CalBike Supporters Bike the Vote to Primary Victories

All but one of the candidates that CalBike endorsed in the March 3 primary will be heading to the General Election in November. Across our diverse state, Californians resoundingly chose safe and equitable biking over backward-looking transportation planning. We are thankful to our members and supporters who voted for the strongest pro-bike candidates. You truly biked the vote!

Because of these primary victories, you will be able to support biking champions in the November General Election. We hope this momentum carries through the next eight months as we’ll be working hard to elevate our endorsed candidates even more. We’re voting out anti-bike candidates and voting in elected officials who understand the importance of active transportation. These public officials are vital to building a coalition to transform California communities so all residents can lead healthy, joyous lives where biking is a safe and appealing transportation choice. We will need help from all of you, our members and supporters, to make this happen.

Luckily, as bike advocates, we are not alone in this fight. We will continue to align with key partners who work on related issues, from fighting Big Oil to solving our housing crisis to prioritizing justice and equity. We plan to expand our movement even more throughout 2020. We look forward to working with our allies and endorsed candidates to advance an intersectional approach that sees biking as a key tool to healthy, inclusive, and prosperous communities.

Featured Endorsements

The following election summary results are for our endorsements in several key races that we watched closely. For the full results of our endorsed candidates, see the table below.

Los Angeles City Council District 4

In the only local race where CalBike made an endorsement, the two challengers we supported both did well. The incumbent, David Ryu, will face the top challenger, Nithya Raman in a runoff in November. CalBike will work with our local friends to replace Ryu and get Raman elected to LA City Council District 4. We need a champion like Nithya Raman, who cares about street safety and transportation equity, to support the infrastructure improvements Los Angeles needs to become a bike-friendly city.

Assembly District 42 – Yucaipa

It is still incredibly close, but, as of this writing, DeniAntionette Mazingo is falling just shy getting enough votes to make it into the top two and run in the general election in November. It was difficult from the beginning for Mazingo to succeed in AD 42’s car-dependent district, but we were excited by her progressive campaign, which included a platform of increased biking and transportation justice. We look forward to DeniAntionette’s future political moves and know she’ll remain a strong champion on our issues in whatever endeavor she pursues.

Assembly District 78 – San Diego

In a huge win for increasing safe and equitable biking across the state, Chris Ward is moving forward to the general election and we couldn’t be happier. Chris will be a major champion for cyclists. With your support, his momentum in San Diego will continue through November, riding on the enthusiasm from the recent approval of $90 million dedicated to bike projects in his county.

Senate District 17 – Santa Cruz

As the top vote-getter in SD 17, John Laird is in a strong position for the general election. This is a major achievement that builds on Laird’s decades of environmental experience and his commitment to increase safe and accessible biking in California. The chance to vote for Laird to represent the Santa Cruz area in November is an incredible opportunity to expand the number of biking champions in the legislature. A Laird victory will boldly proclaim that biking is a major part of our state’s climate solutions.

Senate District 23 – Redlands

In a highly competitive race for an open seat in SD 23, Abigail Medina received the most votes. This should energize her campaign through November. We’re encouraged that Medina’s environmental justice views — which include improved public transportation, bike paths, and pedestrian walkways — resonated with voters. This is an outstanding change in direction for SD 23, as its outgoing incumbent was opposed to expanding biking across the state.

Senate District 37 – Irvine

In a very tight race, Dave Min is leading and will face the incumbent in November. The incumbent, John Moorlach, is definitely no friend to biking. We’re hoping Min can replace the outdated views of his challenger with policies to expand low-stress bike networks. If Min wins in November it will be an incredible step for progressive bike policies in extremely car-dominant Orange County. However, the incumbent finished the primary with a strong lead in votes, so it will take support from all of you to help Min oust him in November.

CalBike Primary Endorsement Results*

*Note: The results in the post above and the table below are current as of March 6, 2020. As more California ballots are counted, election results may change.

