A week ago, we took a look at California's worst state legislator, Devon Mathis. Since then, I've had dozens of people asking me-- or telling me-- about his Democratic opponent, Drew Phelps. And, by popular demand-- as well as our own vetting-- today Blue America is officially endorsing young Mr. Phelps.
Jonathan Abboud is running for an open blue seat in the California state Assembly-- the 37th district which runs along the coast from Point Conception through Goleta, Santa Barbara, Carpinteria and Ventura into Oxnard. It includes just over half of Santa Barbara County and almost 30% of Ventura County. Democrats usually win there with over 60%. Hillary beat Trump in the district 64.3% to 29.2%.
If the old maxim is true that absolute power corrupts absolutely, then California Democrats have a very real problem. As the power and legitimacy of the GOP has waned, Democrats have seized control of a supermajority in the state, with both hands.
Eric Ohlsen is the progressive candidate, endorsed by Blue America, running for the Antelope Valley state Assembly seat occupied by Tom Lackey, the last Republican in the Assembly from Los Angeles County. One of his top priorities is to help clean up corruption in Sacrament by getting corporate sewer money out of the electoral process.
Los Angeles doesn't have any Republicans in its congressional delegation any longer-- and there's only one left in the delegation it sends to the Assembly in Sacramento, Tom Lackey of Palmdale (AD-36). His name is an apt description. The Antelope Valley seat stretches from southern Kern County through the northeast corner of Los Angeles County and into northern San Bernardino County.
I don't follow the California state legislature as closely as I should. My excuse is that I'm too busy watching Congress and don't have the time. Luckily, here in California we have the Courage Campaign doing to job for us. This week they released their latest assessment of how the individual members of the state legislature are doing.
Paul Ryan was whining about how long it was taking for all the votes to be counted in California, primarily because absentee ballots were coming in overwhelmingly for Democrats and after election day, vote counting flipped 4 more Republican seats including one in Orange County and two in the Central Valley that left Ryan allies Mimi Walters, Jeff Denham and David Valadao unemployed.
23% of registered voters in California's 15th Assembly district declined to state a party preference. 66% are Democrats. 6% are Republicans. Most of the district is Berkeley, Richmond and Oakland, along with smaller communities like Albany, Emeryville, Piedmont, El Cerrito, Hercules, Pinole, San Pablo, El Sobrante and Kensington. Trump managed to pull 7% of the vote there. The demographic make-up is a great mix:
In May we profiled two candidates in California's 15th Assembly District, which includes parts of Berkeley, Richmond, Oakland, Albany, Emeryville, Piedmont, El Cerrito, Pinole, El Sobrante, Hercules and Kensington. The demographics: 39.40% White, 27.1% Latino, 19.9% Asian and 16.31% Black.
