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Member of the State Assembly, District 74

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State of California

Member of the State Assembly, District 74

This person holds your district's seat in the California State Assembly (2-year term).

Assemblymember Laurie Davies took 52.3% of the June 2 vote. Democrat Sergio Farias took 47.7%, a 4.6-point gap, leaving the incumbent a bare majority. The district covers part of south Orange County and coastal north San Diego 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. Which party wins here determines whether this district's representative works inside the majority or the minority.

Both parties are treating this seat as winnable: the incumbent's campaign carries $143,000 in direct party funding, one of eight campaigns on this ballot drawing party money at that scale, and she still took only 52.3% in her own primary. Weigh a strong minority-caucus record against a challenger who came within five points on about an eighth of the money.

Laurie Davies

Laurie Davies is the Republican Assemblymember for District 74. Her district covers part of south Orange County and northern San Diego County. Originally from Wisconsin, she moved to California. She worked in hospitality and later ran a wedding and events business. She served as Mayor of Laguna Niguel before her election to the Assembly in 2020. She has authored bills on coastal erosion, protections for domestic violence survivors and human trafficking awareness.

Davies says keeping people safe is government's first job. In January 2026 she introduced a bill to add political affiliation to California's hate crime law. It is named for former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and activist Charlie Kirk, both killed in political violence in 2025. The bill passed its first committee with no opposing votes. It stalled in a second committee and did not advance further this year. She said the bill was about lowering the political temperature and setting a clear boundary.

Davies promises to oppose new taxes and eliminate the gas tax. She wants more shelters and treatment for homeless residents. She opposes cutting police funding. She also wants to move nuclear waste stored at San Onofre away from the coast.

Sergio Farias

Sergio Farias is a Democrat who serves on the San Juan Capistrano City Council. He has been mayor twice. He took over his father's landscaping business at sixteen. His father died while he was still in high school. He is also chief operating officer of a small business. He has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress.

Farias says he is running because people in the district are struggling with rising costs. In 2024 the city council he serves on voted to buy a vacant property to build affordable housing for seniors. He backed that decision. He says the best choices are made locally, by people who understand their own communities.

Farias promises to bring state tax dollars back to the district. He wants to support small businesses. He wants to expand access to healthcare and improve public schools. He also wants new infrastructure to make communities safer from fire.

Record in office

Laurie Davies (Republican) is the sitting Assemblymember for this district and is lead author of 35 bills in the 2025–2026 session, 9 of them signed into law. Sergio Farias 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

Laurie Davies

Primary — $1,029,196

$1,029,196raised
  • Small donors$1,424<1%
  • Individuals$79,3638%
  • PACs & committees$439,60043%
  • Party$143,00014%
  • Businesses & other orgs$362,10035%

November — $46,550

$46,550raised
  • Individuals$5,60012%
  • PACs & committees$19,65042%
  • Businesses & other orgs$21,30046%

Sergio Farias

Primary — $125,485

$125,485raised
  • Small donors$3,1822%
  • Individuals$45,36924%
  • PACs & committees$64,20033%
  • Businesses & other orgs$12,5007%
  • Self-funding$66,50435%

November — $18,750

$18,750raised
  • Individuals$9505%
  • PACs & committees$12,80068%
  • Businesses & other orgs$5,00027%

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.

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.

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