John Drake (California)

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

John Drake

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

June 7, 2022

Education

Associate

Ventura Community College, 2021

Personal

Religion

Unity Church

Profession

Housing Policy Director

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Personal Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

John Drake (Democratic Party) ran for election to the California State Assembly to represent District 30. He lost in the primary on June 7, 2022.

Drake also ran for election for Governor of California. He did not appear on the ballot for the primary on June 7, 2022.

Drake completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

John Drake was born in Rīga, Latvia, on October 31, 2000. He earned an associate degree from Ventura Community College in 2021 and a bachelor's degree from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo. His career experience includes working as a housing policy director for a nonprofit serving unhoused people.

Elections

2022

See also: California State Assembly elections, 2022

General election

General election for California State Assembly District 30

Dawn Addis defeated Vicki Nohrden in the general election for California State Assembly District 30 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dawn Addis (D)	60.0	115,770
		Vicki Nohrden (R)	40.0	77,079

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 192,849
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for California State Assembly District 30

Dawn Addis and Vicki Nohrden defeated Jon Wizard, Zoë Carter, and John Drake in the primary for California State Assembly District 30 on June 7, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dawn Addis (D)	40.8	54,924
✔		Vicki Nohrden (R)	36.6	49,287
		Jon Wizard (D)	10.5	14,090
		Zoë Carter (D)	8.6	11,584
		John Drake (D)	3.5	4,695

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 134,580
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2021

Gavin Newsom yes/no recall question

Gavin Newsom recall, 2021

Gavin Newsom won the Governor of California recall election on September 14, 2021.

			Recall  Vote	%	Votes
			Yes	38.1	4,894,473
		✔	No	61.9	7,944,092
			Total Votes		12,838,565

---

It has been certified. Source

Gavin Newsom replacement question

The ordering on the candidate list below does not reflect the order in which candidates will appear on the recall ballot. Click here to read Ballotpedia's policy on ordering candidate lists.

General election

Special general election for Governor of California

The following candidates ran in the special general election for Governor of California on September 14, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
		Larry Elder (R)	48.4	3,563,867
		Kevin Paffrath (D)	9.6	706,778
		Kevin Faulconer (R)	8.0	590,346
		Brandon Ross (D)	5.3	392,029
		John Cox (R)	4.1	305,095
		Kevin Kiley (R)	3.5	255,490
		Jacqueline McGowan (D)	2.9	214,242
		Joel Ventresca (D)	2.5	186,345
		Daniel Watts (D)	2.3	167,355
		Holly Baade (D)	1.3	92,218
		Patrick Kilpatrick (D)	1.2	86,617
		Armando Perez-Serrato (D)	1.2	85,061
		Caitlyn Jenner (R)	1.0	75,215
		John Drake (D)	0.9	68,545
		Daniel Kapelovitz (G)	0.9	64,375
		Jeff Hewitt (L)	0.7	50,378
		Ted Gaines (R)	0.7	47,937
		Angelyne (No party preference)	0.5	35,900
		David Moore (No party preference)	0.4	31,224
		Anthony Trimino (R)	0.4	28,101
		Doug Ose (R) (Unofficially withdrew)	0.4	26,204
		Michael Loebs (No party preference)	0.3	25,468
		Heather Collins (G)	0.3	24,260
		Major Singh (No party preference)	0.3	21,394
		David Lozano (R)	0.3	19,945
		Denver Stoner (R)	0.3	19,588
		Samuel Gallucci (R)	0.2	18,134
		Steven Chavez Lodge (R)	0.2	17,435
		Jenny Rae Le Roux (R)	0.2	16,032
		David Bramante (R)	0.2	11,501
		Diego Martinez (R)	0.1	10,860
		Robert Newman (R)	0.1	10,602
		Sarah Stephens (R)	0.1	10,583
		Dennis Richter (No party preference)	0.1	10,468
		Major Williams (R) (Write-in)	0.1	8,965
		Denis Lucey (No party preference)	0.1	8,182
		James Hanink (No party preference)	0.1	7,193
		Daniel Mercuri (R)	0.1	7,110
		Chauncey Killens (R)	0.1	6,879
		Leo Zacky (R)	0.1	6,099
		Kevin Kaul (No party preference)	0.1	5,600
		David Hillberg (R)	0.1	4,435
		Adam Papagan (No party preference)	0.1	4,021
		Rhonda Furin (R)	0.1	3,964
		Nickolas Wildstar (R)	0.1	3,811
		Jeremiah Marciniak (No party preference)	0.0	2,894
		Joe Symmon (R)	0.0	2,397
	Submit photo	Miki Habryn (No party preference) (Write-in)	0.0	137
	Submit photo	Roxanne (D) (Write-in)	0.0	116
	Submit photo	Stacy Smith (D) (Write-in)	0.0	81
	Submit photo	Vivek Mohan (No party preference) (Write-in)	0.0	68
	Submit photo	Thuy Hugens (American Independent Party of California) (Write-in)	0.0	19
	Submit photo	Vince Lundgren (No party preference) (Write-in)	0.0	5

