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Welcome to the Progressive Voters Guide! The Progressive Voters Guide compiles the information that allows you to make informed decisions about the races on your ballot, based on your values. Please share this guide with your friends and family!
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Federal
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.
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.
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.
28th Congressional District
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.
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.
33rd Congressional District
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.
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.
35th Congressional District
Re-elect Congressional Representative Norma Torres to keep CD-35 on the right track for progress.
Rep. Torres’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will continue to be a representative voice for the constituents of CD-35 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.
Progressive endorsements: Rep. Torres has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including Equality California, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, California Environmental Voters, and SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West.
Top issues: Affordable housing, immigration reform, domestic violence protections, and eradicating gender-based violence.
Priority bills: This year, Rep. Torres’s priorities for CD-35 have included 14 bills about wildfire and mudslide preparedness, immigration and naturalization, and sensible gun reform. All of these bills are currently in committee. She has sponsored legislation to allow newly naturalized citizens to take their naturalization oath over video call, to improve the grid and resources for wildfire containment, and to update the requirements for reporting firearm sales.
Member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus?: No.
Committee leadership/membership: Rep. Torres currently sits on the Appropriations and Housing Administration Committees. She is a member of the Hispanic, Asian Pacific American, and Native American caucuses.
Governance and community leadership experience: Rep. Torres has served in this congressional seat since 2014, when she was elected with over 60% of the vote. In 2022, she won her re-election against a Republican challenger by 14 points.
Prior to her election to Congress, Rep. Torres served in the State Assembly and the state Senate, and was the mayor of Pomona. She supports humane pathways to citizenship, has made several diplomatic trips to Guatemala, helped found the Congressional Central American Caucus, and served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Torres is also a longtime supporter of gender equality, and has sponsored legislation that addresses gender-based violence. In 2020, she successfully sponsored Savanna’s Act, a bill that aims to improve responses to missing and murdered Indigenous people, especially women.
Other background: Rep. Norma Torres is from Guatemala and immigrated to California as a child. She now resides in Pomona.
The Race
Primary election: There are four candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Rep. Norma Torres (D), Mike Cargile (R), Melissa May (D), and Vijal Suthar (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Rep. Torres’s campaign has raised $308,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, real estate, or fossil fuel interests.
Opposing candidate: Republican Mike Cargile
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Cargile’s campaign has raised $20,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, real estate, or corporate PAC interests.
Opposing candidate: Democrat Melissa May
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: May’s campaign has raised $6,000 as of October 2023, and is funded by individual donors.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 35th Congressional District includes parts of San Bernardino, Los Angeles, and Riverside Counties.
Voter registration: 48% Democrat, 23% Republican, and 23% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.
District demographics: 57% Latino, 10% Asian, and 8% Black. This district is considered to be one of the 16 strong Latino seats in the California congressional delegation.
Recent election results: CD-35 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 28 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 Norma Torres to keep CD-35 on the right track for progress.
Rep. Torres’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will continue to be a representative voice for the constituents of CD-35 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.
Progressive endorsements: Rep. Torres has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including Equality California, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, California Environmental Voters, and SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West.
Top issues: Affordable housing, immigration reform, domestic violence protections, and eradicating gender-based violence.
Priority bills: This year, Rep. Torres’s priorities for CD-35 have included 14 bills about wildfire and mudslide preparedness, immigration and naturalization, and sensible gun reform. All of these bills are currently in committee. She has sponsored legislation to allow newly naturalized citizens to take their naturalization oath over video call, to improve the grid and resources for wildfire containment, and to update the requirements for reporting firearm sales.
Member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus?: No.
Committee leadership/membership: Rep. Torres currently sits on the Appropriations and Housing Administration Committees. She is a member of the Hispanic, Asian Pacific American, and Native American caucuses.
Governance and community leadership experience: Rep. Torres has served in this congressional seat since 2014, when she was elected with over 60% of the vote. In 2022, she won her re-election against a Republican challenger by 14 points.
