Michael MacDonald
Candidate for Assembly District 38
Michael MacDonald is the City Clerk of Ventura. His city is formally named San Buenaventura. He has held the post since 2022. He oversees city elections. He also oversees public records and governance matters. He was once Assistant City Clerk in Berkeley. He was also Assistant City Clerk in Port Hueneme. He chaired the Oakland Public Ethics Commission. He worked as a district staffer. He handled constituent casework for two California State Senators. He co-founded the Diversity Collective Ventura County Community Resource Center. His campaign calls it the county's first LGBTQ center in over a decade. MacDonald has family roots in Ventura County. His great-grandparents were Italian immigrants. They ran a banquet hall and restaurant there. He spent part of his youth in Albany, New York. That was after his parents' divorce. He holds an associate degree in political science. He earned it at Borough of Manhattan Community College. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science too. He earned it at California State University Channel Islands. He is now working on an MBA there. He is married to a Ventura County native. The couple moved back to the area for good in 2022. MacDonald ran in the 2026 primary for Assembly District 38. It was a top-two primary. He placed second, with 30.6% of the vote. Incumbent Democrat Steve Bennett got 69.4%. Both Democrats advanced to the November 3, 2026 general election. His campaign centers on housing costs. It also centers on insurance costs. He wants to speed up housing permits and approvals. He wants to reform California's FAIR Plan insurance program. He also calls for more government transparency. This is his first run for state office. He has never held elected office before. He has held appointed staff and commission posts. Home: Ventura, California. Job: City Clerk of San Buenaventura, since 2022. Prior office: None in elected office. He has held appointed posts. These include Assistant City Clerk in Berkeley and Port Hueneme. He also chaired the Oakland Public Ethics Commission.
On the issues
- Economy & Jobs
Supports policies to create good-paying jobs, support entrepreneurship and small business, and expand economic opportunity, though without specific proposals on minimum wage or labor law.
Source → - Taxes & Cost of Living
Emphasizes the cost-of-living/affordability crisis (housing, insurance, utilities, fuel, childcare, groceries) as a top priority and proposes fiscally responsible reforms, but does not state a specific position on state income, corporate, sales, or property tax policy.
Source → - Housing & Homelessness
Supports streamlining housing permitting and expanding by-right approvals for compliant projects, reducing impact fees, supporting modular/prefabricated construction, and encouraging a mix of workforce, affordable, and market-rate housing; does not address homelessness response or rent/tenant protections specifically.
Source → - Public Safety & Policing
States a general goal of keeping neighborhoods safe for families, without specifics on police funding/staffing, oversight, or gun policy.
Source → - Environment, Energy & Climate
Supports investing in sustainable road and water infrastructure and, separately, wildfire-mitigation measures (home-hardening, vegetation management) framed as insurance-market reform rather than a standalone climate/emissions platform.
Source → - Water & Natural Resources
Supports investment in sustainable water infrastructure, without a specific stated position on water rights, groundwater management, or drought/conservation policy.
Source → - Government, Elections & Democracy
Advocates for making government more transparent and accountable, citing his professional background in election administration and governance reform as City Clerk.
Source →
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