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,361,568
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Karen Blake (R)
• Mariana Dawson (No party preference)
• Veronika Fimbres (G)
• Elizabeth Floyd (No party preference)
• Wayne Frazier (R)
• Timothy Herode (R)
• Luis Huang (D)
• Jimih Jones (R)
• Paul Mesrop Kurdian (No party preference)
• Carla Canada (No party preference)
• Mary Cook (No party preference)
• Torr Leonard (D)
• Jeremy Lupoli (D)
• Louis J. Marinelli, III (R)
• Christopher Mason (R)
• John Pierce (R)
• Patrick Rakus Jr. (R)
• Frank Wade (D)
• Marc Roth (No party preference)
• Christopher Carlson (G)
• Douglas Deitch (D)
• Bryan Farley (D)
• Justin Hubbard (R)
• Jason Dixon (D)
• Sean Harrison (R)
• Ronald Palmieri (D)
• Ben Zandpour (No party preference)
• Robert Davidson Griffis (D)
• A. Shantz (G)
• Adam Hadjinian (No party preference)
• Michael Lynn Gabriel (No party preference)
• Hilaire Shioura (No party preference)
• Lee Olson (No party preference)
• Joseph Luciano (R)
• Steven Fitzgerald (R)
• Anthony Fanara (D)
• Jemiss Nazar (No party preference)
• Kevin Abushi (R)
• Joseph Amey (American Independent Party of California)

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

John Drake completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Drake's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a Housing Policy Director for an Unhoused People’s Non-profit in Lancaster, Los Angeles, and I love my job!

My degree is in Political Science, Public Policy, and Public Administration.

I’ve attended and worked on CalPoly’s Student Advisory Council to the Dean in the College of Liberal Arts, representing student needs and interests, while simultaneously working as a member of the SC3 Council; handling all online resources distribution and transparency to the student body.

As a young person who currently works three jobs, has gone to school full time, and battles the everyday rising costs of rent, food, and gas, I am on the frontlines of working class experiences. I want to help our communities, because the way things are now, is unsustainable: Environmentally, Economically, Politically, and Socially!

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Affordable Housing
• Affordable Education
• Affordable Healthcare

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I’m personally passionate about Housing, Education and Healthcare. The affordability of these institutions has all but vanished, and we need to fix that.

These types of issues don’t just affect the me - the affect everyone. We’re seriously getting to the point where housing is becoming unaffordable to multi-millionaires.

Commodification of our institutions - public and private - has gotten out of hand!

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2021

John Drake completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Drake's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am an Immigrant from Rīga, Latvia, a small city and country in Eastern Europe. I moved to the United States when I was four years old and have lived in California ever since.

All my life I have been interested in politics. While most kids were playing basketball or trading Pokémon cards on the playground, I was reading and studying political theory. I was examining the causes and effects of US foreign policy in the Middle East and Africa. I have always known I’d wanted to go into politics. I’ve always had a love for helping those around me and making the world a better place.

