Member of the State Assembly, District 47

Greg Wallis is the Assemblymember for this district. Wallis moved to the Coachella Valley more than a decade ago after studying political science. They became active in the community there. In the Assembly they serve on the Budget Committee and belongs to the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus. They helped lead the effort to create the Chuckwalla National Monument. It protects a stretch of Southern California desert.

Wallis says they ran for the Assembly after watching friends leave California. They could no longer afford to stay, they say. They proposed a bill letting homeowners trim or remove dangerous western Joshua trees without the permit process commercial developers face. The Assembly passed it in 2026. They say their focus is public safety, education and affordability.

Wallis promises to keep pushing back on rules they say raise costs for families and businesses. They support law enforcement cooperation on removing convicted undocumented immigrants. But they say they oppose actions that create fear among lawful residents. They also promise to keep expanding career and college paths for young people.

Leila Namvar is a Democrat and civil servant who has worked for the city of Indio for two decades. She immigrated from Iran and became a U.S. citizen in 2008. She worked her way through school while learning English. She has not served in elected office. She leads the local chapter of her public employee union, SEIU 721.

She decided to run after seeing working families struggle with the cost of living. A group that recruits progressive women candidates encouraged her to run. She says, “I understand the struggle. Sometimes I had to make the decision to put gas in the car or save money for rent.”

She promises to focus on affordable housing, health care access and public education. Her campaign says it wants tax changes for working families. If elected she would be the district's first Muslim and first Iranian representative.