2013. In the state Senate, she served as the first African American chair of the powerful Budget and Fiscal Review Committee. During her tenure, Sen. Mitchell was a strong proponent of criminal justice reform. She passed a set of criminal justice reforms that consisted of 10 laws to reduce barriers for Californians affected by the criminal justice system by reducing sentence enhancements for low-level drugs, removing court fees for the innocent, sealing arrest records for people not convicted, ending the sentencing of juveniles to life without parole, and other advancements. She was a notable progressive influence in other areas as well, with nearly 90 bills signed into law on issues that included homelessness, mental health, children’s rights, and job protections. Before holding elected office, Supervisor Mitchell was a longtime non-profit executive and ran Crystal Stairs, Inc., a youth and family development agency.

As a legislator, Supervisor Mitchell scored an overall 98 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records, and often earned the All-Star designation.  

Other background: Supervisor Mitchell is a third-generation Angeleno, and continues to reside in Los Angeles.

The Race


Primary election: There are four candidates running in the nonpartisan March 5 primary, including Supervisor Holly Mitchell, Katrina Williams, Clint Carlton, and Daphne Bradford. The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5 unless one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote and wins outright in the primary.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Supervisor Mitchell’s campaign has raised $153,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by fossil fuel or police interests. 

Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: None of the challengers in this race have filed any campaign fundraising receipts with the County Clerk as of December 2023.

The District


County: Los Angeles County is California’s most populous county. District 2 includes 
Leimert Park, Carson, Compton, Culver City, El Segundo, Gardena, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Inglewood, Lawndale, portions of Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, and unincorporated communities. 

Governance structure: Los Angeles County’s Board of Supervisors oversees the needs of 9.7 million people and manages an estimated budget of $39 billion annually. According to the County Charter, Los Angeles County is governed by the Board of Supervisors, which has executive, legislative, and quasi-judicial authority. Voters also elect an assessor, a district attorney, and a sheriff, who work alongside the Board of Supervisors to govern within the county. 

The Position


Each of the 58 counties in California is governed by a five-person Board of Supervisors. A Board of Supervisors has legislative and executive power to manage county services and resources, including courts, jails, public health, and public lands. They also have quasi-judicial powers, which gives them the right to hold hearings, conduct investigations, and make decisions in a manner similar to judicial courts. Laws passed by Boards of Supervisors are generally called ordinances. Because counties include both incorporated cities, which are administered by their own city councils, and unincorporated areas, which are directly administered by the county, ordinances may or may not apply in different areas of the county. Supervisors are typically ‎limited to 3 terms, or 12 years in office total. 

Endorsed By: Courage California

Los Angeles County, District 5

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, District 5

Chris Holden photo
Non-Partisan

Chris Holden

Website Endorsements

Elect Chris Holden for Supervisor to put Los Angeles County on the right track for progress. 



Assm. Chris Holden’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will be a progressive voice for the constituents of Los Angeles County and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Assm. Holden has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including California Working Families Party, LA County Democratic Party, and SEIU2015. He has also received the endorsement of many state and local leaders, including Attorney General Rob Bonta, Sec. of State Dr. Shirley Weber, Assm. Speaker Robert Rivas, Assm. Isaac Bryan, and several city councilmembers.

Electoral history: Assm. Holden has served in the State Assembly since 2012, when he was elected with 58% of the vote. In 2022, he won his reelection against a Republican challenger by 20 points.

Top issues: Workforce development programs, worker protections, transportation, criminal justice reform, improving public services, and environmental protections.

Governance and community leadership experience: Assm. Holden is a public official, and has used his positions to improve access to economic and educational opportunities for his constituents. As a member of the State Assembly, he has successfully passed legislation to improve worker conditions, fund local libraries and hiking trails, and invest in improved services for individuals with disabilities. He has also been a strong proponent of establishing dual enrollment options for high school students to reduce the time and financial burden of college and to increase access to local career pathways. 

