No Hay Recomendación
No Recommendation - AD64
The Democratic incumbent in this race has a problematic track record and is considered to be a safe win in this district. We make no recommendation in this race.
Progressive endorsements: Assm. Blanca Pacheco has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including Equality California and SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West. She has also received endorsements from problematic stakeholders in past elections, including police groups.
Raul Ortiz has the endorsement of the California Republican Assembly, Patriots for Freedom PAC, and the Orange County Republican Party.
Key initiatives: This year, Assm. Pacheco’s priorities for AD-64 have included 14 bills about health professions and licensure, literacy, and property records. Of these, six have been successfully chaptered into law, two have been vetoed, and the rest remain in committee. She has sponsored and passed legislation to expand permissions for the use of trial court interpreters, amend permissions for the placement of public advertising displays, and consider establishing new procurement goals for renewable hydrogen. She scores a CS of 30 out of 100 and is in our Hall of Shame on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assm. Pacheco has supported few progressive bills that made it to a vote. Assm. Pacheco has avoided votes on several critical progressive bills this session, including those to increase the fast-food minimum wage to $20/hour, close loopholes for no-fault just cause evictions, increase charter school accountability by requiring more reporting of grant fund use, and improve worker protections against retaliation from supervisors or companies. She also voted no on two important criminal justice reform bills, AB93 and SB365. Assm. Pacheco is a member of 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.
Ortiz has not cited any public service positions aside from his work as a Christian faith leader. His denominational and congregational affiliations are unclear.
Governance and community leadership experience: Assm. Pacheco has served in this assembly seat since 2022, when she was elected with over 61% of the vote.
Prior to her election to the Assembly, Assm. Pacheco served as the first-ever Latina mayor of Downey. She was first elected to the Downey City Council in 2016 and became mayor in 2020. She previously served as president of the League of California Cities, Los Angeles Division. Prior to serving in local office, Pacheco worked as an attorney and provided pro bono services to legal organizations. She has been a longtime supporter of modernizing infrastructure and programs that fight climate change.
Ortiz ran for this seat in 2022, but lost in the general election by 22 points to incumbent Assm. Blanca Pacheco.
Ortiz is a pest-control manager and a pastor. He has cited his Christian faith as a motivator for his effort to win elected office. His platform includes improving public safety, removing critical race theory from school curriculums, closing the borders, and addressing the sale of street drugs. He is a strong supporter of parental rights, the second amendment, and limiting access to abortion care.
Other background: Assm. Pacheco is a longtime resident of Downey.
Ortiz is from Norwalk and now lives in La Mirada.
The Race
Primary election: There are two candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Assm. Blanca Pacheco (D) and Raul Ortiz (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Pacheco’s campaign has raised $563,000 as of December 2023, and is funded by police, real estate, corporate PAC, and fossil fuel interests.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Ortiz’s campaign has raised $700 and is not funded by police, real estate, fossil fuel, or corporate PAC interests.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 64th Assembly District includes parts of Los Angeles and Orange Counties.
Voter registration: 51% Democrat, 21% Republican, and 22% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.
District demographics: 65% Latino, 10% 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-64 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 33 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 18 points.
The Position
State assemblymembers represent and advocate for the needs of their district constituents at the California State Capitol. They are responsible for creating, debating, and voting on legislation that addresses issues within their district.
The California State Assembly has 80 districts. Each represents a population of at least 465,000 Californians. Representatives are elected to the Assembly for a two-year term. Every two years, all 80 seats are subject to election. Members elected before 2012 are restricted to three two-year terms (six years) in the Assembly. Those elected in or after 2012 are allowed to serve 12 years total across both the state Senate or Assembly. This term, Democrats currently hold a three-quarters supermajority of 60 seats in the California State Assembly, while Republicans hold 19 seats and one seat is held by an Independent.
No Recommendation - AD64
The Democratic incumbent in this race has a problematic track record and is considered to be a safe win in this district. We make no recommendation in this race.
Progressive endorsements: Assm. Blanca Pacheco has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including Equality California and SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West. She has also received endorsements from problematic stakeholders in past elections, including police groups.
Raul Ortiz has the endorsement of the California Republican Assembly, Patriots for Freedom PAC, and the Orange County Republican Party.
Key initiatives: This year, Assm. Pacheco’s priorities for AD-64 have included 14 bills about health professions and licensure, literacy, and property records. Of these, six have been successfully chaptered into law, two have been vetoed, and the rest remain in committee. She has sponsored and passed legislation to expand permissions for the use of trial court interpreters, amend permissions for the placement of public advertising displays, and consider establishing new procurement goals for renewable hydrogen. She scores a CS of 30 out of 100 and is in our Hall of Shame on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assm. Pacheco has supported few progressive bills that made it to a vote. Assm. Pacheco has avoided votes on several critical progressive bills this session, including those to increase the fast-food minimum wage to $20/hour, close loopholes for no-fault just cause evictions, increase charter school accountability by requiring more reporting of grant fund use, and improve worker protections against retaliation from supervisors or companies. She also voted no on two important criminal justice reform bills, AB93 and SB365. Assm. Pacheco is a member of 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.
Ortiz has not cited any public service positions aside from his work as a Christian faith leader. His denominational and congregational affiliations are unclear.
Governance and community leadership experience: Assm. Pacheco has served in this assembly seat since 2022, when she was elected with over 61% of the vote.
Prior to her election to the Assembly, Assm. Pacheco served as the first-ever Latina mayor of Downey. She was first elected to the Downey City Council in 2016 and became mayor in 2020. She previously served as president of the League of California Cities, Los Angeles Division. Prior to serving in local office, Pacheco worked as an attorney and provided pro bono services to legal organizations. She has been a longtime supporter of modernizing infrastructure and programs that fight climate change.
Ortiz ran for this seat in 2022, but lost in the general election by 22 points to incumbent Assm. Blanca Pacheco.
Ortiz is a pest-control manager and a pastor. He has cited his Christian faith as a motivator for his effort to win elected office. His platform includes improving public safety, removing critical race theory from school curriculums, closing the borders, and addressing the sale of street drugs. He is a strong supporter of parental rights, the second amendment, and limiting access to abortion care.
Other background: Assm. Pacheco is a longtime resident of Downey.
Ortiz is from Norwalk and now lives in La Mirada.
The Race
Primary election: There are two candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Assm. Blanca Pacheco (D) and Raul Ortiz (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Pacheco’s campaign has raised $563,000 as of December 2023, and is funded by police, real estate, corporate PAC, and fossil fuel interests.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Ortiz’s campaign has raised $700 and is not funded by police, real estate, fossil fuel, or corporate PAC interests.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 64th Assembly District includes parts of Los Angeles and Orange Counties.
Voter registration: 51% Democrat, 21% Republican, and 22% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.
District demographics: 65% Latino, 10% 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-64 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 33 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 18 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.