Rafu Staff Report

Results for AAPI candidates in the Nov. 5 election for the Legislature included a former member of the Assembly moving to the State Senate.

In State Senate District 37, the Democratic incumbent, Josh Newman, was unseated by his Republican challenger, former Assemblymember Steven Choi, 50.7% to 49.3% or 231,358 to 225,231.

According to Politico, Newman faced opposition AFSCME 3299, which represents University of California employees, because he didn’t support a bill that would have amended the state constitution to protect UC workers’ rights.

Choi was previously elected twice as mayor of Irvine. He represented the 37th Assembly District from 2016 to 2022. In a statement during the Senate campaign, he said, “My philosophy is clear: I will fight for more individual liberty and less government intrusion into our daily lives.”

The newly redistricted 37th includes Irvine, Newport Beach Fullerton, Costa Mesa, Lake Forest, Aliso Viejo and Laguna Niguel, along with parts of Anaheim and Orange.

In Senate District 25, Democrat Sasha Renée Pérez, an Alhambra City Council member, defeated Republican Elizabeth Wong Ahlers, a Crescenta Valley Town Council member, 59.6% to 40.4% or 242,998 to 164,387. The seat is currently held by Democrat Anthony Portantino, who ran for Congress.

Ahlers was the only Republican among five candidates in the March primary. Also running were Monterey Park City Councilmember Yvonne Yiu, Rosemead City Councilmember Sandra Armenta and insurance agent Teddy Cho.

The district includes most San Gabriel Mountains and San Gabriel Valley foothill communities, anchored by Glendale and Pasadena on the west and Upland on the east.

Assembly Races

In Assembly District 32, Vince Fong, listed as the incumbent, defeated fellow Republican Ken Weir, a Bakersfield city councilmember, 59% to 41% or 114,349 to 79,353. Fong, who now represents the 20th Congressional District, has endorsed Weir to replace him. But because Fong’s name remained on the ballot, a special election for the Assembly seat must be held.

Fong was elected to Congress to succeed his mentor, Kevin McCarthy, who resigned after being unseated as House speaker.

The Central Valley district consists of portions of Kern and Tulare counties, including Exeter, Ridgecrest, Tehachapi, Maricopa, and Taft, and parts of Bakersfield and Visalia.
In Assembly District 48, Democratic incumbent Blanca Rubio defeated Republican challenger Dan Tran, a real estate business owner, 61.8% to 38.2% or 101,538 to 62,808.
The district includes West Covina, Baldwin Park, Glendora, Covina, Azusa, Duarte and Monrovia.

In Assembly District 49, Democratic incumbent Mike Fong defeated Republican challenger Long “David” Liu, an attorney, television commentator and podcaster, 62% to 38% or 92,423 to 56,732. Fong took office in 2022, succeeding Edwin Chau, and previously served on the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees.

The San Gabriel Valley district includes Alhambra, Arcadia, El Monte, Montebello, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel, San Marino, South El Monte, South Pasadena, and Temple City.

In Assembly District 52, women’s rights advisor Jessica Caloza, former deputy chief of staff at the California Department of Justice, defeated fellow Democrat Franky Carrillo, a justice advocate, 66.9% to 33.1% or 108,787 to 53,769. The district is currently represented by Democrat Wendy Carrillo, who unsuccessfully ran for Los Angeles City Council.

The district includes parts of Glendale and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of East L.A., El Sereno, Lincoln Heights, Highland Park, Atwater Village, Eagle Rock, Echo Park, Silver Lake and Mount Washington.

In Assembly District 54, Mark Gonzalez defeated fellow Democrat John Yi, 56.3% to 43.7% or 59,485 to 46,246. The district is currently represented by Democrat Miguel Santiago, who did not seek re-election. Gonzalez worked as district director for Santiago. Yi, a nonprofit advocate, was executive director of Los Angeles Walks.

The district includes part of Downtown, Boyle Heights, Westlake, Koreatown, Pico-Union, and Chinatown in Los Angeles as well as the cities of Vernon, Montebello, and Commerce.

