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GET TO KNOW THE CANDIDATES
The California state Senate is one-half of our state legislature. Along with the Assembly, it essentially serves as California’s Congress. On Nov. 3, voters will choose representatives in half the 40 state Senate districts, each home to more than 900,000 constituents.
Find your district
Not sure who represents you in the California state Legislature? CalMatters has a tool for that. Just type in your address and look it up.
You can also use CalMatters' Digital Democracy tool to find out where your legislator lands ideologically.
State senators serve staggered, four-year terms, and the 20 even-numbered districts are on the ballot this year.
What does a state senator do?
- Represents constituents, holding meetings in the district and keeping attuned to priorities.
- Participates on some of 22 standing committees, six subcommittees or joint committees, each focused on areas such as labor, health and the environment.
- Introduces as many as 35 bills per two-year session, as well as specific budget items.
Why does this race matter?
State lawmakers draft and pass laws that govern the entire state.
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These laws can provide benefits that aren’t granted by the federal government, such as paid family leave or in-state tuition for undocumented college students.
They can impose rules that apply statewide, like restrictions on buying guns, or not allowing restaurants to provide single-use plastic straws unless a customer requests it.
They can also set minimum standards for the state and allow cities and counties to go further. For instance, the state minimum wage is $16.90 an hour, while the city of L.A.'s hourly minimum wage is $18.42.
Where are the party lines drawn?
Around three-quarters of lawmakers in both California’s Assembly and state Senate are Democrats. There are still divisions among lawmakers that lead to drawn-out arguments and prevent legislation from moving forward. We included information below on voter registration breakdowns in each district.
You might recognize their work from …
In recent years, the Legislature has:
- Passed a bill (signed into law in 2025) to set a new state mandate allowing developers to build mid-rises — some as tall as nine stories — near certain major transit lines.
- Passed a bill (signed into law in 2025) to ban certain law enforcement officers, including federal agents, from wearing masks. (A judge has temporarily blocked this law.)
- Passed a bill (signed into law in 2021) to make ethnic studies a graduation requirement for California high schoolers.
- Passed a bill (signed into law in 2021) allowing duplexes to be built on single-family home lots, effectively ending single-family zoning.
Background
What's at stake in this election is the Democrats' supermajority.
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The current Senate has 30 Democrats and 10 Republicans. If the GOP flips at least four seats, Democrats would lose their two-thirds supermajority, which allows them to pass tax increases or put constitutional amendments on the ballot without any Republican votes.
State senators are paid $134,694 a year, plus $236 a day for expenses when the Legislature is in session. They also get reimbursed for mileage at the federal rate. Party leaders get higher pay.
These races are decided by a simple majority. Whoever gets more than 50% of the vote wins outright.
About LAist's voter guides
When information is missing
Some candidates did not reply to our requests for images. Some did not have a campaign website and/or list of endorsements available online at the time of publication. We will update this guide as more candidate information becomes available.
This guide lists races across Los Angeles and Orange counties. It notes the most-watched seats up for grabs as well as voter registration breakdowns. Names appear in the same order as the certified list of candidates.
District 20
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At a glance: The district includes most of the San Fernando Valley, including all of Burbank and the city of San Fernando.
Voter registration: 50.2% Democrat, 24.6% no party preference, 18.5% Republican
Caroline Menjivar (incumbent)
State Senator, Democrat
Website: carolinemenjivar.com
Endorsements: See full list here
Tony Rodriguez
No Ballot Designation, Republican
Website: tony4senate.com
Endorsements: Not available on website at time of publication.
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District 22
At a glance: This district spans L.A. and San Bernardino counties. It goes from South El Monte, up above Azusa into the Angeles National Forest, and down into Ontario.
Voter registration: 45.4% Democrat, 23.7% Republican, 23.5% no party preference
Susan Rubio (incumbent)
State Senator/Teacher, Democrat
Website: susanrubio.com
Endorsements: Not available on website at time of publication.
Mike Netter
Small Business Owner, Republican
Website: netter.vote
Endorsements: Full list here
District 24
At a glance: This district covers the westside and South Bay in L.A. County. It goes from Rancho Palos Verdes up to the Santa Monica Mountains around Malibu. It also dips east briefly into West Hollywood. The incumbent, Democrat Ben Allen, is termed out.
This is a race to watch because many constituents here were impacted by the Palisades Fire. This race is one of two for state Senate where the California Democratic Party couldn't decide who to endorse.
