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State Senator, District 34

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State of California

State Senator, District 34

This person holds your district's seat in the California State Senate (4-year term).

This is an open seat. Assemblymember Avelino Valencia took 65.2% of the June 2 vote. Republican Rhonda Shader took 34.8%. Valencia currently represents Assembly District 68. Valencia is seeking this Senate seat rather than re-election. The district covers central Orange County.

The winner holds one of 40 State Senate seats for a four-year term, inside a 12-year lifetime cap on service in Sacramento. Senate districts are twice the size of Assembly districts, terms run twice as long, and the Senate confirms the Governor's appointments. Because this seat is open, whoever wins starts without Senate seniority.

One candidate arrives with a legislative record made in the Assembly — 12 bills signed into law from 29 authored, one of the strongest conversion rates in the Legislature. The other has not held state office. Weigh that record on its merits, in a different chamber, and note the funding behind it.

Avelino Valencia

Avelino Valencia is the son of immigrant parents who ran a small business. Valencia played college football and briefly pursued a shot at the NFL. They have served as the Assemblymember for District 68 for four years and is now running for this open Senate seat. In the Assembly they have authored bills on consumer protection, gun violence and government transparency.

Valencia says they are running for Senate to keep listening to voters and to push practical policies. In 2026 they wrote a bill about the Angels baseball team's name. It says the team must call itself the Anaheim Angels on stadium papers, but only if the city grants a specific land use break for the stadium site. No one opposed the bill in committee, and Governor Newsom signed it into law.

Valencia promises to fully fund schools and improve teacher recruitment. They also want to lower the cost of gas, groceries and other essentials. Their priorities include building more housing and expanding programs for first-time home buyers. They also want to fight climate change, create jobs with good wages, and expand college access.

Rhonda Shader

Rhonda Shader owns an insurance agency. She has also worked in banking and risk management. She was elected to the Placentia City Council in 2016 and served two terms as mayor. By her account, she helped start the city's first independent fire department. She also helped create California's first joint city-county fund for local infrastructure.

She says Sacramento is broken. She says Californians deserve a state they can afford to enjoy. She has not served in the state Legislature. Her campaign says the infrastructure fund she helped create while on the council has generated thousands of jobs.

She promises fiscal responsibility and to put working families first in Sacramento. Her priorities include cutting the cost of housing and utilities. She also wants to expand school choice and reduce state rules on small businesses. She promises to audit state agencies and push for more accountability in state spending.

Record in office

This seat is open — no candidate on the November ballot currently holds it. Rhonda Shader has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress; these records cover only those offices. Avelino Valencia (Democratic) is a sitting Assemblymember and is lead author of 29 bills in the 2025–2026 session, 12 of them signed into law. Per the California Legislature's public bill data (leginfo bulk download), retrieved 2026-09-21.

Financial info

Rhonda Shader

Primary — $126,706

$126,706raised
  • Small donors$4,9624%
  • Individuals$82,16366%
  • PACs & committees$27,80022%
  • Businesses & other orgs$9,6508%

November — $7,359

$7,359raised
  • Individuals$3,80952%
  • PACs & committees$2,50034%
  • Businesses & other orgs$1,05014%

Avelino Valencia

Primary — $1,233,907

$1,233,907raised
  • Small donors$1,265<1%
  • Individuals$81,6617%
  • PACs & committees$607,55049%
  • Businesses & other orgs$542,43144%

November — $52,140

$52,140raised
  • Individuals$5,94011%
  • PACs & committees$23,30045%
  • Businesses & other orgs$22,90044%

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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