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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.
18th Congressional District
Re-elect Congressional Representative Zoe Lofgren to keep CD-18 on the right track for progress.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will continue to be a representative voice for the constituents of CD-18 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.
Progressive endorsements: Rep. Lofgren has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including Equality California and California Environmental Voters, as well as labor unions like United Healthcare Workers West.
Top issues: Immigration, the environment, safety, agriculture.
Priority bills: This year, Rep. Lofgren’s priorities for CD-18 have included 9 bills about expanding pathways to citizenship and employment for immigrants, and prioritizing public safety in construction and development. All currently remain in committee.
Member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus?: Yes.
Committee leadership/membership: Rep. Lofgren currently sits on 2 committees, including the House Committee on the Judiciary. She is also the ranking member on the Science, Space and Technology Committee.
Governance and community leadership experience: Rep. Lofgren has served in this congressional seat since 1994, when she was elected with over 45% of the vote. In 2022, she won her re-election against a Republican challenger by 32 points.
Prior to her role as a member of Congress, she was an immigration lawyer, taught at Santa Clara Law School, and served as staff assistant to Congressman Don Edwards. Rep. Lofgren has been a longtime supporter of women’s rights, abortion protections, and LGBTQIA+ equity. In Congress, she helped pass the DREAM Act of 2019 (and 2010), and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act in the House. She has opposed the Trump administration's immigration policies, and has called for an end to the detention centers, and for foreign aid to end the instability in Central America that leads to people fleeing their homes. As the representative for the heart of Silicon Valley, she has been active on internet and technology issues. She fought the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the NSA surveillance of Americans, and recently introduced the Online Privacy Act. However, she has been criticized for not taking a stronger stance on holding Big Tech more accountable, even on antitrust bills that have bipartisan support and despite strong support from her constituents.
Other background: Rep. Lofgren was born and raised in the Bay Area, and attended Stanford and Santa Clara Law School.
The Race
Primary election: There are 4 candidates running in the March 5 primary, including incumbent Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D), Peter Hernandez (R), Luele Kifle (D), and Lawrence Milan (D). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Rep. Lofgren’s campaign has raised $1,038,116 and is not funded by police money. She has accepted donations from the fossil fuel and real estate industries, as well as from corporate PACs.
Opposing candidate: Republican Peter Hernandez
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Hernandez’s campaign has raised $41,458. He has not pledged to refuse donations from the police, the fossil fuel industry, real estate industry, or corporate PACs. He is also funded by WinRed, a
Republican PAC backed by Donald Trump that came under fire in 2021 for
misleading donors by marking their one-time donations as recurring.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 18th Congressional District includes San Benito County and parts of Monterey, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz Counties.
Voter registration: 54% Democrat, 17% Republican, and 23% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.
District demographics: 51% Latino, 14% Asian, and 3% Black. This district is considered to be one of the 16 strong Latino seats in the California congressional delegation.
Recent election results: CD-18 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 44 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 30 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 Zoe Lofgren to keep CD-18 on the right track for progress.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will continue to be a representative voice for the constituents of CD-18 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.
Progressive endorsements: Rep. Lofgren has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including Equality California and California Environmental Voters, as well as labor unions like United Healthcare Workers West.
Top issues: Immigration, the environment, safety, agriculture.
Priority bills: This year, Rep. Lofgren’s priorities for CD-18 have included 9 bills about expanding pathways to citizenship and employment for immigrants, and prioritizing public safety in construction and development. All currently remain in committee.
Member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus?: Yes.
Committee leadership/membership: Rep. Lofgren currently sits on 2 committees, including the House Committee on the Judiciary. She is also the ranking member on the Science, Space and Technology Committee.
Governance and community leadership experience: Rep. Lofgren has served in this congressional seat since 1994, when she was elected with over 45% of the vote. In 2022, she won her re-election against a Republican challenger by 32 points.
