Re-elect Assemblymember Stephen Bennett to keep AD-38 on the right track for progress.
Assm. Stephen Bennett’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will continue to be a progressive voice for the constituents of AD-38 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.
Progressive endorsements: Assm. Bennett has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including Equality California, AFSCME California, Sierra Club California, and California Environmental Voters. Assm. Bennett has received donations from problematic funders, including California Correctional Peace Officers Association Local PAC, California Apartment Association PAC, and Sempra Energy.
Top issues: Education, climate change and renewable energy, child development and welfare, and homelessness and housing.
Priority bills: This year, Assm. Bennett’s priorities for AD-38 have included 19 bills about environmental preservation, career technical education, foster care, and emissions reduction. Of these, two have been chaptered into law, two have been vetoed, and the rest remain in committee. He has sponsored and passed legislation to reduce electronic waste by expanding consumer device repair options, update regulatory laws for breweries, strengthen the delivery of high-quality career and technical education programs, and restrict gun sales at the Ventura County Fairground. He scores a CS of 89 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assm. Bennett has supported the most progressive bills that made it to a vote. However, he failed to cast a vote on several important bills, including legislation to allow resentencing for individuals disadvantaged by firearm enhancements, allow judges to make determinations about a defendant’s competency to stand trial and access to mental health care, and transition away from the wasteful printing of paper receipts.
Committee leadership/membership: Assm. Bennett currently sits on 11 committees, including Budget, Elections, Privacy and Consumer Protection, and Water, Parks, and Wildlife. He serves as chair of Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on Climate Crisis, Resources, Energy, and Transportation. Assm. Bennett is also a member of the California Legislative Progressive Caucus.
Governance and community leadership experience: Assm. Bennett has served in the assembly since 2020, when he was elected with over 67% of the vote in AD-37. After redistricting, he won re-election to AD-38 against a Republican challenger by 22 points in 2022. Assm. Bennett also ran for the 26th Congressional seat in 2012, but withdrew from the election before the filing deadline.
Prior to his election to the State Assembly, Assm. Bennett served for 20 years on the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, including serving several terms as chair. Before joining the Board of Supervisors, he served one term on the Ventura City Council. As a former high school teacher, Assm. Bennett has been a longtime supporter of education reform. He has also used a significant amount of his political capital in the pursuit of climate-change protections and renewable energy. He co-authored the SOAR (Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources) initiative in Ventura County. It was the first effort in the county to protect agricultural and open-space lands from development by requiring a vote of the people before those areas could be rezoned, and has resulted in Ventura County being a national leader in land-use planning over the last 25 years.
Other background: Assm. Bennett is from the midwest and has lived in California for over 40 years. Assm. Bennett was a high school economics and history teacher for 20 years before launching his political career.
The Race
Primary election: Assm. Steve Bennett is running unopposed in the March 5 primary.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Bennett’s campaign has raised $179,000 as of December 2023, and is funded by corporate PAC, fossil fuel, real estate, and police interests.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 38th Assembly District includes parts of Ventura County.
Voter registration: 49% Democrat, 23% Republican, and 21% No Party Preference. Partisan control of this seat has switched several times over the last decade, most recently in 2022, when Assm. Steve Bennett won the newly redistricted seat.
District demographics: 44% Latino, 6% Asian, and 3% Black.
Recent election results: AD-38 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 32 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 20 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 Stephen Bennett to keep AD-38 on the right track for progress.
Assm. Stephen Bennett’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will continue to be a progressive voice for the constituents of AD-38 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.
Progressive endorsements: Assm. Bennett has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including Equality California, AFSCME California, Sierra Club California, and California Environmental Voters. Assm. Bennett has received donations from problematic funders, including California Correctional Peace Officers Association Local PAC, California Apartment Association PAC, and Sempra Energy.
Top issues: Education, climate change and renewable energy, child development and welfare, and homelessness and housing.
Priority bills: This year, Assm. Bennett’s priorities for AD-38 have included 19 bills about environmental preservation, career technical education, foster care, and emissions reduction. Of these, two have been chaptered into law, two have been vetoed, and the rest remain in committee. He has sponsored and passed legislation to reduce electronic waste by expanding consumer device repair options, update regulatory laws for breweries, strengthen the delivery of high-quality career and technical education programs, and restrict gun sales at the Ventura County Fairground. He scores a CS of 89 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assm. Bennett has supported the most progressive bills that made it to a vote. However, he failed to cast a vote on several important bills, including legislation to allow resentencing for individuals disadvantaged by firearm enhancements, allow judges to make determinations about a defendant’s competency to stand trial and access to mental health care, and transition away from the wasteful printing of paper receipts.
Committee leadership/membership: Assm. Bennett currently sits on 11 committees, including Budget, Elections, Privacy and Consumer Protection, and Water, Parks, and Wildlife. He serves as chair of Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on Climate Crisis, Resources, Energy, and Transportation. Assm. Bennett is also a member of the California Legislative Progressive Caucus.
Governance and community leadership experience: Assm. Bennett has served in the assembly since 2020, when he was elected with over 67% of the vote in AD-37. After redistricting, he won re-election to AD-38 against a Republican challenger by 22 points in 2022. Assm. Bennett also ran for the 26th Congressional seat in 2012, but withdrew from the election before the filing deadline.
Prior to his election to the State Assembly, Assm. Bennett served for 20 years on the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, including serving several terms as chair. Before joining the Board of Supervisors, he served one term on the Ventura City Council. As a former high school teacher, Assm. Bennett has been a longtime supporter of education reform. He has also used a significant amount of his political capital in the pursuit of climate-change protections and renewable energy. He co-authored the SOAR (Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources) initiative in Ventura County. It was the first effort in the county to protect agricultural and open-space lands from development by requiring a vote of the people before those areas could be rezoned, and has resulted in Ventura County being a national leader in land-use planning over the last 25 years.
Other background: Assm. Bennett is from the midwest and has lived in California for over 40 years. Assm. Bennett was a high school economics and history teacher for 20 years before launching his political career.
The Race
Primary election: Assm. Steve Bennett is running unopposed in the March 5 primary.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Bennett’s campaign has raised $179,000 as of December 2023, and is funded by corporate PAC, fossil fuel, real estate, and police interests.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 38th Assembly District includes parts of Ventura County.
Voter registration: 49% Democrat, 23% Republican, and 21% No Party Preference. Partisan control of this seat has switched several times over the last decade, most recently in 2022, when Assm. Steve Bennett won the newly redistricted seat.
District demographics: 44% Latino, 6% Asian, and 3% Black.
Recent election results: AD-38 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 32 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 20 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.