Office/Issue	CalBike Endorsement(s) and Results	About the candidate	Election Results
Los Angeles City Council District 4	Sarah Kate Levy and Nithya Raman	Both candidates have a deep commitment to bicycling. Either one is a far better choice than the incumbent.	Raman will move on to the general election against the anti-bike incumbent.
Assembly District 42 Yucaipa	DeniAntionette Mazingo	Ardent leader of some of our state’s most marginalized groups who understands that lowering carbon emissions and reducing our footprint is also a social justice and transportation issue.	Mazingo ran a good race with a progressive platform and came in a close third, but won’t be on the ballot in November.
Assembly District 78 San Diego	Chris Ward	As a San Diego City Council Member, he has shown a deep commitment to bicycling and understands the progress still needed to help cycling trips reduce vehicle miles traveled, while at the same time providing a solution to the escalating climate crisis.	Ward handily won his primary with close to 60% of the vote.
Senate District 11 San Francisco	Scott Wiener	A successful, and cutting-edge Senator who authored SB 127, CalBike’s Complete Streets bill.	Wiener, the incumbent, got more than 55% of the vote in the primary for his district.
Senate District 17 Santa Cruz	John Laird	Renowned state climate leader who strongly believes solving our climate crisis involves an intersectional approach around housing, public transit, and social equity – in addition to being a long-time supporter of increasing biking infrastrucure to offset emissions.	Laird came in first in the primary and will head into the general election in a strong position.
Senate District 23 Redlands	Abigail Medina	San Bernardino City Unified School District Board Member with a strong environmental justice vision that includes improved public transportation, bike paths, and pedestrian walkways.	Medina got the most votes in a tight 4-way race and will be on the ballot against her next closest competitor in November.
Senate District 37 Irvine	Dave Min	Strong environmentalist who believes that climate change is the defining crisis of our time, with significantly expanded low-stress bikeway networks and Complete Streets at the top of the list of solutions.	Min got the votes to advance from the primary to the general election in November. He will run against the incumbent.
Assembly District 17 San Francisco	David Chiu	A steadfast leader for active transportation and its connections to fair, affordable, and equitable housing issues.	Chiu ran unopposed in his primary and is a sure bet to win reelection in November.
Assembly District 19 San Francisco	Phil Ting	Consistent champion for the active transportation community in San Francisco and statewide.	The general election will be a rematch of the two-person primary in AD 19. Ting won almost 80% of the votes in the primary and seems poised to be reelected in November.
Assembly District 25 San Jose	Alex Lee & Anna Song	Both candidates show great potential for expanding active transportation in San Jose and across the state by significantly increasing the amount to the state’s Active Transportation Program (ATP).	Lee got the second-highest number of votes in a fractured field of nine candidates. We’re excited to see him advance.
Assembly District 30 Monterey	Robert Rivas	A recent champion for biking and walking advocates who authored AB 1266, which allows bicyclists to travel straight through a right- or left-hand turn only lane.	Rivas handily won his primary and advances to the general election in a strong position.
Assembly District 37 Santa Barbara	Elsa Granados, Cathy Murillo, & Steve Bennett	All three candidates show great potential for expanding safe and equitable biking across California. Each candidate brings a unique perspective and background, but this triple endorsement is warranted given the caliber of experience and passion in AD 37.	Bennett will advance to the November ballot, where he will face the sole Republican in the race.
Assembly District 41 Pasadena	Chris Holden	A committed leader to sustainable transportation who has always supported the expansion of biking in building sustainable communities in the assembly.	Holden won two-thirds of the votes in the primary and advances to the general election in a strong position.
Assembly District 43 Glendale	Laura Friedman	A strong and tireless champion for biking and walking in the legislature, she has authored several bike-related bills and has a long history of doing the same in southern California.	Friedman came in first in the primary field with a wide lead, which should give her momentum for November.
Assembly District 50 Santa Monica	Richard Bloom	Consistent bike champion for several years in the assembly, who also understands the intersections of bikes with equity and inclusion.	Bloom won his primary with a wide lead.
Assembly District 68 Irvine	Melissa Fox	Irvine City Council Member who understands the need for expansion of safe biking and walking in order to combat climate change, our housing crisis, and in general healthy and equitable communities.	Fox got the second-highest number of primary votes, which will put her on the November ballot in what may be turning into a swing district for progressive legislators.
Assembly District 76 Escondido	Tasha Boerner Horvath	A relative newcomer to the assembly who has proven that biking is central to a prosperous and connected state and has a lot more to prove in her next term.	Horvath got the most primary votes and now heads to the general election.
Senate District 13 San Mateo	Josh Becker	A strong candidate who sees an aggressive expansion of e-bikes as an important transportation tool to foster sustainable communities.	Becker got the highest number of votes in his multi-candidate primary and will be on the ballot against a Republican challenger in November.
Senate District 15 San Jose	Dave Cortese & Ann Ravel	Both candidates show the most potential for those who bike and walk in California, and for those who suffer the most from vehicle pollution. The candidates agree that the state’s greenhouse gas reduction targets should be applied to state transportation investments.	Ravel and Cortese were the top two vote-getters and will face each other in the general election. It’s a win-win choice for SD 15.
Senate District 29 Yorba Linda	Josh Newman	Former Senator who is ready to further the work by ensuring SB 1 continues to fund active transportation, fights climate change, and improves livability and public health in at-risk communities	Newman got a big enough share of the vote to advance to the general election.
Senate District 21 Palmdale	Kipp Mueller	A strong leader of worker’s rights, who understands the importance of biking and walking, as alternatives to cars, to solve our climate crisis.	Mueller got the second-highest share of votes in the primary and will advance to the November ballot.