Assm. Holden scores a Lifetime CS of 95 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records, and has been designated as a Courage All-Star for his commitment to progressive values. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assm. Holden has supported the most progressive bills that made it to a vote, although he has failed to cast a vote on bills related to charter school regulation, expanding single-use recyclables, and predatory lending protections.

Prior to his election to the State Assembly, Assm. Holden was a local elected official, serving for 24 years on the Pasadena City Council, including a turn as mayor. During this time, he also served as a member of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority. Assm. Holden also owns a local real estate firm, CHMB Consulting. He is a longtime supporter of transportation expansion and college and career access for high school students. As a city councilmember and assemblymember, he has worked on initiatives to expand light rail and public transportation options for local constituents. 

Other background: Assm. Holden is a lifelong resident of Pasadena.

The Race


Primary election: There are five candidates running in the nonpartisan March 5 primary, including Assm. Chris Holden, incumbent Supervisor Kathryn Barger, Konstantine Anthony, Perry Goldberg, and Marlon Marroquin. The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5 unless one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote and wins outright in the primary.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Holden’s campaign has raised $663,000 as of December 2023, and is funded by corporate PAC, real estate, fossil fuel, and police interests. 
Opposing candidate: Supervisor Kathryn Barger
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Supervisor Barger’s campaign has raised $595,000 as of December 2023, and is funded by police, real estate, and corporate PAC interests.

Opposing candidate: Konstantine Anthony
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Anthony’s campaign has raised $35,000 as of December 2023, and is funded entirely by individual donors.

The District


County: Los Angeles County is California's most populous county. District 5 includes Arcadia, Burbank, Claremont, Glendale, Glendora, La Verne, Lancaster, portions of Los Angeles, portions of Los Feliz, Monrovia, portions of North Hollywood, Palmdale, Pasadena, Santa Clarita, Sierra Madre, South Pasadena, Porter Ranch, Shadow Hills, Universal Studios, Valley Village, and unincorporated communities. 

Governance structure: Los Angeles County’s Board of Supervisors oversees the needs of 9.7 million people and manages an estimated budget of $39 billion annually. According to the County Charter, Los Angeles County is governed by the Board of Supervisors, which has executive, legislative, and quasi-judicial authority. Voters also elect an assessor, a district attorney, and a sheriff, who work alongside the Board of Supervisors to govern within the county. 

The Position


Each of the 58 counties in California is governed by a five-person Board of Supervisors. A Board of Supervisors has legislative and executive power to manage county services and resources, including courts, jails, public health, and public lands. They also have quasi-judicial powers, which gives them the right to hold hearings, conduct investigations, and make decisions in a manner similar to judicial courts. Laws passed by Boards of Supervisors are generally called ordinances. Because counties include both incorporated cities which are administered by their own city councils and unincorporated areas which are directly administered by the county, ordinances may or may not apply in different areas of the county. Supervisors are typically ‎limited to 3 terms, or 12 years in office total. 


Elect Chris Holden for Supervisor to put Los Angeles County on the right track for progress. 



Assm. Chris Holden’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will be a progressive voice for the constituents of Los Angeles County and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Assm. Holden has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including California Working Families Party, LA County Democratic Party, and SEIU2015. He has also received the endorsement of many state and local leaders, including Attorney General Rob Bonta, Sec. of State Dr. Shirley Weber, Assm. Speaker Robert Rivas, Assm. Isaac Bryan, and several city councilmembers.

Electoral history: Assm. Holden has served in the State Assembly since 2012, when he was elected with 58% of the vote. In 2022, he won his reelection against a Republican challenger by 20 points.

Top issues: Workforce development programs, worker protections, transportation, criminal justice reform, improving public services, and environmental protections.

Governance and community leadership experience: Assm. Holden is a public official, and has used his positions to improve access to economic and educational opportunities for his constituents. As a member of the State Assembly, he has successfully passed legislation to improve worker conditions, fund local libraries and hiking trails, and invest in improved services for individuals with disabilities. He has also been a strong proponent of establishing dual enrollment options for high school students to reduce the time and financial burden of college and to increase access to local career pathways. 

