Political Party:

Democrat

Ballot Designation:

 Educator / Community Organizer

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

Background:

 Elhawary is a community organizer and advocate. She was formerly with Community Coalition, a South Central based non-profit focused on community empowerment and civic engagement. She also worked as a high school teacher and college counselor.

Public Safety Platform:

On her campaign website, Elhawary identifies “Safe Neighborhoods” as a priority, stating: “To make our communities safer and keep people from entering systems of punishment, we need to heavily fund prevention-based social programs such as education, mental health, jobs, housing, and healthcare; we need to devise innovative ways to get guns out of our neighborhoods; and we must put an end to over-policing as our public safety response. Sade supports community-led alternatives to policing, a community safety model that prioritizes balanced and restorative justice, discipline reform, workforce innovation, cultural wellness, and civic engagement.” She makes a commitment to support decriminalizing poverty, investing in mental health and substance use disorder treatment, and “Further[ing] the policy goals of Care First, Jails Last.”

When she joined IJ Action’s August 2023 candidate forum, she shared that as a foster parent, she is passionate about addressing the school-to-prison pipeline and investing in community resources and services. She also spoke about the need for services for people reentering society from prison, and the family members of people experiencing incarceration. In a separate interview, Elhawary also noted support for repealing mandatory minimums and the state Three Strikes Law, and markedly increasing investments into youth and re-entry services. She has the endorsement of dozens of progressive legislators and community organizations.

During her endorsement interview, Elhawary reaffirmed her commitment to abolishing the Three Strikes Law, life in prison without the possibility of parole (LWOP), the death penalty, and sentence enhancements and mandatory minimums. She is also strongly opposed to Proposition 36, a measure that IJ Action also opposes, which would allow for prison sentences for shoplifting and drug possession. For these reasons and due to her clear commitment to the community, IJ Action proudly endorses Sade Elhawary for Assembly District 57.

Website:

https://sadeforassembly.com/

Political Party:

Democrat

Ballot Designation:

 Education Commissioner / Businessman

Law Enforcement Contributions:

Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC)
Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association
Los Angeles Police Protective League
Los Angeles School Police Officers Association
California Statewide Law Enforcement Association PAC
California Association of Highway Patrolmen

Background:

Martinez is a Marine Corps Veteran who served in Iraq, and is the former Executive Director for the Florence-Firestone/Walnut Park Chamber of Commerce. Martinez also served on the Board of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Century Station Foundation. Martinez ran unsuccessfully for this seat in 2020, challenging then-incumbent Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer with strong backing from police associations.

Public Safety Platform:

Although his campaign website calls for progressive justice reform, Martinez is a strongly pro-law enforcement candidate. In 2020, he challenged outgoing Assemblymember Jones-Sawyer largely because, as Chair of the Public Safety Committee, Jones-Sawyer was pushing legislation that sought to end mass incarceration.

He has been endorsed by several law enforcement agencies, such as the Peace Officer Research Association, Los Angeles Police Protective League Association, Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association, Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, Huntington Park Police Officers Association, Los Angeles School Police Association, and the Association of Probation Supervisors.

Website:

https://www.efrenmartinez.com/