Review note: Ayanna Davis 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
- ocregister.com (opens in a new tab)Orange County Register — Ayanna Davis, AD-65 candidate, 2026 primary election questionnaire (her own answers on priorities and background)
- ayannadavis.com (opens in a new tab)Ayanna Davis for Assembly — Home, About and Priorities pages (her background, motivation and stated priorities)
- dailynews.com (opens in a new tab)Los Angeles Daily News — Election 2024: LAUSD's South Bay board member vies for reelection against teacher (Gutiérrez's background and a direct quote, from her prior school board race)
- dailynews.com (opens in a new tab)Los Angeles Daily News — Things could heat up in LA County's Assembly races, with no incumbent in five contests (AD65 field composition; AD62 rematch context)
- dailynews.com (opens in a new tab)Los Angeles Daily News — Check out who's advancing in LA County Assembly races to the general election (rematch context and primary results for AD62/64/65)
- 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 65
This person holds your district's seat in the California State Assembly (2-year term).
This open seat's June 2 primary was led by Democrat Ayanna Davis with 46.3%. Republican Lydia A. Gutiérrez took 19.2%. The district covers part of the South Bay and Los Angeles harbour area.
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. Because this seat is open, whoever wins starts without seniority and builds committee standing from scratch.
Neither candidate has held state office, so there is no legislative record on either side and the available evidence is how each campaign was built. The gap is close to total — one raised more than $620,000, the other $4,250, most of it their own. Weigh that against the fact that the leading candidate still fell short of a majority in June.
Ayanna Davis
Ayanna Davis is a Democrat. She grew up in Compton in a family of public workers and union members. She has spent most of her career in education. She was a classroom teacher and later a principal at two early education centers in the Los Angeles Unified School District. She was elected to the Compton Unified School District's board in 2022.
She says she lost her health coverage while in college. She had to start working right away to get it back. She says this experience shapes her push for health care access. The one documented fact worth noting is her board record. By her own account, Compton Unified now ranks first in Los Angeles County among districts of similar size.
She promises to raise wages and expand access to good paying jobs with health care and retirement benefits. Her other priorities include fully funding public schools, building more affordable housing, and expanding Medi-Cal.
Lydia A. Gutiérrez
Lydia A. Gutiérrez is a Republican and a public school teacher. They have more than 25 years in the classroom. They have also worked as an administrator in the aerospace industry. They live in San Pedro. They have run for local office before. They ran twice for a Los Angeles school board seat and did not win either time.
No statement from them about why they are running for the Assembly this year could be located. The clearest documented fact about their public record is their past campaigns. They ran for the same Los Angeles school board seat in 2020 and in 2024. They lost both times to the same opponent.
No 2026 campaign website or platform statement for this race could be located. In their past school board campaign they said their priorities were academic achievement, fiscal responsibility, and preparing students for college and careers.
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
- Small donors
- Individuals
- PACs & committees
- Businesses & other orgs
- Self-funding
Ayanna Davis
Primary — $623,901
- Small donors$2,826<1%
- Individuals$74,04812%
- PACs & committees$387,95062%
- Businesses & other orgs$154,14925%
- Self-funding$2,111<1%
November — $41,700
- Individuals$1,3003%
- PACs & committees$28,60069%
- Businesses & other orgs$11,80028%
Lydia A. Gutiérrez
Primary — $4,250
- Individuals$2506%
- Self-funding$4,00094%
November — $4,000
- Self-funding$4,000100%
1Figures 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.
2Total 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.