In Assembly District 59, Republican incumbent Phillip Chen defeated Democratic challenger Dave Obrand, 60.5% to 39.5% or 138634 to 90,490. First elected in 2016, Chen previously served on the board of the Walnut Valley Unified School District. Obrand is a litigation attorney and serves as deputy county counsel.

The district encompasses portions of Orange and San Bernardino counties and includes Anaheim Hills, Brea, Chino, Chino Hills, Fullerton, North Tustin, Orange, Placentia, Villa Park, and Yorba Linda.

In Assembly District 66, Democratic incumbent Al Muratsuchi defeated Republican challenger George Barks, a former Hermosa Beach city councilmember, 60.2% to 39.8% or 131,565 to 86,914. First elected in 2012, Muratsuchi was narrowly defeated in 2014 but won back the seat in 2016 and has held it ever since.

“We won my State Assembly re-election, but sadly lost the White House,” Muratsuchi said on social media. “I remember the same conflicting feelings I had on election night in 2016. I was deeply moved today when VP Kamala Harris called on young people, especially young women and girls, to not lose hope, but to keep fighting. Thank you to all who have supported me over the years. I will continue to fight for a better country and a better world.”

The district includes Alondra Park, Gardena, Harbor City, Harbor Gateway, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Torrance, and West Carson.

In Assembly District 70, Republican incumbent Tri Ta defeated Democratic challenger Jimmy Pham, an attorney and business owner, 54.7% to 45.3% or 95,686 to 79,244. First elected in 2022, Ta previously served on the Westminster City Council and became the first Vietnamese American elected mayor in the U.S.

The district includes Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Los Alamitos, Midway City, Rossmoor, Stanton, Westminster, and portions of Huntington Beach, Santa Ana and Seal Beach.

In Assembly District 76, Democrat Darshana Patel, a research scientist and Poway Unified School District board member, defeated Republican Kristie Bruce-Lane, a former Olivenhain Municipal Water District board member, 54% to 46% or 112,696 to 95,909. The district is currently represented by Democrat Brian Maienschein, who is termed out.
The district includes San Diego, San Marcos, Del Dios, Elfin Forest, Escondido, Fairbanks Ranch, Harmony Grove, Lake San Marcos and Rancho Santa Fe.

Northern California Races

In Assembly District 10, the Democratic incumbent, Stephanie Nguyen, was elected to a second term by beating Republican challenger Vinaya Singh, 67.7% to 32.3% or 122,140 to 58,174.

Nguyen served on the Elk Grove City Council from 2017 to 2022 and was vice mayor in 2020. Singh has worked as an IT specialist for various companies.

The district extends from southern Sacramento to Elk Grove.

In Assembly District 19, San Francisco Supervisor Catherine Stefani defeated fellow Democrat David E. Lee, an educator, 60.5% to 39.5% or 118,839 to 77,482. Stefani will be the district’s first non-Chinese American representative in more than two decades. The office was previously held by Leland Yee, who became a state senator, and Fiona Ma, the current state treasurer; it is currently held by Phil Ting, who is termed out after serving for 12 years.

The district encompasses western San Francisco and northwestern San Mateo County, and has a population that is 40% Asian American.

In Assembly District 23, incumbent Marc Berman defeated fellow Democrat Lydia Kou, a member of the Palo Alto City Council, 59.8% to 40.2% or 115,724 to 77,826.

The district include parts of San Mateo County (Atherton, Half Moon Bay, Menlo Park, Pacifica, Portola Valley, Woodside) and Santa Clara County (Campbell, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Saratoga and part of San Jose).

In Assembly District 24, Democratic incumbent Alex Lee won a third term by defeating Republican challenger Bob Brunton, a certified financial planner, 66.1% to 33.9% or 105,019 to 53,861. This was Brunon’s sixth run for an Assembly seat.

The district, which covers parts of Alameda County and Santa Clara County, includes Sunol, Newark, Union City, Milpitas and San Jose.

In Assembly District 25, Democratic incumbent Ash Kalra beat Republican challenger Ted Stroll, 68.4% to 31.6% or 107,921 to 49,832. Kalra, a former San Jose city councilmember, has served in the Assembly since 2016. Stroll has worked as a judicial staff attorney for state appellate courts.

The district encompasses parts of eastern San Jose.

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