Prior to her role as a member of Congress, she was an immigration lawyer, taught at Santa Clara Law School, and served as staff assistant to Congressman Don Edwards. Rep. Lofgren has been a longtime supporter of women’s rights, abortion protections, and LGBTQIA+ equity. In Congress, she helped pass the DREAM Act of 2019 (and 2010), and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act in the House. She has opposed the Trump administration's immigration policies, and has called for an end to the detention centers, and for foreign aid to end the instability in Central America that leads to people fleeing their homes. As the representative for the heart of Silicon Valley, she has been active on internet and technology issues. She fought the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the NSA surveillance of Americans, and recently introduced the Online Privacy Act. However, she has been criticized for not taking a stronger stance on holding Big Tech more accountable, even on antitrust bills that have bipartisan support and despite strong support from her constituents.
Other background: Rep. Lofgren was born and raised in the Bay Area, and attended Stanford and Santa Clara Law School.
The Race
Primary election: There are 4 candidates running in the March 5 primary, including incumbent Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D), Peter Hernandez (R), Luele Kifle (D), and Lawrence Milan (D). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Rep. Lofgren’s campaign has raised $1,038,116 and is not funded by police money. She has accepted donations from the fossil fuel and real estate industries, as well as from corporate PACs.
Opposing candidate: Republican Peter Hernandez
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Hernandez’s campaign has raised $41,458. He has not pledged to refuse donations from the police, the fossil fuel industry, real estate industry, or corporate PACs. He is also funded by WinRed, a
Republican PAC backed by Donald Trump that came under fire in 2021 for
misleading donors by marking their one-time donations as recurring.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 18th Congressional District includes San Benito County and parts of Monterey, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz Counties.
Voter registration: 54% Democrat, 17% Republican, and 23% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.
District demographics: 51% Latino, 14% Asian, and 3% Black. This district is considered to be one of the 16 strong Latino seats in the California congressional delegation.
Recent election results: CD-18 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 44 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 30 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 Zoe Lofgren to keep CD-18 on the right track for progress.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will continue to be a representative voice for the constituents of CD-18 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.
Progressive endorsements: Rep. Lofgren has the endorsement of some progressive groups, including Equality California and California Environmental Voters, as well as labor unions like United Healthcare Workers West.
Top issues: Immigration, the environment, safety, agriculture.
Priority bills: This year, Rep. Lofgren’s priorities for CD-18 have included 9 bills about expanding pathways to citizenship and employment for immigrants, and prioritizing public safety in construction and development. All currently remain in committee.
Member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus?: Yes.
Committee leadership/membership: Rep. Lofgren currently sits on 2 committees, including the House Committee on the Judiciary. She is also the ranking member on the Science, Space and Technology Committee.
Governance and community leadership experience: Rep. Lofgren has served in this congressional seat since 1994, when she was elected with over 45% of the vote. In 2022, she won her re-election against a Republican challenger by 32 points.
Prior to her role as a member of Congress, she was an immigration lawyer, taught at Santa Clara Law School, and served as staff assistant to Congressman Don Edwards. Rep. Lofgren has been a longtime supporter of women’s rights, abortion protections, and LGBTQIA+ equity. In Congress, she helped pass the DREAM Act of 2019 (and 2010), and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act in the House. She has opposed the Trump administration's immigration policies, and has called for an end to the detention centers, and for foreign aid to end the instability in Central America that leads to people fleeing their homes. As the representative for the heart of Silicon Valley, she has been active on internet and technology issues. She fought the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the NSA surveillance of Americans, and recently introduced the Online Privacy Act. However, she has been criticized for not taking a stronger stance on holding Big Tech more accountable, even on antitrust bills that have bipartisan support and despite strong support from her constituents.
Other background: Rep. Lofgren was born and raised in the Bay Area, and attended Stanford and Santa Clara Law School.
The Race
Primary election: There are 4 candidates running in the March 5 primary, including incumbent Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D), Peter Hernandez (R), Luele Kifle (D), and Lawrence Milan (D). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Rep. Lofgren’s campaign has raised $1,038,116 and is not funded by police money. She has accepted donations from the fossil fuel and real estate industries, as well as from corporate PACs.
