Analysis guides › La Defensa
La Defensa
Source: https://ladefensa.org/2026-voter-guide/ (8 subpages plus a PDF cheat sheet; guide dated October 5, 2026) (retrieved 2026-10-07)
Notes: Femme-led LA group focused on shifting from criminalization and incarceration toward care; rates candidates on criminal justice, immigration, housing and related issues. Categories: Endorsed (champion), Recommended (generally aligned), Harm Reduction (no good option; the pick limits damage vs. the alternative, shown here as "(harm reduction)"), and No Recommendation (neutral). Its public-safety lens means "harm reduction" picks are often incumbent Democrats it criticizes. Not covered: Superior Court Judge Office 87, state court retention votes, Burbank and West Hollywood councils, Board of Equalization 1, 2 and 4, State Senate 36, and Congressional Districts 27 and 41.
Race-by-race summaries
| Item | Recommendation | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| LA County Measure A | No | Extends binding arbitration to sheriff's deputies and their supervisors. La Defensa supports labor arbitration for firefighters and lifeguards but says law-enforcement groups shouldn't get extra leverage; it would shift money away from Care First services, jail closure and reentry. |
| LA County Measure E | Yes (endorsed) | Strengthens Ethics Commission independence and writes Measure J (10% of unrestricted general funds for community investment and alternatives to incarceration) into the charter after an administrative error left it unprotected. No organized opposition. |
| LA County Sheriff | Robert Luna (harm reduction) | Harm-reduction vote over Alex Villanueva. Luna campaigns on falling violent crime and homicides (down 14%) and stability; he also pushes a mental health jail. |
| Superior Court Judge, Office 64 | Rhonda Haymon (endorsed) | Deputy public defender of 26+ years, among the most explicitly restorative candidates evaluated; takes no law-enforcement or PAC money and is skeptical of pretrial risk-assessment tools. "Qualified" bar rating. |
| Superior Court Judge, Office 65 | Justin A. Clayton (endorsed); Anna S. Reitano (recommended) | Clayton is endorsed: his values come from the carceral system's effect on his family and community (biased policing, foster-to-prison pipeline). Reitano is also recommended; she sees public safety as addressing mental illness, substance use and instability. |
| Superior Court Judge, Office 87 | Not covered | Not covered |
| Superior Court Judge, Office 131 | David Ross | Recommended: understands how transit, child care and legal costs affect people in court and wants courts to work with them rather than penalize them. |
| LA City Mayor | Nithya Raman | Recommended: rejects the choice between defunding police and business as usual; wants accountability and to stop sending armed officers to every call for help. |
| LA City Attorney | Marissa Roy (endorsed) | Would use prosecutorial discretion and civil enforcement to reduce criminalization and advance community safety. |
| LA City Council District 3 | Barri Worth Girvan (harm reduction) | Harm-reduction vote: the only candidate likely to consider alternatives to 911, more shelter and permanent housing, and wraparound mental health services. |
| LA City Council District 9 | Estuardo Mazariegos (endorsed) | Housing-first, anti-criminalization approach grounded in nearly 20 years of organizing. |
| LA City Measure TE – Fire-victim transfer tax exemption | No | One-time tax exemption for the ultra-wealthy with no owner-occupancy limit, so it could cover second and third homes; relief should be limited to primary residences destroyed. |
| LA City Measure LA – Infrastructure, budget and contracting charter amendment | Yes | Lets the City do business (e.g., sell asphalt commercially) to raise revenue and rebuild after disasters; future participatory budgeting and transparency would strengthen it. |
| LA City Measure PL – City planning charter amendment | No | Consolidating seven Area Planning Commissions into one citywide body shifts power from neighborhoods toward faster approvals. |
| LA City Measure EE – Ethics, elections and governance charter amendment | Yes | Raises ethics-violation penalties and keeps the Police and Fire Commissions from interfering with the Police Inspector General and Fire Independent Assessor; also trims outdated charter language and Council meeting requirements. |
| LA City Measure PRK – Recreation and parks budget | Yes | Doubles the parks budget over ten years to fund new parks in park-poor areas, based on a completed needs assessment. |
