Santa Ana City Councilmember Jessie Lopez is running for the 68th State Assembly District seat in the 2026 election.

Lopez said she is running with the belief that the government should be a force for good.

“Making life more affordable, holding bad actors accountable and ensuring that every taxpayer dollar works for people, I’ve done that here at the city,” Lopez said. “I’m running now for the Assembly because working families in our community deserve a fighter who’s going to stand up to special interests and deliver real results.”

With a background in activism and advocacy, Lopez was first elected to the Santa Ana City Council in 2020. In November 2023, Lopez beat a Police Officer’s Association-led recall effort. Voters reelected her to represent the northern part of the city, Ward 3, in November.

The 68th Assembly District, just in Orange County, includes Santa Ana, Anaheim and Orange. Assemblymember Avelino Valencia, D-Anaheim, who is running for state Senate, currently represents the district.

Fellow Santa Ana Councilmembers David Penaloza and Johnathan Ryan Hernandez have also launched campaigns for the 68th Assembly District.

Pointing to the 2023 recall attempt, Lopez, a Democrat, said elected officials should be unafraid to go against the grain.

“I felt the brunt of standing up to bullies at City Hall, to standing up to special interests who want unlimited access to taxpayer dollars, who have never had anyone tell them no,” Lopez said. “They’ve been able to have free reign over our local governments and at all different levels of government.”

“It’s important to have elected officials who are not going to be afraid to say, ‘That financially does not make sense,’ or, ‘I need to prioritize … different solutions in our community,’” she continued.

Having represented the northern part of Santa Ana since 2020, Lopez said the issues affecting the residents in her district are not unique to Ward 3.

“They are issues of affordability. Whether it’s utilities, education, childcare — everything is impacting families in the 68th Assembly District,” Lopez said. “I believe that government should make life easier for people. Electeds in Sacramento should make life more affordable for our communities.”

She’s not all talk, Lopez said. Her votes from the City Council dais have shown where her priorities lie.

“Capping rent at 8%, direct financial assistance during the pandemic, we expanded the homeownership opportunity program here in the city of Santa Ana,” Lopez said. “We’ve invested millions in building affordable housing, expanding beds for homeless veterans and making our neighborhoods safer. That’s the kind of leadership that I’ll bring to the Assembly.”

Lopez said the list could go on, but she is most proud of strengthening city contract policies, ensuring communities are seated at the table with developers wanting to build in the city, finding ways to make homeownership a possibility for residents, expanding park space and funding shelter beds for veterans.

“That wasn’t just work that I started to do on the Council. That was advocacy that I was doing before being elected,” Lopez said.

“The experiences of growing up in a working-class household, of growing up in the Willard neighborhood, of always being treated as the underdog, it only fuels the fire inside me to not only prove people wrong but to do the best that I can every day,” she added. “Even though we’ve accomplished so much, I still feel like there’s so much more that I can do. That’s how I approach my work.”

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