Opposing candidate: Republican Peter Hernandez
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Hernandez’s campaign has raised $41,458. He has not pledged to refuse donations from the police, the fossil fuel industry, real estate industry, or corporate PACs. He is also funded by WinRed, a
Republican PAC backed by Donald Trump that came under fire in 2021 for
misleading donors by marking their one-time donations as recurring.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 18th Congressional District includes San Benito County and parts of Monterey, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz Counties.
Voter registration: 54% Democrat, 17% Republican, and 23% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.
District demographics: 51% Latino, 14% Asian, and 3% Black. This district is considered to be one of the 16 strong Latino seats in the California congressional delegation.
Recent election results: CD-18 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 44 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 30 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, 29th District
Re-elect Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas to keep AD-29 on the right track for progress.
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will continue to be a progressive voice for the constituents of AD-29 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.
Progressive endorsements: Speaker Rivas has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including AFSCME California, Sierra Club California, and California Environmental Voters. He has also received endorsements from problematic stakeholders in previous elections, including a police group.
Top issues: Agriculture, environmental protections, water management, farmworker rights and protections, education, taxation, and reproductive rights.
Priority bills: This year, Speaker Rivas’s priorities for AD-29 have included seven bills about water management, global warming, and school meals. Of these, six have been successfully chaptered into law and the rest remain in committee. He has sponsored and passed legislation to bring awareness to stuttering, bring awareness to school nutrition programs, and establish qualifications for the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency board. In previous legislative cycles, Assm. Rivas secured the enactment of the first-in-the-nation COVID-19 Farmworker Relief Package, which included access to PPE and testing, temporary housing, and access to health care and the courts. He also championed the Farmworker Housing Act, which streamlines the process to build quality housing for farmworkers and their families. Rivas also won passage of the $89 million Golden State Teacher Grant Program, which provides $20,000 scholarships to teachers who commit to teach high-need subjects—like STEM, special education, and bilingual education—in schools that face a shortage of qualified teachers. He scores a Lifetime CS of 95 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Speaker Rivas has supported the most progressive bills that made it to a vote and is designated as a Courage All-Star. That said, Speaker Rivas has failed to cast a vote on several significant bills in recent years, including legislation to allow sheriff oversight boards, strengthen food-safety training requirements, and prevent dialysis companies from boosting corporate profits.
Committee leadership/membership: Speaker Rivas currently sits on seven committees, including Mobility in the Golden State, Social Housing, State Parks, Status of Boys and Men of Color, and California-Mexico Bi-National Affairs. He also serves as chair of the Joint Committee on Fairs Allocation and Classification. In 2022, Speaker Rivas announced that he had gathered enough votes to oust then Speaker Anthony Rendon, and was formally elected in December. He took over as Speaker of the Assembly in June 2023. Assm. Rivas is also a member of the California Legislative Progressive Caucus, and the California Legislative Latino Caucus.
Governance and community leadership experience: Speaker Rivas has served in this assembly seat since 2018, when he was elected with over 68% of the vote. In 2022, he won his re-election against a Republican challenger by 28 points.
Prior to his election to the State Assembly, Speaker Rivas held several community leadership positions, including working as a firefighter and a teacher. In 2010, he was elected to the San Benito County Board of Supervisors, where he worked to ban Big Oil and fracking in the county. Speaker Rivas grew up in the Central Coast farmworker community, and has been a longtime supporter of initiatives to protect the environment and California’s natural resources.
Other background: Speaker Rivas grew up in Paicines and now lives in Hollister. He is a lifelong resident of the 29th district, and credits his labor organizer grandfather with inspiring his path to public service. Notably, Speaker Rivas’s brother, Rick Rivas, has been one of his closest advisors for much of his political career. Rick Rivas is a vice president of the American Beverage Association and also serves as an advisor for a problematic campaign donor network called Govern for California, which has worked against organized labor in the past and is funded primarily by big tech donors.
The Race
Primary election: There are three candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D), Stephanie Castro (R), and James Paine (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Speaker Rivas’s campaign has raised $1.8 million as of December 2023, and is funded by police, real estate, corporate PAC, and fossil fuel interests.