Prior to her election to Congress, Rep. Torres served in the State Assembly and the state Senate, and was the mayor of Pomona. She supports humane pathways to citizenship, has made several diplomatic trips to Guatemala, helped found the Congressional Central American Caucus, and served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Torres is also a longtime supporter of gender equality, and has sponsored legislation that addresses gender-based violence. In 2020, she successfully sponsored Savanna’s Act, a bill that aims to improve responses to missing and murdered Indigenous people, especially women.
Other background: Rep. Norma Torres is from Guatemala and immigrated to California as a child. She now resides in Pomona.
The Race
Primary election: There are four candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Rep. Norma Torres (D), Mike Cargile (R), Melissa May (D), and Vijal Suthar (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Rep. Torres’s campaign has raised $308,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, real estate, or fossil fuel interests.
Opposing candidate: Republican Mike Cargile
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Cargile’s campaign has raised $20,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, real estate, or corporate PAC interests.
Opposing candidate: Democrat Melissa May
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: May’s campaign has raised $6,000 as of October 2023, and is funded by individual donors.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 35th Congressional District includes parts of San Bernardino, Los Angeles, and Riverside Counties.
Voter registration: 48% Democrat, 23% Republican, and 23% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.
District demographics: 57% Latino, 10% Asian, and 8% Black. This district is considered to be one of the 16 strong Latino seats in the California congressional delegation.
Recent election results: CD-35 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 28 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 Norma Torres to keep CD-35 on the right track for progress.
Rep. Torres’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will continue to be a representative voice for the constituents of CD-35 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.
Progressive endorsements: Rep. Torres has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including Equality California, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, California Environmental Voters, and SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West.
Top issues: Affordable housing, immigration reform, domestic violence protections, and eradicating gender-based violence.
Priority bills: This year, Rep. Torres’s priorities for CD-35 have included 14 bills about wildfire and mudslide preparedness, immigration and naturalization, and sensible gun reform. All of these bills are currently in committee. She has sponsored legislation to allow newly naturalized citizens to take their naturalization oath over video call, to improve the grid and resources for wildfire containment, and to update the requirements for reporting firearm sales.
Member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus?: No.
Committee leadership/membership: Rep. Torres currently sits on the Appropriations and Housing Administration Committees. She is a member of the Hispanic, Asian Pacific American, and Native American caucuses.
Governance and community leadership experience: Rep. Torres has served in this congressional seat since 2014, when she was elected with over 60% of the vote. In 2022, she won her re-election against a Republican challenger by 14 points.
Prior to her election to Congress, Rep. Torres served in the State Assembly and the state Senate, and was the mayor of Pomona. She supports humane pathways to citizenship, has made several diplomatic trips to Guatemala, helped found the Congressional Central American Caucus, and served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Torres is also a longtime supporter of gender equality, and has sponsored legislation that addresses gender-based violence. In 2020, she successfully sponsored Savanna’s Act, a bill that aims to improve responses to missing and murdered Indigenous people, especially women.
Other background: Rep. Norma Torres is from Guatemala and immigrated to California as a child. She now resides in Pomona.
The Race
Primary election: There are four candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Rep. Norma Torres (D), Mike Cargile (R), Melissa May (D), and Vijal Suthar (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Rep. Torres’s campaign has raised $308,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, real estate, or fossil fuel interests.
Opposing candidate: Republican Mike Cargile
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Cargile’s campaign has raised $20,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, real estate, or corporate PAC interests.
Opposing candidate: Democrat Melissa May
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: May’s campaign has raised $6,000 as of October 2023, and is funded by individual donors.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 35th Congressional District includes parts of San Bernardino, Los Angeles, and Riverside Counties.
Voter registration: 48% Democrat, 23% Republican, and 23% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.
District demographics: 57% Latino, 10% Asian, and 8% Black. This district is considered to be one of the 16 strong Latino seats in the California congressional delegation.