| LA City Measure PRT – Airports, Harbor, and DWP charter amendment | No recommendation | Takes no position; lays out the main considerations on each side. |
| LA City Measure FD – Fire Department half-cent sales tax | Yes | Adds funding for stations and equipment without letting the Council cut base funding (it must stay at or above the ten-year average). Over 80% of 911 fire calls are medical emergencies. |
| LA City Measure SC – School board campaign finance | Yes | Applies contribution limits to Board of Education candidates, matching other elected officials including the Mayor. |
| Burbank City Council (3 seats) | Not covered | Not covered |
| West Hollywood City Council (3 seats) | Not covered | Not covered |
| Prop 1 – Affordable housing bond | Yes | Stable housing keeps people out of jails and helps people returning home; up to 40,000 rental units and 40,000 households helped. Nothing in it funds police, jails, prosecutors or surveillance. |
| Prop 2 – Rainy day fund | Yes | A larger reserve protects reentry, mental health, housing and safety-net programs from austerity in a recession. |
| Prop 3 – High-earner income tax permanent | Yes | The most durable progressive revenue on the ballot ($5-15B a year for education and children's health care); expiry would force deep cuts. |
| Prop 4 – Public financing of elections | Yes (endorsed) | Public financing lowers barriers for working-class candidates and counters the influence of wealthy donors, police groups and real estate interests. |
| Prop 5 – Recall election reform | No recommendation | Takes no position; lays out the arguments on each side. |
| Prop 37 – Homeownership housing bond | Yes | Opens a path to homeownership for working families, especially Black and Latino households shut out of wealth-building, at no direct taxpayer cost, with higher labor standards for builders. |
| Prop 38 – Immunology research bond | No | Selection criteria very likely exclude every institute but one, co-founded by one of the measure's two chief backers (per CalMatters). The Yes campaign disputes this. |
| Prop 39 – Voter ID | No | Would roll back voting access, burdening Black, Brown, low-income, unhoused and formerly incarcerated voters; citizenship checks also raise immigration-enforcement data concerns. |
| Prop 40 | Yes | Billionaire tax (about 200 people) to protect Medi-Cal and the safety net after H.R. 1 cuts; health care is a key alternative to incarceration. |
| Prop 41 | No | Presented as transparency, but designed to kill Prop 40 through a "poison pill" if it gets more Yes votes. |
| Prop 42 – Personal asset tax ban | No | Real target is Prop 40, with the same poison pill. A September 2026 PPIC poll had Prop 42 at 54% and Prop 40 at 52%. |
| Prop 43 – Local tax requirements | No | A two-thirds threshold would let a minority block citizen-led measures like Measure ULA; several recent local measures would have failed. |
| Prop 44 – Health center spending | No | A rigid 90% rule could force clinics to cut case management, interpretation and outreach that serve immigrants, unhoused and uninsured people. |
| Prop 45 – CEQA changes | No | CEQA is one of the few tools frontline communities have; the measure would fast-track developers and restrict what judges can consider. |
| CA Supreme Court justices | Not covered | Not covered |
| 2nd District Court of Appeal justices | Not covered | Not covered |
| Governor | Xavier Becerra | Recommended over Republican Steve Hilton. In an ACLU questionnaire he committed to community-based programs, rejecting longer sentences, funding public defenders and civilian oversight of law enforcement. |
| Lieutenant Governor | Fiona Ma | Recommended: platform centers on economic growth, jobs and health care; as a firefighter's spouse, champions first responders. As an Assemblymember she authored AB 593 for incarcerated domestic violence survivors. |
| Attorney General | Rob Bonta | Recommended: believes the justice system should be free of bias and has increased transparency at the Department of Justice. |
| Secretary of State | Shirley Weber | Recommended: committed to voter outreach for formerly incarcerated people after Prop 17; Assembly record on use of force, reparations and racial profiling. |
| Treasurer | Eleni Kounalakis | Recommended; her website lists no public safety priorities. Focuses on education, climate resilience and infrastructure investment. |
| Controller | Malia Cohen | Recommended: housing, health care, pollution accountability and pay equity; opposed harsh criminalization such as Prop 36. |