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Neither of the challengers in this race have filed any campaign fundraising receipts with the Secretary of State’s office as of December 2023.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 29th Assembly District includes parts of Monterey, Santa Clara, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties.
Voter registration: 53% Democrat, 19% Republican, and 21% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this seat.
District demographics: 55% Latino, 6% Asian, and 2% Black. This district is considered to be one of the strong Latino seats in the California Assembly delegation.
Recent election results: AD-29 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 40 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 20 points.
The Position
State assemblymembers represent and advocate for the needs of their district constituents at the California State Capitol. They are responsible for creating, debating, and voting on legislation that addresses issues within their district.
The California State Assembly has 80 districts. Each represents a population of at least 465,000 Californians. Representatives are elected to the Assembly for a two-year term. Every two years, all 80 seats are subject to election. Members elected before 2012 are restricted to three two-year terms (six years) in the Assembly. Those elected in or after 2012 are allowed to serve 12 years total across both the state Senate or Assembly. This term, Democrats currently hold a three-quarters supermajority of 60 seats in the California State Assembly, while Republicans hold 19 seats and one seat is held by an Independent.
Re-elect Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas to keep AD-29 on the right track for progress.
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will continue to be a progressive voice for the constituents of AD-29 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.
Progressive endorsements: Speaker Rivas has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including AFSCME California, Sierra Club California, and California Environmental Voters. He has also received endorsements from problematic stakeholders in previous elections, including a police group.
Top issues: Agriculture, environmental protections, water management, farmworker rights and protections, education, taxation, and reproductive rights.
Priority bills: This year, Speaker Rivas’s priorities for AD-29 have included seven bills about water management, global warming, and school meals. Of these, six have been successfully chaptered into law and the rest remain in committee. He has sponsored and passed legislation to bring awareness to stuttering, bring awareness to school nutrition programs, and establish qualifications for the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency board. In previous legislative cycles, Assm. Rivas secured the enactment of the first-in-the-nation COVID-19 Farmworker Relief Package, which included access to PPE and testing, temporary housing, and access to health care and the courts. He also championed the Farmworker Housing Act, which streamlines the process to build quality housing for farmworkers and their families. Rivas also won passage of the $89 million Golden State Teacher Grant Program, which provides $20,000 scholarships to teachers who commit to teach high-need subjects—like STEM, special education, and bilingual education—in schools that face a shortage of qualified teachers. He scores a Lifetime CS of 95 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Speaker Rivas has supported the most progressive bills that made it to a vote and is designated as a Courage All-Star. That said, Speaker Rivas has failed to cast a vote on several significant bills in recent years, including legislation to allow sheriff oversight boards, strengthen food-safety training requirements, and prevent dialysis companies from boosting corporate profits.
Committee leadership/membership: Speaker Rivas currently sits on seven committees, including Mobility in the Golden State, Social Housing, State Parks, Status of Boys and Men of Color, and California-Mexico Bi-National Affairs. He also serves as chair of the Joint Committee on Fairs Allocation and Classification. In 2022, Speaker Rivas announced that he had gathered enough votes to oust then Speaker Anthony Rendon, and was formally elected in December. He took over as Speaker of the Assembly in June 2023. Assm. Rivas is also a member of the California Legislative Progressive Caucus, and the California Legislative Latino Caucus.
Governance and community leadership experience: Speaker Rivas has served in this assembly seat since 2018, when he was elected with over 68% of the vote. In 2022, he won his re-election against a Republican challenger by 28 points.
Prior to his election to the State Assembly, Speaker Rivas held several community leadership positions, including working as a firefighter and a teacher. In 2010, he was elected to the San Benito County Board of Supervisors, where he worked to ban Big Oil and fracking in the county. Speaker Rivas grew up in the Central Coast farmworker community, and has been a longtime supporter of initiatives to protect the environment and California’s natural resources.
Other background: Speaker Rivas grew up in Paicines and now lives in Hollister. He is a lifelong resident of the 29th district, and credits his labor organizer grandfather with inspiring his path to public service. Notably, Speaker Rivas’s brother, Rick Rivas, has been one of his closest advisors for much of his political career. Rick Rivas is a vice president of the American Beverage Association and also serves as an advisor for a problematic campaign donor network called Govern for California, which has worked against organized labor in the past and is funded primarily by big tech donors.
