Review note: John Harabedian 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)
- ballotpedia.org (opens in a new tab)Ballotpedia — June 2026 California primary
- johnharabedian.com (opens in a new tab)John Harabedian for Assembly — campaign site (candidate bio and priorities)
- pasadenanow.com (opens in a new tab)Pasadena Now — Harabedian Bill to Expand Court Mediation Clears Senate Committee (AB 1950)
- leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Legislature — AB 1950 bill text and status (signed into law, official record)
- 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 41
This person holds your district's seat in the California State Assembly (2-year term).
Assemblymember John Harabedian took 63.3% of the June 2 vote. Republican Adam Christopher Vena took 36.7%. They were the only two candidates on the primary ballot. The district covers Pasadena and the western San Gabriel Valley.
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 first-term member is still building the committee position that determines how much of that agenda actually moves.
The incumbent raised more than $1 million in his first term while converting 9 of 33 authored bills into law — close to the median for Assembly incumbents on this ballot. Those two facts are worth weighing as a pair rather than separately, particularly against an opponent who has reported no fundraising at all.
John Harabedian
John Harabedian is a Democrat. He is the sitting Assemblymember for this district. Before Sacramento he was a Los Angeles County prosecutor. He was also an attorney at Latham and Watkins and at Stanford's Immigrants' Rights Clinic. He served eight years on the Sierra Madre City Council and was twice its mayor. He led a solar power project there and helped start the Clean Power Alliance. In the Assembly he has authored bills on housing, insurance and civil courts.
This year he wrote Assembly Bill 1950. It lets Los Angeles County courts send more civil cases to mediation instead of trial. The bill cleared the state Senate. Governor Newsom signed it into law in August 2026.
He promises to keep building affordable housing. He also wants to invest in renewable energy and water systems. He promises to fund mental health treatment, strengthen public schools and defend reproductive rights.
Adam Christopher Vena
Adam Christopher Vena is a Republican and the only other candidate on this district's ballot. Vena's ballot designation is father and sanitation employee. They have not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress.
No documented statement of why they are running could be found. Cal-Access shows no contributions reported for their campaign committee.
No issues page or public statement of their priorities could be located.
Record in office
John Harabedian (Democratic) is the sitting Assemblymember for this district and is lead author of 33 bills in the 2025–2026 session, 9 of them signed into law. Adam Christopher Vena 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
- Individuals
- PACs & committees
- Businesses & other orgs
- Self-funding
John Harabedian
Primary — $1,056,690
- Individuals$120,97612%
- PACs & committees$453,25043%
- Businesses & other orgs$475,85045%
- Self-funding$500<1%
November — $60,750
- Individuals$18,20030%
- PACs & committees$15,25025%
- Businesses & other orgs$27,30045%
1Adam Christopher Vena has no contributions reported to Cal-Access for this race.
2Figures 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.
3Adam Christopher Vena has no itemized contributions dated after the June 2, 2026 primary reported to Cal-Access yet.
4Total 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.