Incumbent Grade C

Political Party:

Democrat

Ballot Designation:

South Bay Assemblymember

Law Enforcement Contributions:

California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA PAC)
Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC PAC)
Los Angeles Police Protective League
California Association of Highway Patrolmen
Californians for Safer Neighborhoods Sponsored by Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs

Background:

 Assemblymember Muratsuchi was elected to the State Assembly in 2016. Prior to running for state office he was a deputy California Attorney General, trustee for the Torrance Unified School District, and trustee for the Southern California Regional Occupational Center.

Public Safety Platform:

As a former prosecutor, Assemblymember Muratsuchi is generally not a supporter of justice reform. Last year, he earned an “F” on the IJ Action Legislative Scorecard, only voting yes on 1 of the 6 bills we prioritized. He improved to a “C” in 2024. Despite this, he introduced two bills to roll back Prop 47 and increase penalties for theft, AB 23 and AB 1798, both of which died in the Assembly. Assemblymember Muratsuchi also supported AB 1990 and AB 1960, two bills IJ Action strongly opposed that would have authorized physical custody for shoplifting and created new enhancements for property damage, respectively. 

However, in 2020, Assemblymember Muratsuchi was a vocal supporter of ACA 6, the legislation that became Prop 17 and restored voting rights to people on parole. At the time, he spoke in favor of ACA 6 on the Assembly Floor, acknowledging the positive impact that the measure could have on public safety.

Despite this fact, his overall poor voting record and strong support from law enforcement make it so IJ Action cannot make a recommendation in this race.

Website:

https://www.al4assembly.com/

Political Party:

Republican

Ballot Designation:

 Business Owner

Law Enforcement Contributions:

The candidate has not reported any campaign funds as of 8/23/24

Background:

 Barks is a small business owner and former Mayor and Council Member for the City of Hermosa Beach back in the 1970s and 1980s.

Public Safety Platform:

 Barks’ public safety platform states the following: “I’m Opposed to Diverting from Public Safety Agencies to Invest in Social Programs. Policing is a hard and dangerous job; I am grateful for our men and women in blue. Crime is soaring because our elected leaders will not enforce the law and most criminals are not held accountable for the harm that they do. I don’t want to defund the police; we need to increase training given the ever-wider range of situations we expect our law enforcement officer to handle.” He also stated strong support for the recall of progressive Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón.

Website:

https://www.voteforgeorgebarks.com/