22 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MAY 7-13, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com istration. But when it mattered most, when the oil companies were doing what oil companies do, he looked away. His successor, Rob Bonta, sued them. Becerra didn’t. In debates, Becerra plays the politician, careful to the point of evasion. Who will he truly serve? We’re not sure, except he’s clearly no change agent. Steyer has spent over $125 million of his own money campaigning—that makes us wince. His hedge fund has bad investments. But he’s beholden to no one, and may be exactly the right formula for these tumultuous times. The people spending millions to stop him are precisely the people who need strong opposition. Their efforts to defeat him speaks volumes. Robert Rivas for Assembly | District 29 In 2023, California witnessed a youthful and ambitious assemblymember from a rural district pull off an audacious political move as Robert Rivas ascended to the position of Speaker of the Assembly in a bloodless coup. Rivas has wielded the power of the position with particular impact. He put a $25 million stash of money aside to sue the Trump administration, which he says preserved $188 billion in federal money destined for California. He led the legislative push to draft Proposition 50, the state’s redistricting initiative to counter Trump’s Republican-friendly gerrymandering, in time for this year’s midterm elections. He capped the number of bills that can be introduced each session and has launched a legislative oversight tool so that lawmakers can assess current laws instead of drafting new legislation if it isn’t needed. And unlike previous speakers, he has also continued to push legislation of his own, and last session authored AB 1454, a landmark literacy education bill that included $200 million for implementation. He also secured critical funding for Pajaro’s post-flood recovery. Rivas, a Democrat, faces two Republican challengers, Dennis Sanchez (who did not respond to the Weekly’s questions) and J.W. Paine, a truck driver who believes (incorrectly) that Rivas is too focused on the state overall and not on the district. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. As Rivas frames it, “Being Speaker keeps our local values and perspectives at the table in Sacramento. That’s something we’ve never had before, and it’s helped us make great progress.” Dawn Addis for Assembly | District 30 Two years ago when we endorsed Dawn Addis for reelection, we commended her for having swiftly gotten up to speed on Monterey County issues in her first term representing the area. She proved to be a good listener and a strong advocate for locals. That remains the case and was on display last winter as Addis was everywhere after the Vistra battery storage fire in Moss Landing. Since that endorsement in 2024, Addis has drafted two bills to grant local authority precedence over state policies on energy infrastructure. AB 3233 was passed on the final day of the legislative session in 2024 and grants local control over oil and gas exploration. AB 303 was introduced in 2025 to give local control over the siting of battery storage facilities. (That bill died in committee.) While advocating for local control may play well at a town hall, in the wrong hands or on the wrong issue, it might look a lot more like cronyism or NIMBYism. We again endorse Addis’ reelection because of her commitment to her district, and we urge a little more restraint and perspective as far as local control goes. Neither Republican Shannon Kessler nor Democrat Susannah Brown, who are also running for the Assembly seat, responded to the Weekly’s candidate survey. FEDERAL Zoe Lofgren for Congress | District 18 Zoe Lofgren of San Jose has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1995, and is seeking another term, up against three challengers from both the right and the left. While Independent Chris Demers and Democrat Luis Acevedo-Arreguin of Castroville have some good ideas about foreign policy and immigration, they lack the practical how-to expertise that Lofgren brings to the job. She’s been persistent in speaking out in defense of dignity and protecting basic government functions during both the first and second Trump administrations, and in response to the Trump-led gerrymandering initiative in Texas, Lofgren became a key architect of California’s Prop. 50, a Democratic-leaning response about which she remains unapologetic. (The result of Prop. 50 means that dark blue District 18 now includes a slice of Republican-leaning Coalinga in the Central Valley to the east, and Lofgren pledges to connect with constituents there.) “California had the unique opportunity to level the playing field and ensure a fair election, and I’m proud that we put our foot down and took a stand for our democracy,” she says. It’s hard to get anything done as a minority Democrat in a Republican-led Congress, but Lofgren is hopeful about flipping the chamber in November and says priority number-one will be the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which would provide a path to legal status for roughly 1.5 million farmworkers, rightly a priority for this district, which encompasses the Salinas Valley. Jimmy Panetta for Congress | District 19 Jimmy Panetta deserves another term representing the 19th Congressional District, but with an asterisk. A Navy veteran, a former prosecutor, and a legislator who has delivered Jake Stroud was appointed by the Board of Supervisors to become County Treasurer/ Tax Collector in November when his predecessor retired. He is now running unopposed for a four-year term to fill the seat. Dan Burns describes his approach to leadership as built on relationships, "so that you can provide support that is needed when it is needed, and doing so without being a compliance-led position and more of a relational position." DANIEL DREIFUSS DANIEL DREIFUSS
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==