Assm. Holden scores a Lifetime CS of 95 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records, and has been designated as a Courage All-Star for his commitment to progressive values. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assm. Holden has supported the most progressive bills that made it to a vote, although he has failed to cast a vote on bills related to charter school regulation, expanding single-use recyclables, and predatory lending protections.

Prior to his election to the State Assembly, Assm. Holden was a local elected official, serving for 24 years on the Pasadena City Council, including a turn as mayor. During this time, he also served as a member of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority. Assm. Holden also owns a local real estate firm, CHMB Consulting. He is a longtime supporter of transportation expansion and college and career access for high school students. As a city councilmember and assemblymember, he has worked on initiatives to expand light rail and public transportation options for local constituents. 

Other background: Assm. Holden is a lifelong resident of Pasadena.

The Race


Primary election: There are five candidates running in the nonpartisan March 5 primary, including Assm. Chris Holden, incumbent Supervisor Kathryn Barger, Konstantine Anthony, Perry Goldberg, and Marlon Marroquin. The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5 unless one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote and wins outright in the primary.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Holden’s campaign has raised $663,000 as of December 2023, and is funded by corporate PAC, real estate, fossil fuel, and police interests. 
Opposing candidate: Supervisor Kathryn Barger
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Supervisor Barger’s campaign has raised $595,000 as of December 2023, and is funded by police, real estate, and corporate PAC interests.

Opposing candidate: Konstantine Anthony
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Anthony’s campaign has raised $35,000 as of December 2023, and is funded entirely by individual donors.

The District


County: Los Angeles County is California's most populous county. District 5 includes Arcadia, Burbank, Claremont, Glendale, Glendora, La Verne, Lancaster, portions of Los Angeles, portions of Los Feliz, Monrovia, portions of North Hollywood, Palmdale, Pasadena, Santa Clarita, Sierra Madre, South Pasadena, Porter Ranch, Shadow Hills, Universal Studios, Valley Village, and unincorporated communities. 

Governance structure: Los Angeles County’s Board of Supervisors oversees the needs of 9.7 million people and manages an estimated budget of $39 billion annually. According to the County Charter, Los Angeles County is governed by the Board of Supervisors, which has executive, legislative, and quasi-judicial authority. Voters also elect an assessor, a district attorney, and a sheriff, who work alongside the Board of Supervisors to govern within the county. 

The Position


Each of the 58 counties in California is governed by a five-person Board of Supervisors. A Board of Supervisors has legislative and executive power to manage county services and resources, including courts, jails, public health, and public lands. They also have quasi-judicial powers, which gives them the right to hold hearings, conduct investigations, and make decisions in a manner similar to judicial courts. Laws passed by Boards of Supervisors are generally called ordinances. Because counties include both incorporated cities which are administered by their own city councils and unincorporated areas which are directly administered by the county, ordinances may or may not apply in different areas of the county. Supervisors are typically ‎limited to 3 terms, or 12 years in office total. 


San Bernardino County, District 3

San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, District 3

Chris Carrillo photo
Non-Partisan

Chris Carrillo

Website Endorsements

Elect Chris Carrillo for Supervisor to put San Bernardino County on the right track for progress. 



Chris Carrillo’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will be a progressive voice for the constituents of San Bernardino County and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Carrillo has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including IE United, Sierra Club, National Union of Healthcare Workers, and several local firefighter unions. He has also received the endorsement of some elected leaders, including Assm. James Ramos, and San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran.

Electoral history: Carrillo has held public office previously, and was appointed to the East Valley Water District in 2014. He won election to the seat in 2015, and was reelected in 2020 with 29% of the vote.

Top issues: Public safety and disaster preparedness, homelessness and affordable housing development, government transparency, land use and rural policy, and a balanced county budget.