| Insurance Commissioner | Jane Kim (endorsed) | Limited jurisdiction over criminal justice, but her record is aligned, including the ban-the-box ordinance as a San Francisco supervisor. |
| Superintendent of Public Instruction | Richard Barrera | Recommended: more school funding from California's wealth, universal TK, educators and student mental health. |
| Board of Equalization, District 1 | Not covered | Not covered |
| Board of Equalization, District 2 | Not covered | Not covered |
| Board of Equalization, District 3 | Sam Sukaton (endorsed) | Plans fair assessments for homeowners and small businesses and a modernized, transparent board; no law-enforcement endorsements or money. |
| Board of Equalization, District 4 | Not covered | Not covered |
| State Senate District 20 | Caroline Menjivar | Recommended: frames public safety as community stability (CalWORKs, child care, foster care, food benefits). |
| State Senate District 22 | Susan Rubio (harm reduction) | No explicit reform platform, inconsistent voting record and law-enforcement money; she backed Prop 36. |
| State Senate District 24 | John Erickson (endorsed) | Explicit, detailed reform platform: earned-time credits, ending mandatory minimums and cash bail, second-look sentencing, diversion and crisis response. |
| State Senate District 26 | Sarah Rascón (endorsed) | Promises non-police crisis response, community-based violence prevention, rethinking public safety spending and stronger oversight. |
| State Senate District 28 | Lola Smallwood-Cuevas | Recommended as the best in the race; previously endorsed, but she has since taken CHP union money. |
| State Senate District 30 | Bob Archuleta (harm reduction) | Over Republican Araceli Martinez. One of the weakest Democratic votes on justice reform, with a law-and-order orientation. |
| State Senate District 34 | Avelino Valencia (harm reduction) | Over Republican Rhonda Shader. Consistently poor justice-reform votes (missed or voted against) and many law-enforcement contributions. |
| State Senate District 36 | Not covered | Not covered |
| Assembly District 34 | Randall Putz | Recommended; the only Democrat. Public safety is among his priorities (emergency response times, fire and EMS for rural areas). |
| Assembly District 39 | Juan Carrillo (harm reduction) | Public safety record centers on funding police, fire and street repair (Measure AV in Palmdale). |
| Assembly District 40 | Pilar Schiavo (harm reduction) | Her public safety record is not aligned with La Defensa's values, but she is the only Democrat. |
| Assembly District 41 | John Harabedian | Recommended: priorities include mental health treatment, rehabilitation and gun law enforcement. |
| Assembly District 42 | Deborah Klein Lopez | Recommended; supports enhanced public safety through municipal and League of Cities committees. |
| Assembly District 43 | Celeste Rodriguez | Recommended: no explicit public safety platform, but first-term bills show commitment to safety through social investment and protecting vulnerable people. |
| Assembly District 44 | Nick Schultz (harm reduction) | Only Democrat. As chair of the Assembly Public Safety Committee his record has disappointed advocates; regressive bills (e.g., prosecuting youth as adults) moved out of his committee. |
| Assembly District 46 | Jesse Gabriel (harm reduction) | Only Democrat; a moderate public safety record with some reform-aligned bills. |
| Assembly District 48 | Blanca Rubio (harm reduction) | Harm-reduction vote; her priorities are women's issues, education, housing and climate, and her criminal-justice legislation is mixed. |
| Assembly District 49 | Mike Fong | Recommended: priorities include homelessness, the environment and higher education access. |
| Assembly District 51 | Rick Chavez Zbur; Colin Hernandez (both recommended) | Zbur supports reducing police violence and funding mental health and addiction services. Hernandez has no explicit public safety platform but aligns on abolishing ICE, ending military aid to Israel, and taxing billionaires. |
| Assembly District 52 | Jessica Caloza | Recommended: no explicit public safety platform; priorities include gun safety laws. |
| Assembly District 53 | Michelle Rodriguez (harm reduction) | Voted against or skipped key reform priorities; her record is consistently misaligned with reform. |
| Assembly District 54 | Mark Gonzalez (harm reduction) | Mostly voted for justice reform on the Public Safety Committee in his first term; has authored progressive bills. |