Recent election results: CD-35 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 28 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, 41st District
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, 45th District
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, 50th District
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
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 Senate
Depending on where you live, you may have one of the below State Senate races on your ballot.
State Senator, 25th District
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.
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.
State Senator, 29th District
Courage California endorses Assemblymember Eloise Reyes for state Senate to put SD-29 on the right track for progress.
Assemblymember Eloise Reyes’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will be a progressive voice for the constituents of SD-29 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.
Progressive endorsements: Assm. Reyes has the endorsement of many progressive groups and labor unions, including Courage California, California Working Families Party, California Environmental Voters, IE United, and United Farm Workers. She is also endorsed by many elected officials, including Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, State Controller Malia Cohen, and San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran.
Electoral history: Assm. Reyes has served in the State Assembly since 2016, when she won her election with over 54% of the vote. In 2022, she won her re-election against a Republican challenger by 14 points.
Top issues: Environmental and climate protections, affordable housing, education, and criminal justice reform.
Priority bills: As a member of the State Assembly, she has authored bills to improve economic development, criminal justice reform, access to housing, and to protect communities from the impacts of warehouses. This term, she has authored 26 bills about air pollution, housing, social services, education, and worker protections. Of these, eleven have been successfully chaptered into law, two have been vetoed, and the rest remain in committee. She scores a Lifetime CS of 98 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assm. Reyes has supported the most progressive bills that made it to a vote, and was designated a Courage All-Star during the 2022 legislative cycle.
Governance and community leadership experience: Assm. Reyes has held several leadership roles during her time in the Assembly, including serving as co-chair of the Legislative Ethics Committee, and assistant majority whip. In 2020, she became the first Latina to be appointed Assembly majority leader. Prior to her election to the State Assembly, Assm. Reyes taught as an adjunct professor at Cal Poly Pomona, provided free legal aid to residents of the Inland Empire, and co-founded the Inland Empire Community Health Center. She is a longtime supporter of environmental protection.
Other background: Assm. Reyes grew up in the San Bernardino Valley and lives in Grand Terrace, CA.
The Race
Primary election: There are four candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Assm. Eloise Gómez Reyes (D), Jason O’Brien (D), Carlos Garcia (R), and Kathleen Hazelton (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Reyes’s campaign has raised $517,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by real estate interests.
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: The campaigns of O’Brien, Garcia, and Hazelton have not filed any campaign finance receipts with the California Secretary of State’s office as of October 2023.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 29th State Senate District includes parts of San Bernardino County.
Voter registration: 47% Democrat, 23% Republican, and 22% No Party Preference.
District demographics: 54% Latino, 6% Asian, and 13% Black. This district is considered to be one of the strong Latino seats in the California State Senate delegation.
Recent election results: SD-29 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 27 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 11 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 Assemblymember Eloise Reyes for state Senate to put SD-29 on the right track for progress.
Assemblymember Eloise Reyes’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will be a progressive voice for the constituents of SD-29 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.
Progressive endorsements: Assm. Reyes has the endorsement of many progressive groups and labor unions, including Courage California, California Working Families Party, California Environmental Voters, IE United, and United Farm Workers. She is also endorsed by many elected officials, including Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, State Controller Malia Cohen, and San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran.
Electoral history: Assm. Reyes has served in the State Assembly since 2016, when she won her election with over 54% of the vote. In 2022, she won her re-election against a Republican challenger by 14 points.
Top issues: Environmental and climate protections, affordable housing, education, and criminal justice reform.
Priority bills: As a member of the State Assembly, she has authored bills to improve economic development, criminal justice reform, access to housing, and to protect communities from the impacts of warehouses. This term, she has authored 26 bills about air pollution, housing, social services, education, and worker protections. Of these, eleven have been successfully chaptered into law, two have been vetoed, and the rest remain in committee. She scores a Lifetime CS of 98 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assm. Reyes has supported the most progressive bills that made it to a vote, and was designated a Courage All-Star during the 2022 legislative cycle.
