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Endorses Penaloza
The race
One Assembly seat is at stake. The seat is open. Incumbent Avelino Valencia (D) is not on the general ballot — Incumbent did not file for re-election (Ballotpedia retiring incumbents list). Valencia ran for State Senate District 34. Both general-election candidates advanced under California's top-two primary. California uses a top-two primary: the two highest finishers advance to the general election regardless of party, which is why some districts below show two candidates of the same party and no candidate of the other. The confirmed general-election roster, per Ballotpedia — California State Assembly elections, 2026 (roster strength: compilation (Ballotpedia)), is: Jessie Lopez (D); David Penaloza (D). No district partisan baseline is printed because none was verified at this sourcing depth — we do not invent one.
Competitiveness and record notes, sourced: this is an open seat (incumbent Avelino Valencia is running for State Senate District 34) and a Democrat-vs.-Democrat general election between two Santa Ana councilmembers, so voters can compare their records directly. IVN reports David Penaloza led the June primary with 32.5 percent and Jessie Lopez took 31.4 percent. IVN reports the decisive contrast: Lopez cast the deciding vote on Santa Ana's 2021 rent control ordinance, the first in Orange County, and supported a failed measure allowing noncitizens to vote in city elections; Penaloza opposed both. The Working Families Party, Bernie Sanders, and Our Revolution back Lopez, and California DSA recommends her; the California Democratic Party, Speaker Robert Rivas, outgoing Assemblymember Valencia, and most public-safety unions back Penaloza (IVN). Penaloza's two documented council votes — against rent control and against noncitizen voting — are proven in-service breaks with his party's left toward our values (property rights and election integrity), made in office, not in rhetoric.
The candidates, claim by claim
Jessie Lopez (D) — former incumbent's seat is open; this candidate is a general-election nominee, on the confirmed general ballot per Ballotpedia — California State Assembly elections, 2026.
Pros: Offers voters the Democratic program in this district and, where an incumbent, a record of service in the seat. Cons: No documented break with the Democratic Party toward this publication's values was located — no Manchin-test break. A reliable party-line vote advances a program we oppose. The flaw, plainly: Enabler class, not extremist — a reliable party-line vote, which is the standing reason the exception for a Democrat is not earned here.
David Penaloza (D) — former incumbent's seat is open; this candidate is a general-election nominee, on the confirmed general ballot per Ballotpedia — California State Assembly elections, 2026.
Pros: Documented in-service breaks with his party's left on rent control and noncitizen voting (sourced above) — the Manchin-test file in this race. Cons: A Democrat whose wider party program this publication opposes; his caucus vote is priced at Assembly weight. The flaw, plainly: None proven was located in the compiled record; the proven file runs the other way — toward our values.
OUR CALL
We endorse David Penaloza. This is the same-party case our doctrine prices openly: a Democrat CAN earn an endorsement when the break file is proven. Penaloza's breaks are proven — in office, on the record, against rent control and against noncitizen voting, two of our core values — while Lopez cast the deciding vote FOR rent control and supported noncitizen voting. Penaloza passes the Manchin test on this file. We endorse David Penaloza, noting plainly that he is a Democrat whose wider party program we oppose and that his caucus vote is priced at Assembly weight.
For the complete Election 2026 breakdown — every race, claim by claim — see the full coverage on our website.
Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same.
Sources
- Ballotpedia — California State Assembly elections, 2026 — general-election roster, incumbency, and open-seat status (roster strength: compilation (Ballotpedia)) — https://ballotpedia.org/California_State_Assembly_elections,_2026
- IVN, "15 Races Where Democratic Socialists Can Reshape California Politics" (Oct. 8, 2026) — Assembly District 68 primary shares, the rent-control and noncitizen-voting votes, endorsements — https://ivn.us/15-races-where-democratic-socialists-can-reshape-california-politics/
- Ballotpedia, Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report, Vol. 16, 2026 — California 2026: 88 of 100 seats contested by both major parties; Senate competitiveness index 32.8, Assembly 17.9 — https://ballotpedia.org/Annual_State_Legislative_Competitiveness_Report:_Vol._16,_2026
- Record gaps: no detailed legislative voting record, biography beyond the roster and the notes sourced above, campaign-finance figures, or district partisan baseline were verified for the candidates in this district at this sourcing depth; no California Secretary of State certified general list in usable form was located (see research file), so the roster stands at compilation strength
- Standing check: no pedophile-association material meeting the proven standard (knowing association with or defense of a convicted pedophile) was located for any candidate on this ballot
Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.
AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.
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