Liz OrtegaIncumbent
Candidate for Assembly District 20
Liz Ortega sits in the California State Assembly, for District 20. She is the Democratic incumbent there. She has served since December 5, 2022. She lives in San Leandro. Before she went to the Legislature, Ortega spent over two decades working in labor. She worked as political and legislative director, for AFSCME Local 3299. That is the union for University of California workers. She later became the first Latina elected, as Executive Secretary-Treasurer, of the Alameda Labor Council. She has also given her time to a task force, called the Alameda County Vaccine Equity Task Force. She has also served on the county's Workforce Investment Board. In the Assembly, she leads the Labor and Employment Committee. She also sits on a few more: Arts, Entertainment, Sports, and Tourism; Budget; Insurance; and Privacy and Consumer Protection. She has written a few bills. AB 800 made a Workplace Readiness Week, for high schools in California. AB 1065 dealt with fees that businesses charge, on credit cards, for sales tax they collect. AB 682 is another bill of hers. It makes health plans report, in public, how often they deny claims. That includes claims denied by artificial intelligence. In the June 2026 primary for this seat, she got 75.1% of the vote (76,306 votes), per the Statement of Vote, and she advanced from it. She faces a Republican, Patricia Muga, in the November 2026 vote. Home: San Leandro, California. Occupation: she sits in the California State Assembly. Before that, she led a union, working for AFSCME Local 3299 and the Alameda Labor Council. Prior office: she has been the incumbent since December 5, 2022.
On the issues
- Economy & Jobs
Supports labor and workforce protections, drawing on a career in the labor movement, and has authored legislation to teach workplace rights to students.
Source → - Taxes & Cost of Living
Has pushed to eliminate a specific consumer fee practice related to sales tax collection, framed as a cost-of-living/consumer protection measure.
Source → - Housing & Homelessness
Supports expanding affordable housing for workers such as teachers, nurses, and first responders, and favors a services-based, treatment-focused approach to homelessness.
Source → - Public Safety & Policing
Favors community policing approaches combined with anti-gang and drug-prevention programs and job/education placement as public safety strategy.
Source → - Health & Health Care
Has pursued health-care transparency and access measures, including requiring insurers to report claim denial data and expanding Medi-Cal coverage, and has praised state action to expand access to overdose-reversal medication.
Source → - Reproductive & Social Issues
Describes herself as a strong supporter of reproductive rights and access to reproductive health care.
Source → - Education & Schools
Has authored legislation to teach high school students about workplace rights and protections as part of the K-12 curriculum.
Source → - Family & Social Services
Has pursued expanding Medi-Cal-funded support for low-income families, including free prescription diapers.
Source → - Environment, Energy & Climate
Prioritizes environmental justice and clean air as policy goals.
Source →
Profiles are compiled from the candidate’s own statements and public records. We never tell you how to vote.