Jacqui Irwin
Candidate for U.S. Representative, Congressional District 26
Jacqui Irwin is a Democrat in the California State Assembly. She now represents District 42, in Ventura County. She has held that seat since 2022. Before that, she represented District 44 from 2014-2022. Before the Legislature, she served on the Thousand Oaks Planning Commission. She was appointed to it in 2003. She was a Thousand Oaks City Councilmember for three terms. She served two terms as Mayor of Thousand Oaks, beginning in 2008. Irwin holds a B.S. in systems engineering from UC San Diego. She worked as a systems engineer. Her post was at Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory. She later worked at Teledyne before entering public office. In the Assembly, she chairs the Committee on Revenue and Taxation. She also chairs two select committees. One covers Cybersecurity. The other covers Gasoline Supply and Pricing. She is running in 2026 for California's new 26th Congressional District. That district was created via 2020s redistricting. It covers parts of Ventura and Los Angeles Counties. Her campaign materials cite a record of job creation. They cite work balancing local and state budgets. They cite expanded gun-safety measures. They also cite the renewal of California's climate law. And they cite her authoring AB 531, the bond portion of Proposition 1. That 2024 state ballot measure funds behavioral health treatment and housing. That includes housing for veterans. Governor Gavin Newsom has endorsed her. So have U.S. Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, Rep. Julia Brownley, and other state and local elected officials. Home: Thousand Oaks, California (Ventura County). Occupation: California State Assemblymember; trained as a systems engineer. Prior office: current California State Assemblymember for District 42 (2022-present). She held District 44 before that (2014-2022). Earlier local offices: Thousand Oaks City Council and Mayor. She is not now a member of Congress. This is her first run for federal office.
On the issues
- Economy & Jobs
Supports job creation through hiring incentives, streamlined regulations/permitting, and investment in transit and renewable energy, and cites a record of helping create jobs and balance budgets.
Source → - Education & Schools
Says California should be a leader in public education and supports affordable higher education options.
Source → - Public Safety & Policing
Supports expanding gun-safety measures.
Source → - Environment, Energy & Climate
Has worked on climate and environmental legislation, including reauthorizing California's climate law, and has promoted recycled water infrastructure, greenhouse-gas reduction, sustainable farming, and solar energy expansion.
Source → - Veterans' Affairs
Has prioritized veterans' issues, notably authoring Proposition 1 (a state ballot measure) directed in part at supporting homeless veterans, and championed state funding for veteran homelessness prevention.
Source → - Government, Elections & Democracy
Frames her congressional run partly around opposing what she describes as threats to democracy from the Trump administration, and emphasizes a record of bipartisan cooperation and fiscal responsibility in the Legislature.
Source →
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