Sixteen candidates are now in the running for the congressional seat held by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.
The list for the March 5 primary elections—including 12 Democrats, two Republicans, one Peace and Freedom Party candidate, and one with no party preference—was finalized by the Dec. 13 deadline.
The 30th Congressional District spans from West Hollywood to Pasadena and from Echo Park to the Angeles National Forest.
The county registrar’s office will announce on Dec. 29 the full list of candidates to appear on the ballot.
Known Democrats who filed by the deadline include former Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer; state Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge); Assemblywoman Laura Friedman (D-Glendale); Los Angeles Unified School District Board Member Nick Melvoin; West Hollywood Mayor Sepi Shyne; Dr. Jirair Ratevosian, a former State Department official; and actor Ben Savage.
Mr. Schiff has not made an endorsement.
Mr. Schiff, who was first elected in 2000, is running for the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by the late Dianne Feinstein—alongside Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), former Dodger great and Republican Steve Garvey, and several other candidates.
The position is currently held by Laphonza Butler, who Gov. Gavin Newsom chose to replace Ms. Feinstein after the long-serving Senator’s death in Washington, D.C. in September.
Other Races
Two other Los Angeles County congressional races also received an extended deadline due to the retirements of Reps. Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.) and Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.).Mr. Cárdenas, who held office for the 29th Congressional District since 2013, has endorsed state Assemblywoman Luz Rivas (D-North Hollywood) in the race to succeed him in representing the district in the Northeast San Fernando Valley.
“It will be the first time in 28 years that I’m not on the ballot,” he told the Los Angeles Times at the time of his announcement. “I’m just at the age where I have enough energy and experience to maybe do something [different] and have another chapter of a career where I don’t have to go to Washington, D.C., 32 weeks out of the year.”
Community organizer Angélica María Dueñas, a Democrat who lost to Mr. Cárdenas with 56.6 percent–43.4 percent in 2020 and 58.5 percent–41.5 percent in 2022, is one of the three additional candidates who submitted their filings. The list also includes Republicans Benito “Benny” Bernal, a family and youth advocate, and María Margarita Carranza, who did not specify an occupation.
Ms. Napolitano has endorsed Sen. Bob Archuleta (D-Pico Rivera) to succeed her in the predominantly Democratic 31st Congressional District in the San Gabriel Valley.
Former Rep. Gil Cisneros, who represented the 39th District from 2019–2021, is among the five Democrats who have filed. Other Democratic candidates include Sen. Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park), Citrus Community College District Trustee Mary Ann Lutz, workers’ right advocate Greg Hafif, and businessman and health care advocate Kurt Jose.
Three Republicans—including Clinical Psychologist Pedro Antonio Casas, lawyer and educator Daniel Jose Bocic Martinez, and Government Affairs Administrator Elvira Moreno—and two independent candidates, teacher Erskine Levi and commissioner Marie Manvel, have also entered the race.
