Review note: Natasha Johnson for State 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
- web.archive.org (opens in a new tab)AD63 | Johnson — Biography and Legislation pages, via Internet Archive (career background and authored-bill topics; live site blocks automated fetches)
- natashajohnsonforassembly.com (opens in a new tab)Natasha Johnson for State Assembly — Home page (her stated priorities and background)
- pressenterprise.com (opens in a new tab)The Press-Enterprise — This Inland Assembly hopeful wants to do something no one's done in 68 years (Akin's background, motivation, and his exchange with Johnson)
- 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 63
This person holds your district's seat in the California State Assembly (2-year term).
Assemblymember Natasha Johnson took 99.3% of the June 2 vote. Peace and Freedom candidate Kevin Akin took 0.7% and advanced to November. The district covers Lake Elsinore, Menifee and part of southwestern Riverside 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. This district's member sits in the minority caucus, where enacting legislation requires majority-party agreement.
One number here stands out and needs stating plainly: the incumbent has authored 28 bills this session and had 2 signed into law — among the lowest counts of any sitting member on this ballot. Minority-caucus members face a real structural hurdle, and several of her Republican colleagues still converted five or more bills. Weigh that against a challenger with no funding and no record.
Natasha Johnson
Natasha Johnson is the Republican Assemblymember for District 63. She spent more than 26 years in banking. She also served on the Lake Elsinore City Council for over a decade, including three terms as mayor. She won a special election in 2025 for this seat. Bill Essayli held the seat before her. He left to lead the United States Attorney's office in Los Angeles.
She says she is running to be a strong, practical voice for Riverside County. A write-in opponent says she votes with corporate donors instead of the district. She denies this. She says her record reflects the district's values.
She promises to focus on public safety, the cost of living, and helping people who are homeless. She also supports parental rights in schools. She describes herself as a strong voice for working families and small businesses.
Kevin Akin
Kevin Akin is a 75-year-old retired steam engineer from Riverside. He is registered with the Peace and Freedom Party. He has long worked on local preservation efforts. He helped save a historic Riverside church from demolition. He qualified as a write-in candidate for the Assembly this year.
He decided to run after he saw only one name, Natasha Johnson, on his primary ballot. He gathered enough write-in votes to advance to November. No write-in candidate for the Assembly has done that since 1958. He says he has nothing against Johnson personally. He believes she votes with corporate interests. She denies this.
He promises to seek endorsements from across the political spectrum and to oppose corporate influence in politics. He has taken part in at least one protest against the Trump administration.
Record in office
Natasha Johnson (Republican) is the sitting Assemblymember for this district and is lead author of 28 bills in the 2025–2026 session, 2 of them signed into law. Kevin Akin 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
Natasha Johnson
Primary — $332,711
- Small donors$1,008<1%
- Individuals$58,05318%
- PACs & committees$141,50243%
- Businesses & other orgs$126,55039%
November — $21,000
- PACs & committees$7,00033%
- Businesses & other orgs$14,00067%
1Kevin Akin 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.
3Kevin Akin 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.