# Member of the State Assembly, District 54 Compare records and positions simply between Alexandra Briseno or Mark Gonzalez for Member of the State Assembly, District 54 at VoteOrElse.com. On the November 3, 2026 California general election ballot. This person holds your district's seat in the California State Assembly (2-year term). - Jurisdiction: California Legislature - Election: November 3, 2026 California general election - Publisher: Vote or Else (https://voteorelse.com) — a free, nonpartisan ballot guide for California voters. No endorsements. - Canonical page: https://voteorelse.com/2026/assembly-54 - Full ballot: this page covers one race. Every contest on a voter's own ballot, by address, with the same breakdown for each: https://voteorelse.com/ - Sources last retrieved: September 24, 2026 - Source-objectivity score: 92 out of 100 (Very strong), across 8 cited sources. This grades the mix of sources, not the candidates. Rubric: https://voteorelse.com/about#methodology ## On the ballot - **Alexandra Briseno** — No Ballot Designation · Republican - **Mark Gonzalez** — Member of the State Assembly · Democratic · Incumbent Assemblymember Mark Gonzalez took 99.7% of the June 2 vote to Republican Alexandra Briseno's 0.3% — one of the two most lopsided legislative primaries on this ballot. The district covers downtown and east Los Angeles. 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. A 99-point primary margin means the practical question in this district is not who wins but what the incumbent does with a seat he holds without contest. His enacted record is among the strongest on this ballot and his funding is among the most institutional; both are worth weighing on their own terms, because the ballot will not do it for you. ## Mark Gonzalez Mark Gonzalez chairs a nonprofit community health clinic and led the Los Angeles County Democratic Party for six years, stepping down in March 2024 to run for the Assembly (Los Angeles Blade). He grew up "in Section 8 housing" raised by a single mother, and after she suffered a stroke he became her sole caregiver, witnessing what he calls "the failures of government, social programs, and the healthcare system to support vulnerable seniors adequately" (campaign site). The Assembly Speaker appointed him Majority Whip, and in his current term he has authored bills on price-gouging protections, physical therapy access and small-business permitting (asmdc.org). He points to his mother's stroke, and the caregiving that followed, as the reason he ran. In 2026 he introduced AB 1896, the "GTFO Act," which would bar anyone who has taken part in federal immigration enforcement from serving as a California public employee (asmdc.org). He promises to keep fighting for reproductive freedom, saying he will push to expand Medi-Cal "regardless of immigration status" and increase funding for Planned Parenthood (campaign site). He also promises rent limits and tenant protections, and says that as "the only renter running in this district" he understands the cost of living squeeze firsthand (campaign site). **Strengths:** Six years leading the county's Democratic Party before taking office, an Assembly leadership post, and bills on health care, housing and small business. **Trade-offs:** A 99-point primary margin means this record will not be tested by the ballot. Accountability has to come from somewhere else. **Keep in mind:** He faces no real opposition here, so whether Sacramento leadership suits this district is a judgment call the primary already made for you. ## Alexandra Briseno Alexandra Briseno is the Republican candidate for this Assembly seat and the only other name on the ballot besides the incumbent. Briseno filed with no ballot designation, and no campaign website, social media or local news coverage describing their occupation or background could be located. No statement from Briseno about why they are running could be located. They have not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress, so there is no record in office to judge them by. No campaign website or published platform could be located. What is known about Briseno's candidacy is limited to their name, party affiliation and place on the ballot. **Strengths:** Briseno is the only other name on this district's ballot, giving voters an alternative to an uncontested race. **Trade-offs:** No campaign website, no news coverage, and no record in office leaves nothing to evaluate beyond Briseno's party label. **Keep in mind:** No coverage of Briseno's background or platform could be located. What is known is their name, party and place on the ballot. ## Record in office Alexandra Briseno has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress; these records cover only those offices. Mark Gonzalez (Democratic) is the sitting Assemblymember for this district and is lead author of 35 bills in the 2025–2026 session, 12 of them signed into law. Per the California Legislature's public bill data (leginfo bulk download), retrieved 2026-09-21. ## Record details Gonzalez — AB 2541 (2026): Specialized license plates: The Lowrider. Gonzalez — AB 1920 (2026): Community colleges: California College Promise: fee waiver eligibility. Gonzalez — AB 630 (2025): Abandoned recreational vehicles. Committee assignments and the most recently signed-into-law bills each record-holder lead-authored, from the official legislative record. ## Financial info - **Mark Gonzalez** - Primary: $1,222,252 raised (Small donors: $745; Individuals: $122,305; PACs & committees: $624,516; Businesses & other orgs: $430,233) - November: $83,550 raised (Individuals: $32,950; PACs & committees: $21,800; Businesses & other orgs: $28,800) Alexandra Briseno has no contributions reported to Cal-Access for this race. 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. Alexandra Briseno has no itemized contributions dated after the June 2, 2026 primary reported to Cal-Access yet. 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. ## Review notes - Mark Gonzalez for Assembly may have more bias because it is an advocacy voter guide compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources. ## Sources 1. [CA Secretary of State — Statement of Vote, June 2, 2026 primary (certified 2026-07-10)](https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/prior-elections/statewide-election-results/primary-election-june-2-2026/statement-vote) 2. [Ballotpedia — June 2026 California primary](https://ballotpedia.org) 3. [Official Assembly site — Mark González biography (career background)](https://a54.asmdc.org/biography) 4. [Mark Gonzalez for Assembly — About and Priorities pages (his own account of background, motivation and promises)](https://www.markgonzalezforassembly.com/about) 5. [Official Assembly site — Mark González 2026 legislative package (AB 1896, AB 647)](https://a54.asmdc.org/2026-legislation) 6. [Los Angeles Blade — Out Chair of L.A. County Democratic Party steps down (Gonzalez's party leadership and timing of his Assembly run)](https://www.losangelesblade.com/2024/03/29/out-chair-of-l-a-county-democratic-party-steps-down/) 7. [California Legislative Information — public bill data (bulk download)](https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/) 8. [Cal-Access raw data export — California Secretary of State](https://www.sos.ca.gov/campaign-lobbying/helpful-resources/raw-data-campaign-finance-and-lobbying-activity) ## The rest of the ballot Member of the State Assembly, District 54 is one contest among the many a California voter decides on November 3, 2026 — Congress, the Legislature, county, city, and school board races differ by address. Vote or Else builds the full list for any California address and breaks down each contest the way this page does, with no account and without storing the address: https://voteorelse.com/ ## How to cite this page Vote or Else, "Member of the State Assembly, District 54 — November 3, 2026 California general election," https://voteorelse.com/2026/assembly-54 (sources last retrieved September 24, 2026). Link the canonical page above rather than this Markdown file. 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