California Assembly District 52 primary election voter guide

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With incumbent Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo leaving Sacramento to challenge Kevin de León for his Eastside City Council seat in Los Angeles, the race for her Assembly seat is wide open.

Ten candidates are running to replace Carrillo in Assembly District 52, an overwhelmingly Democratic, majority-Latino Los Angeles County district. Only five of the candidates — all Democrats — have reported any fundraising thus far, according to the California Secretary of State’s database.

Of those serious contenders, few are likely to be previously known to voters — meaning they will have their work cut out for them over the next few months. The two candidates who receive the most votes in the March 5 primary will advance to the general election in November.

Here’s a look at the candidates and what they stand for.

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Who are the candidates?

Jessica Caloza, Democrat, women’s rights advisor.

Caloza has been the top fundraiser, bringing in more than $324,000 as of Jan. 16, according to campaign finance reports. The former Los Angeles Board of Public Works commissioner also served in the Obama administration in the U.S. Department of Education and as a staffer to former L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti.

David Girón, Democrat, environmental policy advisor.

Girón has worked at Los Angeles City Hall for more than a decade, first on the staffs of then-Councilmembers Paul Koretz and Mitch O’Farrell and now as Councilmember Bob Blumenfield’s advisor on climate, the environment and energy policy. Girón has raised more than $127,000.

Ari Ruiz, Democrat, housing advocate and former member of city and county commissions.

Ruiz has spent his career working as as a legislative staffer for local, state and federal elected officials, including Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles). He has brought in more than $118,000 in contributions.

Franky Carrillo, Democrat, justice advocate/commissioner.

Carrillo (no relation to the outgoing Assembly member) is a late addition to the field, having first launched a campaign for California’s 27th Congressional District, a purple district currently represented by a Republican. According to his campaign manager, Carrillo ended his congressional bid to help consolidate support behind Democrat George Whitesides. A senior policy advisory at the Los Angeles Innocence Project, Carrillo was wrongfully convicted of murder as a teenager and spent 20 years in prison before his conviction was overturned in 2011. He also has a considerable war chest, having put more than $250,000 into his campaign.

Carlos J. León, Democrat, deputy probation officer.

León, a Los Angeles County probation officer and Army veteran, has raised more than $55,000.

Other candidates include:

Genesis Coronado, Democrat, public education advocate.
Anthony Fanara, Democrat, restaurant owner.
Sofía Quiñones, Democrat, community advocate.
Stephen Sills, Republican, nonprofit research assistant.
Shannel Pittman, Green Party, party diversity committee co-chair.

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Where is the district?

District 52 covers a wide swath of northeastern Los Angeles and parts of L.A. County, including some or all of Glendale and East Los Angeles and the L.A. neighborhoods of El Sereno, Lincoln Heights, Montecito Heights, Highland Park, Glassell Park, Elysian Valley, Mount Washington, Eagle Rock, Los Feliz, Silver Lake and Echo Park.

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Who’s backing whom?

Caloza has been endorsed by a host of unions, U.S. Reps. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park) and Ted Lieu (D-Torrance), California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, state Controller Malia Cohen, state Treasurer Fiona Ma and a long list of state legislators.

Ruiz has the endorsements of Reps. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) and Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks), the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund and the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, the California Teachers Assn. and several members of the Legislature.

Girón has been endorsed by a number of unions, Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian, Councilmembers Bob Blumenfield and Tim McOsker and former Councilmembers Paul Koretz and Mitch O’Farrell.

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Homelessness

California has spent billions of dollars to alleviate homelessness, yet more than 100,000 people sleep on the street and a majority of Californians view homelessness as a big problem in their part of the state.

The Times asked the candidates what they would do as a state lawmaker to address homelessness.

Ruiz said the status quo is clearly not working. “We need to do an audit of expenditures, redistribute funding to proven groups/solutions, and give CARE Court a chance,” he said, referring to California’s new law that allows people to petition the court to request mental health treatment for family members experiencing psychoses.

Caloza said she would fight to speed up the construction of more temporary and permanent housing and provide more accountability for how existing resources are used. She would also support investments in the state’s CARE courts.

Girón touted his City Hall experience, and said voters “need someone who understands this issue at the local level so that incentives exist to ensure that state, city and county services are all pulling in the same direction,” adding: “My goal isn’t to just increase funding, but to focus policy and incentives towards fundamentals we need to achieve our goals.”

Carrillo said he would support policies to require more affordable housing in residential neighborhoods. He would also help bolster existing efforts like recent legislation that allows residential development on some lots zoned for other uses.

Pittman said that more housing is needed, and that the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act and other laws limiting rent control should be repealed.

Quiñones said she would lobby for federal public housing funds for veterans, disabled people and workforce communities.

Coronado advocated for a “a multi-tiered approach that fast-tracks the development of long-term, affordable housing, supports a social housing model, strengthens tenant protections, expands rent control, removes caps on residential density, and increases access to mental health and substance abuse programs.”

Leon said the causes of homelessness must be addressed.

Sills did not answer the question, and Fanara did not reply to any of The Times’ questions.

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California’s budget crisis

California is facing a budget deficit of tens of billions of dollars in the upcoming fiscal year, and shortfalls are also projected in the following years. The Times asked the candidates how they think California should balance its budget.

Most said they support a combination of reducing spending and raising taxes. Sills — the lone Republican in the race — advocated for reducing spending on programs and services. Fanara did not respond.

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Proposition 1

Gov. Gavin Newsom is sponsoring Proposition 1 on the March ballot, a $6.38-billion bond measure to support the mental health system by building more than 11,000 new treatment beds and supportive housing units as well as funding treatment for mental illness and drug addiction.

The plan involves shifting $140 million from county programs to the state, and increased annual costs of $310 million for the state to repay the bonds. We asked the candidates whether they support the proposition.

León, Coronado and Sills said they were undecided.

Ruiz, Caloza, Girón, Carrillo, Pittman and Quiñones said they support Proposition 1.

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Single-payer healthcare

California lawmakers have repeatedly considered overhauling the healthcare system to create a “single payer” system that would insure all state residents.

Sills was the only candidate who said he does not support replacing the current system with a single-payer plan.

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