The Race
Primary election: There are three candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D), Stephanie Castro (R), and James Paine (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Speaker Rivas’s campaign has raised $1.8 million as of December 2023, and is funded by police, real estate, corporate PAC, and fossil fuel interests.
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Neither of the challengers in this race have filed any campaign fundraising receipts with the Secretary of State’s office as of December 2023.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 29th Assembly District includes parts of Monterey, Santa Clara, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties.
Voter registration: 53% Democrat, 19% Republican, and 21% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this seat.
District demographics: 55% Latino, 6% Asian, and 2% Black. This district is considered to be one of the strong Latino seats in the California Assembly delegation.
Recent election results: AD-29 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 40 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 20 points.
The Position
State assemblymembers represent and advocate for the needs of their district constituents at the California State Capitol. They are responsible for creating, debating, and voting on legislation that addresses issues within their district.
The California State Assembly has 80 districts. Each represents a population of at least 465,000 Californians. Representatives are elected to the Assembly for a two-year term. Every two years, all 80 seats are subject to election. Members elected before 2012 are restricted to three two-year terms (six years) in the Assembly. Those elected in or after 2012 are allowed to serve 12 years total across both the state Senate or Assembly. This term, Democrats currently hold a three-quarters supermajority of 60 seats in the California State Assembly, while Republicans hold 19 seats and one seat is held by an Independent.
Re-elect Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas to keep AD-29 on the right track for progress.
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will continue to be a progressive voice for the constituents of AD-29 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.
Progressive endorsements: Speaker Rivas has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including AFSCME California, Sierra Club California, and California Environmental Voters. He has also received endorsements from problematic stakeholders in previous elections, including a police group.
Top issues: Agriculture, environmental protections, water management, farmworker rights and protections, education, taxation, and reproductive rights.
Priority bills: This year, Speaker Rivas’s priorities for AD-29 have included seven bills about water management, global warming, and school meals. Of these, six have been successfully chaptered into law and the rest remain in committee. He has sponsored and passed legislation to bring awareness to stuttering, bring awareness to school nutrition programs, and establish qualifications for the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency board. In previous legislative cycles, Assm. Rivas secured the enactment of the first-in-the-nation COVID-19 Farmworker Relief Package, which included access to PPE and testing, temporary housing, and access to health care and the courts. He also championed the Farmworker Housing Act, which streamlines the process to build quality housing for farmworkers and their families. Rivas also won passage of the $89 million Golden State Teacher Grant Program, which provides $20,000 scholarships to teachers who commit to teach high-need subjects—like STEM, special education, and bilingual education—in schools that face a shortage of qualified teachers. He scores a Lifetime CS of 95 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Speaker Rivas has supported the most progressive bills that made it to a vote and is designated as a Courage All-Star. That said, Speaker Rivas has failed to cast a vote on several significant bills in recent years, including legislation to allow sheriff oversight boards, strengthen food-safety training requirements, and prevent dialysis companies from boosting corporate profits.
Committee leadership/membership: Speaker Rivas currently sits on seven committees, including Mobility in the Golden State, Social Housing, State Parks, Status of Boys and Men of Color, and California-Mexico Bi-National Affairs. He also serves as chair of the Joint Committee on Fairs Allocation and Classification. In 2022, Speaker Rivas announced that he had gathered enough votes to oust then Speaker Anthony Rendon, and was formally elected in December. He took over as Speaker of the Assembly in June 2023. Assm. Rivas is also a member of the California Legislative Progressive Caucus, and the California Legislative Latino Caucus.
Governance and community leadership experience: Speaker Rivas has served in this assembly seat since 2018, when he was elected with over 68% of the vote. In 2022, he won his re-election against a Republican challenger by 28 points.
Prior to his election to the State Assembly, Speaker Rivas held several community leadership positions, including working as a firefighter and a teacher. In 2010, he was elected to the San Benito County Board of Supervisors, where he worked to ban Big Oil and fracking in the county. Speaker Rivas grew up in the Central Coast farmworker community, and has been a longtime supporter of initiatives to protect the environment and California’s natural resources.
