Solache leads the Los Angeles Basin city of about 67,000 people, and was elected to its City Council in 2013. He has vowed that if elected to the Assembly, he will work to lower college costs, invest in after-school programs, and increase public safety with faster police and fire response times.
He has been endorsed by former Speaker Rendon, the state Democratic Party and unions including SEIU California’s service workers. He is a former member of the Lynwood Unified school board and serves as president of the Greater Lakewood Chamber of Commerce.
Estrada is a progressive activist who resides in South Gate. Environmental justice and corruption in local government are key reasons she’s running, according to her campaign Facebook page.
She and other supporters of the Democratic presidential campaigns of Vermont’s Sen. Bernie Sanders have led protests criticizing the California Democratic Party. She has run for the district’s Assembly seat before, including in 2022, when she secured 36% of the vote to Rendon’s 64%.
Jones, the only Republican in the race, is a retired computer instructor who served in the Marines.
On his campaign website, he says that under current Democratic leadership, California is on the “road toward socialism.” He opposes a slew of laws signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, including those involving gun control, support for immigrants in the U.S. illegally and workplace protections backed by labor unions.
In 2022, he unsuccessfully ran for Congress, losing to incumbent Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-San Pedro).
This story originally appeared on LA Times
