At this point in election season, you probably know who you’re voting for in the California Democratic primary.
But do you know who represents Santa Monica in congress, the state legislature or the board that oversees Los Angeles County — and which area each elected official represents?
You’re probably familiar with Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, who represent all Californians in the Senate. The four lawmakers who represent the Westside on the national, state and county level might be a little harder to name.
U.S. House California District 33
The House of Representatives is made up of 435 members who each represent one district containing about 710,000 people.
Santa Monica is part of California’s 33rd Congressional District, which stretches from Malibu in the northwest to Hancock Park in the northeast and extends south along the coast to Palos Verdes.
According to the 2010 census, about 708,000 people live in the 33rd district. The district is about 76% white, 14% Asian, 12% Latino and 3% black.
Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu was elected in 2014 to represent the district with about 108,000 votes on a 59% margin over Republican candidate Elan Carr. He was reelected in 2016 and 2018. Members of the House of Representatives serve unlimited two-year terms.
Lieu was raised in Cleveland, Ohio and attended Stanford University and Georgetown University Law Center.
Before becoming a congressman, he served in the Air Force, a Torrance City Council member and a member of both the California State Assembly and California State Senate.
Lieu has passed legislation addressing climate change, data privacy, foreign propaganda, veterans’ services and LGBTQ rights.
California State Senate District 26
The California State Senate is made up of 40 senators who each represent one district containing about 930,000 people.
Santa Monica is part of California’s 26th State Senate District, which stretches from Pacific Palisades in the northwest to Hollywood in the northeast and extends south along the coast to Palos Verdes.
According to the 2018 American Community Survey, about 953,000 people live in the 26th district. The district is about 61% white, 15% Asian, 15% Latino and 4% black. 63% of residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher and the median income is $95,000.
Democratic State Senator Ben Allen was elected in 2014 to represent the district with about 123,000 votes on a 60% margin over rival Democrat Sandra Fluke. He was reelected in 2018 with about 299,000 votes on a 77% margin. California state senators can serve a maximum of 12 years in four-year terms.
Allen was raised in Santa Monica and attended Harvard University, the University of Cambridge and the UC Berkeley School of Law.
Before becoming a state senator, he worked as an attorney and was a member of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education from 2008 to 2013.
Allen has introduced bills to phase out single-use plastic, combat climate change, boost vaccination rates, boost the production of affordable housing and reform California’s voting system.
California State Assembly District 50
The California State Assembly is made up of 80 members who each represent one district containing about 465,000 people.
Santa Monica is part of California’s 50th State Assembly District, which stretches from Malibu in the northwest to West Hollywood in the northeast to Santa Monica in the south.
According to the 2018 American Community Survey, about 480,000 people live in the 26th district. The district is about 69% white, 13% Latino, 10% Asian and 4% black. 65% of residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher and the median income is $89,000.
Democratic State Assemblymember Richard Bloom was elected in 2012 to represent the district with about 93,000 votes on a 50.5% margin over incumbent Democrat Betsy Butler. He was reelected in 2014, 2016 and 2018. California state assemblymembers can serve a maximum of 12 years in two-year terms.
Bloom was raised in Los Angeles and attended UCLA, UC Berkeley and Loyola Law School.
Before becoming a state assembly member, he worked as an attorney and executive director of a homeless services nonprofit. He was a member of the Santa Monica City Council from 1999 to 2012 and served as mayor three times.
Bloom has worked on legislation to ban rodenticides and plastic microbeads, tax sugary drinks, reform rent control and incentivize the production of accessory dwelling units.
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors District 3
Los Angeles County is divided into five supervisorial districts of about 2 million people. The Board of Supervisors governs social services administered at the county level, including the sheriff’s department, jail system, superior court, healthcare and voting.
Santa Monica is part of the 3rd District, which stretches from Malibu in the west to Los Feliz in the east and from Sylmar in the north to Venice in the south.
Supervisor Sheila Kuehl was elected to supervise the 3rd District in 2014 and was reelected in 2018. Members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors are limited to 12 years in office and serve up to three four-year terms.
Kuehl grew up in Los Angeles and attended UCLA and Harvard Law School. Before her election to the Board of Supervisors, she worked as an attorney and served in the California State Legislature from 1994 to 2008.
Kuehl has worked on initiatives to raise the minimum wage, create a Sheriff’s Oversight Commission and allocate more funding to homeless service.
madeleine@smdp.com