Governance and community leadership experience: Assm. Reyes has held several leadership roles during her time in the Assembly, including serving as co-chair of the Legislative Ethics Committee, and assistant majority whip. In 2020, she became the first Latina to be appointed Assembly majority leader. Prior to her election to the State Assembly, Assm. Reyes taught as an adjunct professor at Cal Poly Pomona, provided free legal aid to residents of the Inland Empire, and co-founded the Inland Empire Community Health Center. She is a longtime supporter of environmental protection.
Other background: Assm. Reyes grew up in the San Bernardino Valley and lives in Grand Terrace, CA.
The Race
Primary election: There are four candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Assm. Eloise Gómez Reyes (D), Jason O’Brien (D), Carlos Garcia (R), and Kathleen Hazelton (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Reyes’s campaign has raised $517,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by real estate interests.
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: The campaigns of O’Brien, Garcia, and Hazelton have not filed any campaign finance receipts with the California Secretary of State’s office as of October 2023.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 29th State Senate District includes parts of San Bernardino County.
Voter registration: 47% Democrat, 23% Republican, and 22% No Party Preference.
District demographics: 54% Latino, 6% Asian, and 13% Black. This district is considered to be one of the strong Latino seats in the California State Senate delegation.
Recent election results: SD-29 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 27 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 11 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
Courage California endorses Assemblymember Eloise Reyes for state Senate to put SD-29 on the right track for progress.
Assemblymember Eloise Reyes’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will be a progressive voice for the constituents of SD-29 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.
Progressive endorsements: Assm. Reyes has the endorsement of many progressive groups and labor unions, including Courage California, California Working Families Party, California Environmental Voters, IE United, and United Farm Workers. She is also endorsed by many elected officials, including Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, State Controller Malia Cohen, and San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran.
Electoral history: Assm. Reyes has served in the State Assembly since 2016, when she won her election with over 54% of the vote. In 2022, she won her re-election against a Republican challenger by 14 points.
Top issues: Environmental and climate protections, affordable housing, education, and criminal justice reform.
Priority bills: As a member of the State Assembly, she has authored bills to improve economic development, criminal justice reform, access to housing, and to protect communities from the impacts of warehouses. This term, she has authored 26 bills about air pollution, housing, social services, education, and worker protections. Of these, eleven have been successfully chaptered into law, two have been vetoed, and the rest remain in committee. She scores a Lifetime CS of 98 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assm. Reyes has supported the most progressive bills that made it to a vote, and was designated a Courage All-Star during the 2022 legislative cycle.
Governance and community leadership experience: Assm. Reyes has held several leadership roles during her time in the Assembly, including serving as co-chair of the Legislative Ethics Committee, and assistant majority whip. In 2020, she became the first Latina to be appointed Assembly majority leader. Prior to her election to the State Assembly, Assm. Reyes taught as an adjunct professor at Cal Poly Pomona, provided free legal aid to residents of the Inland Empire, and co-founded the Inland Empire Community Health Center. She is a longtime supporter of environmental protection.
Other background: Assm. Reyes grew up in the San Bernardino Valley and lives in Grand Terrace, CA.
The Race
Primary election: There are four candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Assm. Eloise Gómez Reyes (D), Jason O’Brien (D), Carlos Garcia (R), and Kathleen Hazelton (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Reyes’s campaign has raised $517,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by real estate interests.
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: The campaigns of O’Brien, Garcia, and Hazelton have not filed any campaign finance receipts with the California Secretary of State’s office as of October 2023.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 29th State Senate District includes parts of San Bernardino County.
Voter registration: 47% Democrat, 23% Republican, and 22% No Party Preference.
District demographics: 54% Latino, 6% Asian, and 13% Black. This district is considered to be one of the strong Latino seats in the California State Senate delegation.
Recent election results: SD-29 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 27 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 11 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
San Bernardino County, District 3
Depending on where you live, you may have the below county-districted races on your ballot.
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.
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 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.