Governance and community leadership experience: Carrillo is an employment attorney in private practice, which he does to provide service and strategic guidance to members of his community. He has successfully tried cases related to wrongful termination in public employment, discrimination against individuals with disabilities, and small-business law. In addition to his law career, Carrillo has held several public positions, including as a field representative for former Sen. Dianne Feinstein, and as a deputy chief of staff to former San Bernardino County Sup. James Ramos, who now serves in the State Assembly. As a member of the East Valley Water Board, he has advocated for water independence and improved water infrastructure in the Inland Empire.

Other background: Carrillo is from Redlands. 

The Race


Primary election: There are four candidates running in the nonpartisan March 5 primary, including Chris Carrillo, incumbent Sup. Dawn Rowe, Graham Smith, and Robert Block. The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5, unless one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote and wins outright in the primary.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Carrillo’s campaign has not filed any campaign fundraising receipts with the county as of January 2024.

Opposing candidate: Sup. Dawn Rowe
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Sup. Rowe’s campaign has raised $325,000 as of January 2024, and is funded by real estate, fossil fuel, and police interests. She has also received donations from the San Bernardino County Republican Party. 

Opposing candidate: Graham Smith
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Smith’s campaign has raised $46,000 as of January 2024, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, real estate, or corporate PAC interests.

Opposing candidate: Robert Block
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Block’s campaign has not filed any campaign fundraising receipts with the county as of January 2024.

The District


County: San Bernardino County is California's 5th most populous county. District 3 includes Twentynine Palms, Yucca Valley, Big Bear City, Lake Arrowhead, Yucaipa, Redlands, Loma Linda, Grand Terrace, Highland, San Bernardino, Barstow, Harvard, Minneola, Needles, Calzona, and Vidal Junction. 

Governance structure: San Bernardino County’s Board of Supervisors oversees the needs of 2.1 million people and manages an estimated budget of $9.4 billion annually. According to the County Charter, San Bernardino County is governed by the five-member Board of Supervisors and the chief executive officer, who acts as their agent.

The Position


Each of the 58 counties in California is governed by a five-person Board of Supervisors. A Board of Supervisors has legislative and executive power to manage county services and resources, including courts, jails, public health, and public lands. They also have quasi-judicial powers, which gives them the right to hold hearings, conduct investigations, and make decisions in a manner similar to judicial courts. Laws passed by Boards of Supervisors are generally called ordinances. Because counties include both incorporated cities, which are administered by their own city councils, and unincorporated areas, which are directly administered by the county, ordinances may or may not apply in different areas of the county. Supervisors are typically ‎limited to 3 terms, or 12 years in office total. 


Elect Chris Carrillo for Supervisor to put San Bernardino County on the right track for progress. 



Chris Carrillo’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will be a progressive voice for the constituents of San Bernardino County and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Carrillo has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including IE United, Sierra Club, National Union of Healthcare Workers, and several local firefighter unions. He has also received the endorsement of some elected leaders, including Assm. James Ramos, and San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran.

Electoral history: Carrillo has held public office previously, and was appointed to the East Valley Water District in 2014. He won election to the seat in 2015, and was reelected in 2020 with 29% of the vote.

Top issues: Public safety and disaster preparedness, homelessness and affordable housing development, government transparency, land use and rural policy, and a balanced county budget.

Governance and community leadership experience: Carrillo is an employment attorney in private practice, which he does to provide service and strategic guidance to members of his community. He has successfully tried cases related to wrongful termination in public employment, discrimination against individuals with disabilities, and small-business law. In addition to his law career, Carrillo has held several public positions, including as a field representative for former Sen. Dianne Feinstein, and as a deputy chief of staff to former San Bernardino County Sup. James Ramos, who now serves in the State Assembly. As a member of the East Valley Water Board, he has advocated for water independence and improved water infrastructure in the Inland Empire.

Other background: Carrillo is from Redlands. 

