10 candidates make cases for 52nd Assembly District seat
Ten candidates are fighting to win the 52nd State Assembly District seat left open by Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo, who is running for Los Angeles City Council in the 14th Districtseat occupied by incumbent Kevin de León.
The 52nd Assembly District, with a population of about 518,000, includes Glendale, Eagle Rock, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Echo Park, Sunset Junction, Highland Park, Montecito Heights, East LosAngeles, Eastmont and City Terrace. The 52nd District formerly represented Pomona, Chino and Ontario but during a striking redistricting in 2022, it was moved from the Inland Empire to further west.
Candidates believe the top issues facing the reconfigured district aren’t much different than in other areas: housing affordability, homelessness, economic security, public safety, education and the environment.
The field includes eight Democrats, one Republican and one Green Party candidate.
Jessica Caloza: The 35-yearold Democrat is a women’s rights adviser at the California Attorney General’s Office and an official at federal, state and local levels. She has never held elected office and had raised about $500,000as of Dec. 31.
Caloza pledges to address the quality of life issues for all, regardless of district boundaries and she promises East Los Angeles residents more resources despite the state’s multi-billion-dollar budget deficit.
Caloza said she has stood with working-class people during her career and stresses the need for experienced leaders to represent the district.
“I’m running because I know from firsthand experience the power of government,” she said. “I have built a diverse coalition that’s ready to win — I’m proud to have the most support from labor, business, women’s rights organizations, civil rights organizations, Democratic clubs, educators, seniors, environmental activists and everyday working class people.”
Her three top priorities are protecting reproductive freedom, creating good-paying jobs and building more affordable housing — and the first
bill she would pass in Sacramento would support more funding for Planned Parenthood Health Centers across the state.
Francisco “Frankie” Carrillo: The Democrat is a father, community leader, justice advocate and fighter for democratic values, who was exonerated after being wrongly convicted of murder, and sentenced to life in prison, according to his website.
The issues he would tackle, should he be elected, include affordable housing, quality healthcare, creating jobs, supporting small businesses and gun reform.
“I know what it’s like to be on the wrong end of a broken system,” he states on his campaign website.
Genesis Coronado: A Democrat and 31-year-old public education advocate, was elected as a delegate to represent the 52nd Assembly District in the California Democratic Party in early 2023. She argues that a major difference between her and her opponents is her strong stance on getting corporate and special interest money out of politics.
“Our campaign is grass-rootsfunded, people-powered, and community-centered, so we do not accept contributions from special interest groups,” Coronado said.
Her top priorities include fighting for human rights, housing, quality public education and healthcare for all. Coronado, if elected, would introduce a bill focused on implementing more transparency measures not only for renters but landlords who hide behind property management companies.
Her top endorsements come from Los Angeles Unified School District Board Member Rocio Rivas and
Americans for Democratic Action Southern California.
Anthony Libertino Fanara: The Democrat has been a barber and a restaurateur. He ran for governor in 2022.
This news organization could not reach Fanara. But according to his campaign website, he was drafted into the military as a nurse medic and earned an associate degree in electronic engineering from
East Los Angeles College in 1971. In 1976, Fanara opened Palermo Ristorante Italiano in Los Feliz.
The father of three has seen the city’s economic recessions, riots, looting, and rising costs. “I love
Los Feliz too much to leave,” he posted. “I hope together we can solve some of the problems which plague us in Los Feliz: homelessness, water crises, health-care and crime.”
David Girón: A Democrat and 40-year-old environmental policy adviser who had raised nearly $260,000 as of Feb. 2, has never held an elected position. He likes the redistricting configuration of the 52nd District where he has lived for 11-plus years, and where he has deep connections. His top endorsements come from Sierra Club California and the California Professional Firefighters.
While other candidates have worked as, or for, public officials, he says his strong point is that his expertise and leadership come from directly working on legislation for more than a decade.
“My experience and background will allow me to focus on the issues that matter to the people of the district,” Girón said. “I will bring the successful programs we’ve developed in Los Angeles and implement website.
Sofia G. Quinones: The Democrat hails from unincorporated East
Los Angeles. For three decades, she says, she has been committed to social justice and legal advocacy, according to her campaign website. She listed issues she has been tackling for years, including her Mexican American Chicano early activism days, fighting against the East Los Angeles prison proposal, and championing numerous local healthcare institutions.
Quinones says she has actively addressed a variety of illnesses affecting residents harmed by lead released into the air by local battery recycling facilities, and land-use projects involving gentrification. She co-founded the Chicano Latino Task Force and served as a community representative, effecting systemic change at Cal State University Dominguez Hills, she said. Ari Ruiz: The 33-year-old Democrat had raised $140,000as of
Feb. 2 and his top endorsements came from U. S. Rep. Brad Sherman and L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. Ruiz has lived for two decades in the district, where he cultivated strong ties.
For six years he served on county and city commissions appointed by L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and he has worked for Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Assemblywoman Autumn Burke (Ret.), and Assemblywoman Blanca Rubio.
“For almost seven years, I worked for effective leaders including (state) Assemblywoman Autumn Burke and (U.S) Congresswoman Maxine Waters where I worked to cut the red tape from state/federal agencies … to get people the help they need,” Ruiz said.
If elected, his campaign platform says he will pursue state bills focused on mortgage and rent relief, keeping neighborhoods safe by enacting policies that prevent violent crime and smash-and-grabs, and supporting small businesses by reducing red tape, and job creation. Ruiz supports California’s innovative Care Courts initiative to assist in moving homeless individuals with severe mental health and drug addiction challenges off of the streets and into treatment facilities.
Stephen Sills: Also running is the sole Republican, listed as a nonprofit research assistant. He could not be reached for comment.