Other background: Speaker Rivas grew up in Paicines and now lives in Hollister. He is a lifelong resident of the 29th district, and credits his labor organizer grandfather with inspiring his path to public service. Notably, Speaker Rivas’s brother, Rick Rivas, has been one of his closest advisors for much of his political career. Rick Rivas is a vice president of the American Beverage Association and also serves as an advisor for a problematic campaign donor network called Govern for California, which has worked against organized labor in the past and is funded primarily by big tech donors.
The Race
Primary election: There are three candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D), Stephanie Castro (R), and James Paine (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Speaker Rivas’s campaign has raised $1.8 million as of December 2023, and is funded by police, real estate, corporate PAC, and fossil fuel interests.
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Neither of the challengers in this race have filed any campaign fundraising receipts with the Secretary of State’s office as of December 2023.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 29th Assembly District includes parts of Monterey, Santa Clara, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties.
Voter registration: 53% Democrat, 19% Republican, and 21% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this seat.
District demographics: 55% Latino, 6% Asian, and 2% Black. This district is considered to be one of the strong Latino seats in the California Assembly delegation.
Recent election results: AD-29 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 40 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 20 points.
The Position
State assemblymembers represent and advocate for the needs of their district constituents at the California State Capitol. They are responsible for creating, debating, and voting on legislation that addresses issues within their district.
The California State Assembly has 80 districts. Each represents a population of at least 465,000 Californians. Representatives are elected to the Assembly for a two-year term. Every two years, all 80 seats are subject to election. Members elected before 2012 are restricted to three two-year terms (six years) in the Assembly. Those elected in or after 2012 are allowed to serve 12 years total across both the state Senate or Assembly. This term, Democrats currently hold a three-quarters supermajority of 60 seats in the California State Assembly, while Republicans hold 19 seats and one seat is held by an Independent.
State Senator, 17th District
Re-elect State Senator John Laird to keep SD-17 on the right track for progress.
Sen. John Laird’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will continue to be a progressive voice for the constituents of SD-17 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.
Progressive endorsements: Sen. Laird has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte, California School Employees Association, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, and California Teachers Association. He has also received the endorsement of many local leaders, including State Sen. Monique Limón, Assm. Speaker Robert Rivas, Assm. Ash Kalra, Carmel Mayor Dave Potter, and county supervisors in San Luis Obispo, Monterey, and Santa Cruz. He has received problematic donations from police, real estate, and corporate PAC interests, including Peace Officers Research Association of California PAC, California Apartment Association PAC, and The Home Depot, Inc.
Top issues: Sierra Nevada conservation, environmental protections and LEED certification, criminal justice reform, water infrastructure, LGBTQIA+ rights, public transit, disability rights and improved accessibility, and worker protections.
Priority bills: This year, Sen. Laird’s priorities for SD-17 have included 25 bills about water, criminal justice, climate and environmental protections, and state retirement plans. Of these, 19 have been successfully chaptered into law and remain in committee. This session, his legislation has included SB544 to improve disability access for state meetings. He has also authored SB857 to require that the state superintendent of Public Instruction establish a task force to advise on supportive policies and initiatives for the well-being of LGBTQIA+ students. He scores a CS of 100 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Sen. Laird has supported all progressive bills that made it to a vote.
Committee leadership/membership: Sen. Laird currently sits on eight committees, including Budget & Fiscal Review, Judiciary, Natural Resources & Water, and Rules. He serves as chair of the Senate Budget Subcommittee #1 (Education), and as the vice chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Rules. Sen. Laird is a member of the LGBTQ Caucus.
Governance and community leadership experience: Sen. Laird has served in this state Senate seat since 2020, when he was elected with over 64% of the vote. In 2010, he ran for the SD-15 seat in a special election, but lost to a Republican challenger.
