State Legislature

Toni Atkins stepped into her new role as the first woman and first openly gay president pro tempore of the California Senate, two years after serving as speaker of the State Assembly.

For the upcoming primary elections, California Donor Table and Voices for Progress jointly endorsed Vicky Santana in Senate District 32*, Robert Rivas in Assembly District 30, Mike Eng in Senate District 22 and Maria Elena Durazo in Senate District 24.  Please contribute to their campaigns via the links and send more progressive legislators to Sacramento!  We will be tracking these races closely and will keep you updated.

*A note that Vicky is running in a special election (primary on June 5, run-off on August 7) to serve the remainder of the 2014-2018 term of Tony Mendoza, who resigned from pressure related to sexual misconduct allegations.  She is also running to serve for the 2018-2022 term against Tony Mendoza, who is running for re-election (primary on June 5, general on November 6) with significant funds in his campaign bank.  Yes, the primaries for BOTH elections are on June 5, and this is in the LA region, which historically underperforms in voter turnout, which will likely be an advantage for Mendoza.

California Congressional Races

The LA Times have updated their rankings of California congressional races.  As we head closer to the primaries, the National Republican Congressional Committee opens an office in Orange County, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee considers attacking their own congressional candidates to force candidates out of the race and prevent all-Republican top-two primary results.

In the “name of unity”, Laura Oatman drops out of the CD48 (Rohrabacher) race and endorses Harley Rouda.  Her name will still appear on the ballot due to timing.