The Race


Primary election: There are four candidates running in the nonpartisan March 5 primary, including Chris Carrillo, incumbent Sup. Dawn Rowe, Graham Smith, and Robert Block. The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5, unless one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote and wins outright in the primary.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Carrillo’s campaign has not filed any campaign fundraising receipts with the county as of January 2024.

Opposing candidate: Sup. Dawn Rowe
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Sup. Rowe’s campaign has raised $325,000 as of January 2024, and is funded by real estate, fossil fuel, and police interests. She has also received donations from the San Bernardino County Republican Party. 

Opposing candidate: Graham Smith
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Smith’s campaign has raised $46,000 as of January 2024, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, real estate, or corporate PAC interests.

Opposing candidate: Robert Block
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Block’s campaign has not filed any campaign fundraising receipts with the county as of January 2024.

The District


County: San Bernardino County is California's 5th most populous county. District 3 includes Twentynine Palms, Yucca Valley, Big Bear City, Lake Arrowhead, Yucaipa, Redlands, Loma Linda, Grand Terrace, Highland, San Bernardino, Barstow, Harvard, Minneola, Needles, Calzona, and Vidal Junction. 

Governance structure: San Bernardino County’s Board of Supervisors oversees the needs of 2.1 million people and manages an estimated budget of $9.4 billion annually. According to the County Charter, San Bernardino County is governed by the five-member Board of Supervisors and the chief executive officer, who acts as their agent.

The Position


Each of the 58 counties in California is governed by a five-person Board of Supervisors. A Board of Supervisors has legislative and executive power to manage county services and resources, including courts, jails, public health, and public lands. They also have quasi-judicial powers, which gives them the right to hold hearings, conduct investigations, and make decisions in a manner similar to judicial courts. Laws passed by Boards of Supervisors are generally called ordinances. Because counties include both incorporated cities, which are administered by their own city councils, and unincorporated areas, which are directly administered by the county, ordinances may or may not apply in different areas of the county. Supervisors are typically ‎limited to 3 terms, or 12 years in office total. 


Statewide Ballot Measures

Proposition #1

No Position

Vote on Proposition 1

Proposition 1 will establish a $6.4 billion bond to fund an increase in the number of treatment beds and housing units the state provides to individuals struggling with mental health and addiction, and to direct counties to reallocate their Mental Health Services Act funding to address the local housing shortage.



In an effort to address an ongoing housing shortage and addiction crisis in the state, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two bills—SB326 and AB531—to send a $6.4 billion bond measure to voters in March. This bond would be used to increase capacity in health care and housing across the state by adding 6,800 behavioral health treatment beds, building 4,300 housing units, and creating 26,000 outpatient treatment slots for Californians. Proposition 1 would also require each county to redirect 30% of its Mental Health Services Act funding to housing, including creating new real estate development, and the provision of rental subsidies. Mental Health Services Act funds are raised through a tax on millionaires in the state, and the reallocated portion is expected to total $1 billion annually across the state. Overall, Proposition 1 aims to reduce homelessness and tent encampments, and provide support to individuals who do not have the resources to address behavioral health challenges. 

Top support for Proposition 1:


- The legislation that sent Proposition 1 to voters received overwhelming support from the state legislature. SB326 received a unanimous floor vote in the Senate, and earned 68 floor votes in the Assembly. AB531 received 35 floor votes in the Senate, and 66 floor votes in the Assembly. 
- YES ON 1 has received over $10.7 million in donations, primarily through Yes on Prop 1—Governor Newsom’s Ballot Measure Committee. The committee has received donations from police, fossil fuel, real estate, and corporate PAC interests, including from California Correctional Peace Officers Association Truth in American Government Fund, AirBnB, Google, and PG&E. 
- Gov. Gavin Newsom has enthusiastically supported Proposition 1, arguing that the establishment of more treatment options and housing units has the potential to have a significant impact on marginalized populations within the state over time, and is a humane approach to this ongoing public health crisis. 