Prior to his election to the state Senate, Sen. Laird held several public service positions. He was an elected member of the Santa Cruz City Council in the 1980s, serving two terms as mayor, and was a member of the Cabrillo College Board of Trustees. In 2002, Sen. Laird was elected to the AD-27 seat in the California State Assembly, and served three terms in the legislature. While serving in the Assembly, Sen. Laird authored 82 bills that were signed into law. After departing the Assembly, he was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to serve as California secretary for Natural Resources. His other professional experiences include serving as executive director of the Santa Cruz AIDS Project and teaching state environmental policy at UC Santa Cruz.
Other background: Sen. Laird is from Vallejo. He was one of the first openly gay mayors to serve in the United States.
The Race
Primary election: There are three candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Sen. John Laird (D), Eric Tao (R), and Tony Virrueta (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Sen. Laird’s campaign has raised $1.2 million as of October 2023, and is not funded by fossil fuel donors. He has received problematic donations from real estate, police, and corporate PAC donors.
Opposing candidate: Republican Tony Virrueta
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Virrueta’s campaign has raised $9,000 and is funded entirely by individual donors.
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Tao’s campaign has not filed any campaign finance disclosures with the California Secretary of State’s office as of October 2023.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 17th State Senate District includes parts of Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo, and San Benito Counties.
Voter registration: 51% Democrat, 22% Republican, and 20% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.
District demographics: 28% Latino, 6% Asian, and 2% Black.
Recent election results: SD-17 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 39 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 28 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.
Re-elect State Senator John Laird to keep SD-17 on the right track for progress.
Sen. John Laird’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will continue to be a progressive voice for the constituents of SD-17 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.
Progressive endorsements: Sen. Laird has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte, California School Employees Association, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, and California Teachers Association. He has also received the endorsement of many local leaders, including State Sen. Monique Limón, Assm. Speaker Robert Rivas, Assm. Ash Kalra, Carmel Mayor Dave Potter, and county supervisors in San Luis Obispo, Monterey, and Santa Cruz. He has received problematic donations from police, real estate, and corporate PAC interests, including Peace Officers Research Association of California PAC, California Apartment Association PAC, and The Home Depot, Inc.
Top issues: Sierra Nevada conservation, environmental protections and LEED certification, criminal justice reform, water infrastructure, LGBTQIA+ rights, public transit, disability rights and improved accessibility, and worker protections.
Priority bills: This year, Sen. Laird’s priorities for SD-17 have included 25 bills about water, criminal justice, climate and environmental protections, and state retirement plans. Of these, 19 have been successfully chaptered into law and remain in committee. This session, his legislation has included SB544 to improve disability access for state meetings. He has also authored SB857 to require that the state superintendent of Public Instruction establish a task force to advise on supportive policies and initiatives for the well-being of LGBTQIA+ students. He scores a CS of 100 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Sen. Laird has supported all progressive bills that made it to a vote.
Committee leadership/membership: Sen. Laird currently sits on eight committees, including Budget & Fiscal Review, Judiciary, Natural Resources & Water, and Rules. He serves as chair of the Senate Budget Subcommittee #1 (Education), and as the vice chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Rules. Sen. Laird is a member of the LGBTQ Caucus.
Governance and community leadership experience: Sen. Laird has served in this state Senate seat since 2020, when he was elected with over 64% of the vote. In 2010, he ran for the SD-15 seat in a special election, but lost to a Republican challenger.
Prior to his election to the state Senate, Sen. Laird held several public service positions. He was an elected member of the Santa Cruz City Council in the 1980s, serving two terms as mayor, and was a member of the Cabrillo College Board of Trustees. In 2002, Sen. Laird was elected to the AD-27 seat in the California State Assembly, and served three terms in the legislature. While serving in the Assembly, Sen. Laird authored 82 bills that were signed into law. After departing the Assembly, he was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to serve as California secretary for Natural Resources. His other professional experiences include serving as executive director of the Santa Cruz AIDS Project and teaching state environmental policy at UC Santa Cruz.
Other background: Sen. Laird is from Vallejo. He was one of the first openly gay mayors to serve in the United States.
