Southern California Democrat introduces bill in ‘direct response’ to Vince Fong congressional run

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CARRILLO INTRODUCES DUAL CANDIDACIES BILL

Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo, D-Los Angeles, has introduced Assembly Bill 1795, which would prevent a candidate from running for two elected offices simultaneously. If a candidate has already filed to run for one position, the measure would withdraw the person from the first race if they file to compete for a second office.

The bill is a “direct response” to a judge’s decision to allow Assemblyman Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, to run for both U.S. Congress and re-election to the Assembly, Carrillo said in a statement last week.

The Sacramento County Superior Court judge’s decision “highlights a glaring loophole in our electoral system, one that permits a candidate to contest multiple offices simultaneously, potentially leading to an elected position being vacated and triggering an expensive special election,” she said.

“This is not just an administrative concern; it’s a matter of democratic principle. California, as a state of progressive values and fair governance, cannot allow such ambiguities to erode the trust and confidence of its citizens in the electoral process.”

After former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy announced he’d be stepping down from representing California’s Congressional District 20, Fong, McCarthy’s former district director, announced that he’d run to replace him. The only problem — Fong had already filed to run for re-election in Assembly District 32.

“With a projected California state budget deficit of $68 billion, it is not financially prudent to force unnecessary costs onto already hurting Californians,” Carrillo said in her statement. She called her proposal a ”necessary and practical election reform that eliminates ambiguity in law that prohibits the possibility of a candidate running for two different offices simultaneously which creates confusion and voter disenfranchisement.”

REP. KATIE PORTER SNAGS ANOTHER LABOR ENDORSEMENT

Senate hopeful Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine, picked up an endorsement from the California School Employees Association (CSEA), who threw their weight behind the “rare representative who is always willing to listen” last Thursday.

“Katie Porter has been a fighter for schools and school employees – the rare representative who is always willing to listen and learn from school support staff on the ground about what we need to keep our students learning and our schools running,” said CSEA president Adam Weinberger.

“It’s clear that Katie will be the champion we need, ensuring that students, school support staff, and the hard-working members of organized labor have a voice in the U.S. Senate.”

CSEA is the largest non-certified school employee union in the United States, representing 250,000 school staff members across the state. The California Teachers Association and the California Federation of Teachers have not endorsed a candidate.

“California’s school support staff are critical to keeping our educational institutions running, so I’m especially honored to receive the support and endorsement of CSEA and its members,” Porter said upon receiving the CSEA endorsement.

Porter, who is running against fellow Democratic candidates, Reps. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, and Barbara Lee, D-Oakland to replace the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, has racked up several major labor endorsements. Former Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey is leading among Republican candidates.

Last month, the National Union of Health Care Workers endorsed Porter’s Senate bid, as did several local California chapters of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). The California Labor Federation endorsed Porter, Schiff, and Lee in a triple endorsement.

A November Public Policy Institute of California poll showed Porter trailing Schiff by 5 points, and a more recent Politico and Morning Consult poll showed her in third place, behind Schiff and Garvey. The top two finishers in the March 5 primary go on to compete in the November general election.

SPEAKING OF THE SENATE RACE: UPCOMING POLITICO DEBATE LEAVES SOME CANDIDATES OUT

Politico announced last week that it would host a debate with Porter, Schiff, Lee and Republican front-runner Garvey. The four participants were chosen based on the Politico/Morning Consult poll.

Republican and 2022 Attorney General candidate Eric Early and Democrat Christina Pascucci, a TV news anchor from Southern California who announced her candidacy last October, were not invited. They each issued a statement expressing disappointment.

“The media doesn’t have the right to shut out candidates from the first major debate in this critically important race, and manipulate the outcome of the election in the process,” said Early.

“The organizers’ proposed ‘debate’ is yet another attack on our democracy, by effectively telling California’s 40% undecided voters in a ‘jungle primary’ who they should and should not decide on.”

Pascucci agreed.

“This isn’t a debate with the qualified candidates whom voters have chosen, it’s a coronation of Adam Schiff, the leader of California’s left wing Democrats,” said she said.

“By excluding serious candidates with durable support, they are failing in their duty to provide civic discussion to the public. That undermines the democratic process.”

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Thoughts and prayers.”

- Rep. Barbara Lee, via X, formerly known as Twitter, in response to Wayne LaPierre resigning as CEO of the National Rifle Association ahead of his corruption trial

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