State Senator, District 28

Lola Smallwood-Cuevas spent more than 20 years as a labor organizer and civil rights advocate. They helped start the Los Angeles Black Worker Center. They led campaigns for higher wages and safer warehouses. Voters elected them to the State Senate in 2022. Smallwood-Cuevas now chairs the Senate Labor committee. They have written bills on apprenticeships and workplace protections.

In 2025 the governor vetoed their bill for a new apprenticeship pilot program. The bill would have helped workers switch careers. Smallwood-Cuevas says their Senate work aims to build an economy that includes people who have been shut out. They are running for reelection to keep that work going.

Smallwood-Cuevas promises to keep expanding job training and apprenticeships. They want stronger workplace safety and surveillance rules. They want to support Black owned and other small businesses in the district. They also promise more town halls and immigrant rights resources.

Joe Lisuzzo ran a gelato and ice cream business in Los Angeles for 32 years. He has a business degree and a master's degree from UCLA. He now serves on a Los Angeles neighborhood council. He has not served in the state Legislature or Congress.

He says he is running because he loves Los Angeles. He says he is tired of watching it decline while people suffer on the streets. He wants to change a 2014 ballot measure. He would make shoplifting above a lower amount a felony again. He says the current rule has hurt small businesses. This is not his first run for this seat. He also ran for it in 2022.

Lisuzzo promises more funding for police. He wants new homeless wellness centers that combine mental health help and job placement. He wants a temporary pause on the state gas tax. He also wants new water reservoirs and desalination for the region.