The Race
Primary election: There are three candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Sen. John Laird (D), Eric Tao (R), and Tony Virrueta (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Sen. Laird’s campaign has raised $1.2 million as of October 2023, and is not funded by fossil fuel donors. He has received problematic donations from real estate, police, and corporate PAC donors.
Opposing candidate: Republican Tony Virrueta
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Virrueta’s campaign has raised $9,000 and is funded entirely by individual donors.
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Tao’s campaign has not filed any campaign finance disclosures with the California Secretary of State’s office as of October 2023.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 17th State Senate District includes parts of Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo, and San Benito Counties.
Voter registration: 51% Democrat, 22% Republican, and 20% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.
District demographics: 28% Latino, 6% Asian, and 2% Black.
Recent election results: SD-17 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 39 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 28 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.
Re-elect State Senator John Laird to keep SD-17 on the right track for progress.
Sen. John Laird’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will continue to be a progressive voice for the constituents of SD-17 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.
Progressive endorsements: Sen. Laird has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte, California School Employees Association, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, and California Teachers Association. He has also received the endorsement of many local leaders, including State Sen. Monique Limón, Assm. Speaker Robert Rivas, Assm. Ash Kalra, Carmel Mayor Dave Potter, and county supervisors in San Luis Obispo, Monterey, and Santa Cruz. He has received problematic donations from police, real estate, and corporate PAC interests, including Peace Officers Research Association of California PAC, California Apartment Association PAC, and The Home Depot, Inc.
Top issues: Sierra Nevada conservation, environmental protections and LEED certification, criminal justice reform, water infrastructure, LGBTQIA+ rights, public transit, disability rights and improved accessibility, and worker protections.
Priority bills: This year, Sen. Laird’s priorities for SD-17 have included 25 bills about water, criminal justice, climate and environmental protections, and state retirement plans. Of these, 19 have been successfully chaptered into law and remain in committee. This session, his legislation has included SB544 to improve disability access for state meetings. He has also authored SB857 to require that the state superintendent of Public Instruction establish a task force to advise on supportive policies and initiatives for the well-being of LGBTQIA+ students. He scores a CS of 100 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Sen. Laird has supported all progressive bills that made it to a vote.
Committee leadership/membership: Sen. Laird currently sits on eight committees, including Budget & Fiscal Review, Judiciary, Natural Resources & Water, and Rules. He serves as chair of the Senate Budget Subcommittee #1 (Education), and as the vice chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Rules. Sen. Laird is a member of the LGBTQ Caucus.
Governance and community leadership experience: Sen. Laird has served in this state Senate seat since 2020, when he was elected with over 64% of the vote. In 2010, he ran for the SD-15 seat in a special election, but lost to a Republican challenger.
Prior to his election to the state Senate, Sen. Laird held several public service positions. He was an elected member of the Santa Cruz City Council in the 1980s, serving two terms as mayor, and was a member of the Cabrillo College Board of Trustees. In 2002, Sen. Laird was elected to the AD-27 seat in the California State Assembly, and served three terms in the legislature. While serving in the Assembly, Sen. Laird authored 82 bills that were signed into law. After departing the Assembly, he was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to serve as California secretary for Natural Resources. His other professional experiences include serving as executive director of the Santa Cruz AIDS Project and teaching state environmental policy at UC Santa Cruz.
Other background: Sen. Laird is from Vallejo. He was one of the first openly gay mayors to serve in the United States.
The Race
Primary election: There are three candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Sen. John Laird (D), Eric Tao (R), and Tony Virrueta (R). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Sen. Laird’s campaign has raised $1.2 million as of October 2023, and is not funded by fossil fuel donors. He has received problematic donations from real estate, police, and corporate PAC donors.
Opposing candidate: Republican Tony Virrueta
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Virrueta’s campaign has raised $9,000 and is funded entirely by individual donors.
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Tao’s campaign has not filed any campaign finance disclosures with the California Secretary of State’s office as of October 2023.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 17th State Senate District includes parts of Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo, and San Benito Counties.
Voter registration: 51% Democrat, 22% Republican, and 20% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.
District demographics: 28% Latino, 6% Asian, and 2% Black.
Recent election results: SD-17 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 39 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 28 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.
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.