Voter registration: 49.3% Democratic, 23% no party preference, 20.8% Republican
John M. Erickson
Councilmember, Democrat
Website: johnerickson4senate.com
Endorsements: Full list here
Brian Goldsmith
Small Business Owner, Democrat
Website: briangoldsmith.com
Endorsements: Full list here
District 26
At a glance: This district covers the central swath of L.A. County. It includes most of downtown L.A. and fans out into Koreatown, East L.A., Eagle Rock and the Hollywood Hills. The incumbent, Democrat María Elena Durazo, is not running for reelection.
The California Democratic Party did not reach consensus on whom to endorse.
Voter registration: 59.8% Democrat, 23% no party preference, 10.8% Republican
Sara Hernandez
Affordable Housing Advocate, Democrat
Website: sarahernandez.com
Endorsements: Full list here
Sarah Rascón
Environmental Protection Director, Democrat
Website: rasconforsenate.com
Endorsements: Full list here
District 28
At a glance: This is the district for a majority of the Westside and parts of South L.A. Neighborhoods include Mar Vista, Mid City, downtown L.A., and Vermont Knolls. Aside from the city of L.A., the district also contains all of Culver City and the unincorporated communities of Ladera Heights and View Park-Windsor Hills.
Voter registration: 61.5% Democrat, 21.9% no party preference, 9.7% Republican
Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (incumbent)
State Senator, Democrat
Website: lolaforca.com
Endorsements: Full list here
Joe Lisuzzo
LA Neighborhood Councilmember, Republican
Website: joelisuzzo.com
Endorsements: Full list here
District 30
At a glance: This district sits mostly in L.A. County, but a small portion of Orange County is represented here too. It includes Montebello, Downey, La Mirada, up to La Puente and reaches over to Diamond Bar and Brea.
Voter registration: 46.9% Democrat, 23.5% no party preference, 23.1% Republican
Bob J. Archuleta (incumbent)
State Senator, Democrat
Website: bobarchuletaforsenate.com
Endorsements: Not available on website at time of publication.
Araceli Martinez
Small Business Owner, Republican
Website: araceliforca.com
Endorsements: Not available on website at time of publication.
District 32
At a glance: This district has its proverbial hands in a lot of buckets. It includes Yorba Linda in Orange County, southern parts of Riverside County, Chino Hills in San Bernardino County and northern parts of San Diego County.
Voter registration: 40% Republican, 30.7% Democrat, 21% no party preference
Tiffanie Tate
Doctor/Educator/Author, Democrat
Website: votedrtate.com
Endorsements: Full list here
Kelly Seyarto (incumbent)
State Senator, Republican
Website: seyartoforsenate.com
Endorsements: Full list here
District 34
Senate District 34
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Courtesy California State Senate
)
At a glance: This district is mostly based in northern Orange County but extends into L.A. County's unincorporated area of South Whittier. It includes nearly all of Santa Ana and about half of Anaheim and Fullerton. The incumbent, Democrat Tom Umberg, is termed out.
Voter registration: 46% Democrat, 24.1% Republican, 23.9% no party preference
Avelino Valencia
California State Assemblymember, Democrat
Website: avelinovalencia.com
Endorsements: Not available on website at time of publication.
Rhonda Shader
Local Small Businesswoman, Republican
Website: shaderforsenate.com
Endorsements: Full list here
District 36
At a glance: This district mostly covers the Orange County coastline, but dips into areas at the border of L.A. County. It includes Artesia, Buena Park and Garden Grove, and stretches across Seal Beach through San Clemente.
This is a race to watch because the voter base is purple, meaning registration is closely split between Republicans and Democrats.
Voter registration: 37% Republican, 33.4% Democrat, 22.9% no party preference
Chris Duncan
Anti-Tariff Attorney, Democrat
Website: votechrisduncan.com
Endorsements: Full list here
Tony Strickland (incumbent)
State Senator/Businessman, Republican
Website: stricklandforsenate.com
Endorsements: Full list here
District 38
At a glance: This district has southern Orange County and the northern coastal side of San Diego County. It includes Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Carlsbad and Oceanside.
This is a race to watch because the incumbent, a Democrat, flipped this seat in 2022. It's one of the districts the California GOP hopes to get back to chip away at the blue supermajority in the Senate.
Voter registration: 37.3% Democrat, 31.6% Republican, 23.2% no party preference
Catherine S. Blakespear (incumbent)
California State Senator, Democrat
Website: catherineblakespear.com
Endorsements: Full list here
Laura Bassett
Small Business Owner, Republican
Website: bassettforca.com
Endorsements: Full list here
CalMatters also contributed to this report.
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