- sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)CA Secretary of State — Statement of Vote, June 2, 2026 primary (certified 2026-07-10)
- theeastsiderla.com (opens in a new tab)The Eastsider — 2026 Eastside legislative race coverage
- ballotpedia.org (opens in a new tab)Ballotpedia — June 2026 California primary
- sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)Cal-Access raw data export — California Secretary of State
Last updated August 30, 2026.
State of California
State Senator, District 26
This person holds your district's seat in the California State Senate (4-year term).
This is an open Eastside seat. It covers Los Feliz, Highland Park, Boyle Heights, and Koreatown. María Elena Durazo left it to run for County Supervisor. Two Democrats move on to November 3. Sara Hernandez won 31% and Sarah Rascón won 19%. Wendy Carrillo finished third and is out. She is a termed out Assemblymember.
State Senate terms run four years, representing nearly a million people — the 40 Senate districts are the most populous in American state politics. The winner joins a Democratic supermajority, where the real contests are within the party: committee posts, housing bills, budget priorities.
Same party, different theories of the Eastside's biggest problem. Hernandez leads with housing production — build more, near transit, faster. Rascón leads with environmental justice and neighborhood investment. Both would be freshman legislators; weigh whose first-hand experience maps to what you want fixed first.
Sara Hernandez
Sara Hernandez is a Democrat. She is a community college trustee and a former LAUSD teacher. She is also a housing attorney. Her platform is detailed housing production. She backs multifamily housing near transit, streamlined approvals, and tenant protections. She is the race's housing first candidate.
Sarah Rascón
Sarah Rascón is a Democrat. They are director of county and regional affairs for Mayor Karen Bass. They were an environmental equity official for the region's parks agency. They led the Upper LA River revitalization plan. They are the race's environmental justice candidate, with deep roots in El Sereno.
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
Sara Hernandez
Primary — $859,500
- Small donors$4,105<1%
- Individuals$444,85052%
- PACs & committees$311,27536%
- Businesses & other orgs$95,00011%
November — $52,462
- Individuals$10,56220%
- PACs & committees$30,10057%
- Businesses & other orgs$11,80022%
Sarah Rascón
Primary — $187,858
- Small donors$15,8789%
- Individuals$129,87770%
- PACs & committees$17,1509%
- Businesses & other orgs$7,5994%
- Self-funding$14,0558%
November — $61,911
- Individuals$45,43573%
- PACs & committees$15,90026%
- Businesses & other orgs$5771%
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.