Member of the Assembly, 5th District
Assemblymember Joe Patterson was first elected to the State Assembly in 2022, after serving on the Rocklin City Council for six years and also briefly as Mayor. Assemblymember Patterson is also the former Executive Director of the California Gaming Association.
Assemblymember Joe Patterson has been a vocal tough-on-crime legislator since he was elected in 2022. This session, he introduced AB 1260, which IJ Action and many justice reform organizations opposed, which would have created unnecessary requirements for CDCR to notify victims if incarcerated people were being released from prison early due to credit earning and specify which credits they earned. He also co-authored ACA 12 (Alexandra’s Law), a dangerous piece of legislation which would allow the courts to charge people who deal fentanyl with manslaughter in the case of overdose. Patterson was also the author of the only bill that would have expanded the Three Strikes Law - AB 2470 - which IJ Action helped kill.
His campaign website includes the following on public safety: “Make Crime Illegal Again – Support Local Law Enforcement. Small businesses won’t invest in a community if it is under threat. Families won’t move to our neighborhoods if they aren’t safe. Joe Patterson is endorsed by nearly every single local and statewide law enforcement organization because of his strong support for the men and women working to keep us safe. The soft-on-crime policies being forced on us are making the jobs of our law enforcement less safe, our schools more dangerous and forcing businesses to move elsewhere. Joe will make sure criminals are held accountable and law enforcement is fully-equipped to do their jobs.”
Furthermore, he earned an “F” in the IJ Action Legislative Scorecard in 2023 and 2024, voting no on all 6 justice reform bills we prioritized this year and last.
Patterson has endorsed Proposition 36, a measure that will appear on the November 2024 General Election ballot that would bring back felony charges for drug possession, create new enhancements for retail theft, and gut major components of Proposition 47. It is being led by district attorneys, police and prison associations, and big corporations like Walmart and Home Depot.
Middleton is an elected official on the Citrus Heights City Council, and former CEO for the American Petroleum and Convenience Store Association – a lobbying group that represented gas stations and convenience stores.
Hadwick is a farmer, small business owner, and teacher. She was Deputy Director of Modoc County’s Office of Emergency Services at the local sheriff’s department for almost 5 years.
Draper is a wedding photographer and first-time candidate.
