Voters in California’s 68th Assembly District will face an unusual choice in the November 3, 2026 general election. Instead of the traditional Democrat-versus-Republican contest, the race features two Democratic members of the Santa Ana City Council: David Penaloza and Jessie Lopez.
Both advanced from the June primary, narrowly edging out Republican candidate Mayra Ruiz and Democrat Shannon Wingfield. Penaloza finished first with 32.5% of the vote, while Lopez placed second with 31.4%.
The winner will succeed Assemblyman Avelino Valencia in representing the district, which includes portions of Santa Ana, Anaheim and Orange. Valencia has endorsed Penaloza.
Although both candidates are Democrats serving on the same city council, they represent distinctly different wings of the party and offer voters starkly different visions for public safety, housing, economic development and government.
Who Is David Penaloza?
Penaloza presents himself as a pragmatic, pro-growth Democrat focused on public safety, economic development and infrastructure. His campaign highlights his record on the Santa Ana City Council, including support for new housing construction, hiring additional police officers, reducing 911 response times, opening parks and improving city streets.
His campaign messaging emphasizes:
- Increasing housing production
- Public safety investments
- Economic opportunity and job creation
- Infrastructure improvements
- Keeping costs down for working families
According to his campaign website, he points to the construction of more than 2,000 housing units, the hiring of additional police officers and improvements in emergency response times as key accomplishments.
Who Is Jessie Lopez?
Lopez has built her political career as one of Orange County’s most progressive elected officials. Her campaign focuses heavily on renter protections, labor rights, immigrant advocacy, environmental issues and government accountability.
Her stated priorities include:
- Raising wages
- Expanding affordable housing
- Strengthening tenant protections
- Healthcare access
- Environmental initiatives
- Opposition to immigration enforcement policies
- Reducing government surveillance through programs such as automated license-plate reader systems
- Opposition to regional data-center projects
Her campaign frequently references her efforts to protect renters, challenge local law enforcement practices and advocate for immigrant communities. Two new studies have already shown that the rent control ordinance that Lopez championed not only did not work, it backfired. Rental costs went up, despite the ordinance, and as economists predicted the ordinance has discouraged new apartment development.
The Biggest Issue: Public Safety
Perhaps the sharpest contrast between the two candidates is their approach to law enforcement.
On the Santa Ana City Council, Penaloza has generally supported increased police staffing and public safety investments. His campaign highlights the hiring of more police officers and improved emergency response times as major achievements.
Lopez, by contrast, has often been one of the council’s most vocal critics of the Santa Ana Police Department. Her campaign cites efforts to expose alleged police department misconduct, demands for audits of surveillance technology and opposition to expanded government monitoring.
Supporters view her as a reformer willing to challenge powerful institutions. Critics argue that her approach can undermine law enforcement and make it more difficult to address crime. Those differences could translate directly to Sacramento, where debates over criminal justice, sentencing laws and policing policies remain highly contentious.
Housing and Rent Control
Housing may be the issue where voters see the greatest philosophical divide.
Lopez has become closely associated with renter protections and policies designed to prevent displacement. She has consistently advocated for stronger tenant protections and affordable housing initiatives. Rent control and anti-displacement policies have been central themes of her political identity.
Penaloza generally emphasizes increasing housing supply through new construction. His campaign points to thousands of approved housing units and frames housing affordability as a production problem that requires building more homes.
In Sacramento, voters could reasonably expect:
- A Lopez victory to strengthen support for tenant-protection legislation, renter rights measures and potentially expanded rent-control policies.
- A Penaloza victory to bring greater emphasis on housing production, permitting reform and public-private development partnerships.
Economic Development
The candidates also differ in their relationship with business interests.
Penaloza frequently speaks about job creation, economic opportunity and supporting business growth. As a businessman himself, he positions economic development as essential to addressing affordability concerns.
Lopez frames economic issues through the lens of workers, unions and consumer protections. Her campaign messaging frequently targets corporate influence and emphasizes labor rights, healthcare access and wage growth.
These differences largely mirror the broader debate within the Democratic Party between pro-growth moderates and progressive reformers.
The Endorsement Battle
The endorsement landscape reveals much about how each candidate is perceived politically.
Jessie Lopez’s Major Endorsers
Among the high-profile supporters backing Lopez are:
- Bernie Sanders, a Socialist
- Derek Tran
- Civil rights icon Dolores Huerta
- Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento
- Progressive Assemblyman Alex Lee
- Multiple labor organizations
- Progressive advocacy groups
- Immigrant-rights organizations
Her coalition is dominated by progressives, labor unions, immigrant-rights advocates and left-leaning Democratic activists.
David Penaloza’s Major Endorsers
Penaloza has assembled a coalition that includes:
- The California Democratic Party
- Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas
- Congressman Dave Min
- Congressman Lou Correa
- Former Congresswoman Katie Porter
- Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes
- The Anaheim Police Officers Association
- The Santa Ana Police Officers Association
- The Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs
- Multiple firefighter associations
- Building trades unions
- The California Charter Schools Association
- The Orange County Register
- Numerous local elected officials throughout Orange County
His coalition is notable for its breadth, including law enforcement groups, firefighter unions, construction trades, education organizations and establishment Democratic leaders.
What Each Candidate Might Do in Sacramento
If elected, Lopez would likely join the Legislature’s progressive wing. Based on her campaign platform and city council record, voters could expect her to prioritize:
- Tenant protections
- Affordable housing subsidies
- Immigrant-rights legislation
- Healthcare expansion
- Environmental regulations
- Criminal justice reform
- Oversight of police agencies
- Privacy and surveillance restrictions ]
If elected, Penaloza would likely align more closely with mainstream Democratic leadership while advocating for:
- Housing production
- Infrastructure funding
- Public safety investments
- Economic development initiatives
- Workforce training
- Local government flexibility
- Business growth and job creation
The Bottom Line
The AD-68 race is less a contest between parties than a battle over the future direction of the Democratic Party in central Orange County.
Lopez offers a progressive platform centered on renters, labor, immigrant rights and government reform. Penaloza presents a more moderate, growth-oriented agenda focused on public safety, housing production and economic development.
For voters in Santa Ana, Anaheim and Orange, the choice is not between Democrat and Republican. It is between two very different Democratic visions for how California should address housing, crime, affordability and economic growth over the next decade.
For us the choice is simple. Penaloza has our full support and our endorsement.