| Assembly District 55 | Isaac Bryan (endorsed) | Career oriented around dismantling systems that harm Black, Brown, poor and Indigenous communities; championed three La Defensa priority bills. |
| Assembly District 56 | Lisa Calderon (harm reduction) | Doesn't list public safety as a priority; missed or voted against key reform bills and has low marks on partners' scorecards. |
| Assembly District 57 | Sade Elhawary | Recommended: housing as a human right, health care for all, mental health, environmental and reproductive justice. |
| Assembly District 61 | Tina McKinnor | Recommended: authored strong criminal justice priority legislation across her tenure. |
| Assembly District 62 | José Solache (harm reduction) | Slim public safety platform; he abstained on AB 1231, the diversion bill that was a La Defensa priority. |
| Assembly District 64 | Blanca Pacheco (harm reduction) | No stated position on reform and a poor record, arguably worse than some Republicans; but her opponent is a Republican with worse views. |
| Assembly District 65 | Ayanna Davis (harm reduction) | Platform focuses on safe schools, gun control and prevention investments; harm-reduction vote. |
| Assembly District 66 | Sara Deen | Recommended: no reform platform, but no law-enforcement endorsements or donations; focuses on costs, health care and schools. |
| Assembly District 67 | Mark Pulido | Recommended: cites lower burglaries and fast emergency response; took some law-enforcement support, but less than many Democrats. |
| Assembly District 69 | Josh Lowenthal | Recommended: authored AB 812 on resentencing for incarcerated firefighters and co-authored AB 1231 on diversion. |
| Congressional District 23 | Tessa Hodge | Recommended: strong progressive voice for the High Desert, with clear positions on Palestinian statehood and care services. |
| Congressional District 26 | Jacqui Irwin (harm reduction) | Status quo public safety stance relying on law enforcement funding; opposed diversion bill AB 1231. |
| Congressional District 27 | Not covered | Not covered |
| Congressional District 28 | Judy Chu (harm reduction) | Harm-reduction vote over Republican April Verlato. Co-sponsored the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act; has received AIPAC-aligned money. |
| Congressional District 29 | Angélica María Dueñas | Recommended over incumbent Luz Rivas. Supports abolishing ICE, demilitarizing police, ending mandatory minimums and a ceasefire in Gaza; takes no corporate or PAC money. |
| Congressional District 30 | Laura Friedman (harm reduction) | Harm-reduction vote over tough-on-crime Republican Scott Meyers; lacks a strong public safety platform. |
| Congressional District 31 | Gil Cisneros (harm reduction) | No stated position on policing reform and endorsed by ALADS, but has worked to protect immigrant families from ICE. |
| Congressional District 32 | Brad Sherman (harm reduction) | Endorsed by LA Deputy Sheriffs and AIPAC-funded; opponent is tough on crime. Works on gun violence prevention. |
| Congressional District 34 | Angela Gonzales-Torres | Recommended over incumbent Jimmy Gomez. Opposes more ICE, CBP and prison funding; would repeal mandatory minimums. |
| Congressional District 35 | Norma Torres (harm reduction) | Supports police accountability measures, unlike her opponent; public safety isn't a top priority. |
| Congressional District 36 | Ted Lieu (harm reduction) | Harm-reduction vote over a Republican challenger; opposes excessive force and co-introduced the Facial Recognition Act. |
| Congressional District 37 | Sydney Kamlager-Dove | Recommended: pushed pay and protections for incarcerated firefighters; authored the C.R.I.S.E.S. Act for unarmed crisis response. |
| Congressional District 38 | Hilda Solis | Recommended: backed Care First, Jails Last, closing Men's Central Jail and removing cash bail at the county level. |
| Congressional District 41 | Not covered | Not covered |
| Congressional District 42 | Robert Garcia (harm reduction) | Moderate Democrat, but stronger than his Republican opponent on civil rights and community safety. |
| Congressional District 43 | Maxine Waters | Recommended: consistent criminal justice reform advocate; police accountability and rehabilitation over incarceration. |
| Congressional District 44 | Nanette Barragán (harm reduction) | Harm-reduction vote over a Republican; votes more progressively than many colleagues and champions gun violence prevention. |
| Congressional District 45 | Derek Tran (harm reduction) | Moderate who supports more police; harm-reduction vote because his opponent is more punitive. |