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Member of the State Assembly, District 34

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State of California

Member of the State Assembly, District 34

This person holds your district's seat in the California State Assembly (2-year term).

This is an open seat and one of the closest legislative contests on the November ballot. Democrat Randall Putz led the June 2 primary with 39.2%. Republican Charles Frederick Hughes took 36.7%, a gap of 2.5 points. The district covers the eastern Sierra and the high desert.

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. A district this geographically large and sparsely populated depends heavily on its representative's ability to claim budget attention it cannot command by population.

This is a genuinely close race between two candidates with no state legislative record, and the money runs opposite to the June result: the candidate who finished first raised roughly a third of what the candidate who finished second did. Weigh which matters more to you — the votes already cast, or the resources available for the four months between now and November 3.

Randall Putz

Randall Putz has spent 18 years in local government, most of it on the Big Bear Lake City Council, where he has also served as mayor. He helped start the Big Bear Valley Trails Foundation and has held leadership roles with the region's transit and fire agencies. He has not served in the state Legislature or Congress.

He says affordability, health care access and good jobs are what he hears about most from voters. He argues that large rural districts like this one are often overlooked by the state. His public record is his long tenure in Big Bear Lake government rather than any state legislative history.

He promises safe neighborhoods, affordable housing and renter protections, and wider access to health care. He also wants better rural broadband, infrastructure and clean energy jobs, plus stronger environmental protection. His campaign describes him as someone who works with both parties.

Charles Frederick Hughes

Charles Frederick Hughes is a Republican small business owner in the Antelope Valley. No campaign website or news coverage of their background could be located.

Local television coverage of the race reported that Hughes did not respond to repeated interview requests ahead of the June primary. No other documented facts about their conduct or record could be located.

No stated campaign priorities from Hughes could be located. What is known comes from their ballot designation as a small business owner.

Record in office

This is an open seat: no candidate on the November ballot currently serves in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress, so there is no legislative record to compare here. These records cover only those offices.

Financial info

Charles Frederick Hughes

Primary — $555,808

$555,808raised
  • Small donors$3,4141%
  • Individuals$85,65116%
  • PACs & committees$310,76057%
  • Businesses & other orgs$141,45026%
  • Self-funding$550<1%

November — $8,600

$8,600raised
  • Individuals$7008%
  • PACs & committees$7,90092%

Randall Putz

Primary — $162,671

$162,671raised
  • Small donors$3,4012%
  • Individuals$61,16938%
  • PACs & committees$12,1507%
  • Businesses & other orgs$12,9508%
  • Self-funding$73,00045%

November — $2,811

$2,811raised
  • Individuals$2,56191%
  • PACs & committees$2509%

Figures 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.

Total 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.

Your pick

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