Assembly hopeful Rick Chavez Zbur has scooped up a trove of high profile endorsements since announcing his campaign for Assembly District 51, the new District that will encompass Santa Monica as well as Culver City, West LA and Hollywood. The newest among them is from Assemblymember Richard Bloom.
On Thursday, Chavez Zbur’s campaign announced Bloom, whose AD-50 currently represents most of the area the new AD-51 will cover, threw his support behind Chavez Zbur. Bloom elected not to run for a sixth and final term after dropping out of the LA County Supervisors race.
Bloom’s endorsement joins those of Governor Gavin Newsom, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla and labor union Unite Here! Local 11. Chavez Zbur also recently earned the endorsement of the California Democratic Party. In total, the Chavez Zbur campaign claims more than 200 endorsements.
“I’m excited to endorse my friend Rick Chavez Zbur, a longtime leader in equity and justice, for Assembly District 51 because I know he has the innovative vision and policy experience to deliver for our shared communities,” Bloom said in a prepared announcement of his endorsement. “AD-51 needs a proven progressive champion who will prioritize a fairer economy, affordable housing and homelessness, urgent climate action, fair wages and benefits, and protecting our most vulnerable communities. From his track record and values, Rick has clearly demonstrated he is that kind of leader, and I know he will continue to do this important work in Sacramento. I am confident that this district will be in good hands under Rick’s leadership, and I look forward to helping him get elected.”
Chavez Zbur, an environmental lawyer, sits on the Board of the California League of Conservation Voters and is the former executive director of Equality California, a statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. An out gay man, Chavez Zbur lives in Los Angeles where he co-parents his 16-year-old daughter and 12-year-old twins, all of whom attend public schools.
If elected, Chavez Zbur will lead an Assembly District that was reshaped in this year’s statewide redistricting, with the removal of Malibu and the Santa Monica Mountains and the addition of Hollywood all the way to the border of Los Feliz around Santa Monica Boulevard.
Speaking to the Daily Press in February, Chavez Zbur said he felt his campaign was aligned with Bloom’s politics and Santa Monica’s values.
“I think my perspective is aligned with the values of people in Santa Monica. It would be an honor and a privilege to represent them and I’m going to be an energetic member of the community and I think, you know, very much aligned with the perspective that Richard Bloom has had as a member of the assembly, as well,” Chavez Zbur said at the time. “He served on the board of Equality California, the organization that I just stepped down from in November. And I think we’re both progressives and very much aligned in our views.”
The filing deadline for the June 7, 2022 primary election was Friday, March 11.
emily@smdp.com
