Review note: Gail Pellerin for Assembly may have more bias because it is an advocacy voter guide compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.
- sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)CA Secretary of State — Statement of Vote, June 2, 2026 primary (certified 2026-07-10)
- gailpellerinforassembly.com (opens in a new tab)Gail Pellerin for Assembly — campaign site (why running, priorities)
- leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Legislature — AB 1902 (2025-2026), Secure youth treatment facilities, text and history
- ballotpedia.org (opens in a new tab)Ballotpedia — June 2026 California primary
- downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Legislative Information — public bill data (bulk download)
- sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)Cal-Access raw data export — California Secretary of State
Last updated September 24, 2026.
State of California
Member of the State Assembly, District 28
This person holds your district's seat in the California State Assembly (2-year term).
Assemblymember Gail Pellerin took 72.0% of the June 2 vote. Republican Carol Pefley took 28.0%. They were the only two candidates on the primary ballot. The district covers Santa Cruz County and part of Santa Clara County.
The winner holds one of 80 Assembly seats for a two-year term, inside a 12-year lifetime cap on service in Sacramento. An Assemblymember authors bills, sits on the policy committees that decide which bills advance, and argues for the district's share of the annual state budget. Committee assignment is where most of the leverage sits, and it is handed out by the majority's leadership.
This race is unusual on one measure worth noticing: both candidates raised real money from small donors, which most contests on this ballot did not. That does not tell you who to prefer, but it does mean both campaigns are answering to individual supporters to a degree that is rare here. Weigh the incumbent's enacted record against a challenger running a genuinely funded campaign rather than a nominal one.
Gail Pellerin
Gail Pellerin is the Democratic Assemblymember for this district. Before her election she spent more than 27 years in election administration for Santa Cruz County, including many years as the elected county clerk. She has represented this district since 2022 and has authored dozens of bills in the Assembly.
Her campaign site says her top priority is making sure your voice is heard in Sacramento. This year she authored a bill to tighten the rules for how long a young offender can be held in a secure state treatment facility before trial and overall. It passed the Assembly and the Senate without a single no vote and now awaits the governor's signature.
She promises to keep working on affordable housing and homelessness, health care access, economic growth, equality and climate action. She says democracy only works when elected officials involve the community in solving problems.
Carol Pefley
Carol Pefley is a Republican small business owner and the only other candidate on this district's ballot. She has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress.
No campaign website or news coverage of her platform could be located.
What she would prioritize in office is not documented anywhere that could be located. What is known about her comes from her ballot designation as a small business owner.
Record in office
Gail Pellerin (Democratic) is the sitting Assemblymember for this district and is lead author of 34 bills in the 2025–2026 session, 12 of them signed into law. Carol Pefley has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress; these records cover only those offices. Per the California Legislature's public bill data (leginfo bulk download), retrieved 2026-09-21.
Financial info
- Small donors
- Individuals
- PACs & committees
- Businesses & other orgs
- Self-funding
Gail Pellerin
Primary — $525,966
- Small donors$12,1722%
- Individuals$123,30324%
- PACs & committees$279,80053%
- Businesses & other orgs$109,05021%
November — $46,128
- Individuals$19,72843%
- PACs & committees$12,40027%
- Businesses & other orgs$14,00030%
Carol Pefley
Primary — $68,216
- Small donors$2,7874%
- Individuals$54,67980%
- PACs & committees$4001%
- Businesses & other orgs$3501%
- Self-funding$10,00015%
November — $9,350
- Individuals$9,05097%
- PACs & committees$3003%
1Figures are CA Form 460 filings through June 30, 2026 by committees controlled by each candidate, and can include transfers from a candidate's earlier committees. Semi-annual reports covering January–June 2026 were due July 31, 2026, so some totals lag a period behind. Per the California Secretary of State's Cal-Access raw data export, retrieved 2026-09-21.
2Total is itemized (Schedule A) contributions and self-funding loans dated after the June 2, 2026 primary, through June 30, 2026 — small-dollar unitemized (under $100) contributions aren't independently dated in Cal-Access's raw export, so they aren't reflected here and this may undercount true small-donor activity since the primary. This also doesn't include money reported only on 24-hour late-contribution reports (Form 497) that haven't yet appeared in a periodic Form 460 filing. Per the California Secretary of State's Cal-Access raw data export, retrieved 2026-08-30.