Incumbent – Grade A+

Political Party:

Democrat

Ballot Designation:

 Assemblymember

Law Enforcement Contributions:

Santa Clara County Probation Peace Officers Union

Background:

 Assemblymember Kalra was first elected to the State Assembly in 2016 after working as a public defender in Santa Clara County for 11 years. Kalra also served two terms on the San Jose City Council while also becoming a law professor at Santa Clara State University.

Public Safety Platform:

Assemblymember Kalra is a strong supporter of abolitionist policy, having carried the Racial Justice Act and subsequent clean-up bills across multiple cycles. As a public defender for many years, Kalra deeply understands the injustices built into the legal system and has voted in favor of bills to expand sentence recalls and resentencing, expand reentry funding, and build stronger communities. 

This session, Kalra was the only assemblymember to vote no on AB 1990, a bill strongly opposed by IJ Action that would have authorized physical custody for shoplifting. He was also a co-author of ACA 4 (now tabled), an IJ Action cosponsored piece of legislation that would have placed an initiative on the November 2024 ballot to restore voting rights to people in prison. He also introduced AB 1266 which would end the practice of issuing bench warrants for traffic infractions, and is also recognized as the state leader on single-payer healthcare legislation.

Assemblymember Kalra earned an “A” on the IJ Action Legislative Scorecard last year and an “A+” this year, voting yes on all of the good bills we prioritized, while strongly opposing bad bills like AB 1960. Because of his strong voting record and his commitment to co-governing with system-impacted communities, IJ Action has endorsed Assemblymember Kalra for the second election cycle in a row.

Website:

https://www.ashkalra.com/

Political Party:

Republican

Ballot Designation:

 Retired Appellate Attorney

Law Enforcement Contributions: None as of 8/23/24

Background:

 Stroll is President of the Sustainable Trails Coalition, which advocates for fairer rules for cyclists on federal lands. He is a retired judicial staff attorney who worked many years for the Sixth District Court of Appeals and for the California Supreme Court.

Public Safety Platform:

 Stroll’s public safety platform is centered on what he calls Sacramento’s “…[enabling of] destructive behavior with well-meaning but misguided notions of compassion.” Going further, Stroll peddles misinformation and writes that “Incumbents in Sacramento have proposed legislation that weakens our state’s criminal laws. For example, they tried to reduce the penalty for certain injury-causing muggings to the minor crime of petty theft. They also tried to all but eliminate extra prison time that currently must be served when a felon uses a gun in a serious crime, including to kill someone with it. I will oppose such mistakes.”

Website:

https://www.tedstroll.com/