Top opposition to Proposition 1:


- Groups like Disability Rights California and the League of Women Voters California are concerned that this policy could be interpreted to permit involuntary treatment of mental health and addiction patients in locked facilities. They argue that this aspect of the bill is regressive and is the result of hasty passage, a lack of meaningful legislative debate, and limited input from community groups. Republican activist Carl DeMaio, his conservative PAC Reform California, and the anti-tax Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association are also opposing Proposition 1.
- Some housing and homeless advocates have criticized Proposition 1’s narrow projected impact on a statewide homeless population that is estimated to include 180,000 people. With over half of the proposed new housing units earmarked for veterans, the number of homeless civilians who will benefit from this program is statistically insignificant.
- Proposition 1 has raised concerns among opponents—including several counties and county leaders—around its mandate that 30% of county Mental Health Services Act funding be allocated to address local housing shortages. Stripping funding out of this budget line to fund housing programs will disrupt existing and effective county mental health programs, many of which are tailored to serve marginalized local populations, including Indigenous communities, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and people of color. 

Proposition 1 will establish a $6.4 billion bond to fund an increase in the number of treatment beds and housing units the state provides to individuals struggling with mental health and addiction, and to direct counties to reallocate their Mental Health Services Act funding to address the local housing shortage.



In an effort to address an ongoing housing shortage and addiction crisis in the state, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two bills—SB326 and AB531—to send a $6.4 billion bond measure to voters in March. This bond would be used to increase capacity in health care and housing across the state by adding 6,800 behavioral health treatment beds, building 4,300 housing units, and creating 26,000 outpatient treatment slots for Californians. Proposition 1 would also require each county to redirect 30% of its Mental Health Services Act funding to housing, including creating new real estate development, and the provision of rental subsidies. Mental Health Services Act funds are raised through a tax on millionaires in the state, and the reallocated portion is expected to total $1 billion annually across the state. Overall, Proposition 1 aims to reduce homelessness and tent encampments, and provide support to individuals who do not have the resources to address behavioral health challenges. 

Top support for Proposition 1:


- The legislation that sent Proposition 1 to voters received overwhelming support from the state legislature. SB326 received a unanimous floor vote in the Senate, and earned 68 floor votes in the Assembly. AB531 received 35 floor votes in the Senate, and 66 floor votes in the Assembly. 
- YES ON 1 has received over $10.7 million in donations, primarily through Yes on Prop 1—Governor Newsom’s Ballot Measure Committee. The committee has received donations from police, fossil fuel, real estate, and corporate PAC interests, including from California Correctional Peace Officers Association Truth in American Government Fund, AirBnB, Google, and PG&E. 
- Gov. Gavin Newsom has enthusiastically supported Proposition 1, arguing that the establishment of more treatment options and housing units has the potential to have a significant impact on marginalized populations within the state over time, and is a humane approach to this ongoing public health crisis. 

Top opposition to Proposition 1:


- Groups like Disability Rights California and the League of Women Voters California are concerned that this policy could be interpreted to permit involuntary treatment of mental health and addiction patients in locked facilities. They argue that this aspect of the bill is regressive and is the result of hasty passage, a lack of meaningful legislative debate, and limited input from community groups. Republican activist Carl DeMaio, his conservative PAC Reform California, and the anti-tax Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association are also opposing Proposition 1.
- Some housing and homeless advocates have criticized Proposition 1’s narrow projected impact on a statewide homeless population that is estimated to include 180,000 people. With over half of the proposed new housing units earmarked for veterans, the number of homeless civilians who will benefit from this program is statistically insignificant.
- Proposition 1 has raised concerns among opponents—including several counties and county leaders—around its mandate that 30% of county Mental Health Services Act funding be allocated to address local housing shortages. Stripping funding out of this budget line to fund housing programs will disrupt existing and effective county mental health programs, many of which are tailored to serve marginalized local populations, including Indigenous communities, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and people of color.