I’ve always believed that if I could somehow make one person better off today than they were yesterday, I’ve done something worthwhile.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I represent the average Californian. I am not a multimillionaire, like the vast majority of the politicians in the state. I come from a humble family background of small business owners. I have spent my whole life fighting for those who are unable to help themselves.
• I am a staunch advocate for Social Justice. I believe every marginalized group of people deserves a say in how their state is run.
• I am a Realist. Common sense is a trait seldom found in many politicians nowadays, however it is this trait I pride myself on. I do not make decisions that make no sense. I believe that we must tackle issues, not so much ideologically, but with common sense. If a project, institution, or policy isn’t working, we need to step back and reassess what’s going on.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Social issues, especially those pertaining to Social Justice, drive my passion. To deny communities of color reparations - whether civil or economic - because we are too stubborn to acknowledge the generational trauma and economic hardship we have forced onto these communities is wrong and unforgivable. We must strive every day to make amends for these iniquities, and build towards a brighter future.
How we can do this? By investing in the infrastructure, education, and healthcare of those living within in inner-cities.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Who do I look up to? What a loaded question... There are many I would say I admire and look up to. If I had to choose one, I guess I’d have to say Theodore Roosevelt. This man was the true embodiment of what America could be. He destroyed corporations and businesses that took advantage of Americans. He projected strength on the international level, however was isolationist without direct cause. He promoted American greatness and resolve. We built monuments, great feats, and made godless advancements in science and technology. We truly were a nation to be reckoned with.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The first major historical event that happened in my lifetime that I can remember was probably the election of Barack Obama. I was around eight years old at the time, so I didn’t quite understand the true significance this had on me or the United States.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My very first job was a Busser and Dishwasher in a restaurant. I had the job for around two years before leaving and I absolutely loved it. I loved the staff, the customers, and atmosphere. I was definitely in my element.
I met so many awesome people from different backgrounds and situations. I would often find myself talking to these people I wouldn’t want to get back to work because I was so invested in the conversations I was having. Years prior I would’ve kept my head down and tried my best not to talk to anyone, but as I went through high school, I became much more extroverted. I don’t regret it one bit.

A governor is the top executive authority in his or her state. What does that mean do you?

This means the Governor has a responsibility to protect and serve their constituency the best they can. Everything they support, pass, and do, impacts the state in a major way. Not only that, they have an obligation to step outside of their partisanship and work to better the lives of every person within the state. Sometimes it may be hard to get around the partisanship, but in the end it isn’t a single party or group of people you’re protecting, it’s everyone in the state.

Governors have many responsibilities, which vary from state to state. Which of those do you personally consider the most important in your state?

The most important responsibility the Governor has is security. Whether that means economic, social, or public security, it all matters. The government must be vigilant and quick to maintain public and civil order. The Governor must maintain the economic welfare of their citizens. And the Governor must use his power to protect any group that cannot defend themselves, whether political or not.

Different states require governors to have different degrees of responsibility for the state budgeting process. If it were your choice, what do you believe is the appropriate degree of gubernatorial involvement with this process in your state?

I think state budgeting is important, and the Governor should watch how the money is being spent, however it is vastly more important the Governor observe and disclose tot he public where the funds are going and whether such funds will be spent efficiently. It is up to the Governor to take the steps necessary to ensure the state’s finances are not abused nor wasted.

In most states, governors have the power to make line-item vetoes. If that is true in your state, what would be your philosophy for how and when to use this power?

As stated previously, any policy, fiscal or social, that either harms people or wastes resources, should be vetoed immediately.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

I believe the governor should act as a representative of the majority to the state legislature and give input as to the policies being discussed. There is no charter that explicitly forbids that. If that means meeting with legislators, or calling them out on live television for abusing the trust of their constituency, the governor has a duty to do that.

What do you love most about your state?

I love the social and open tolerance of minority groups within this state. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, the state has been on the cutting-edge of this issue. As for racial minorities and religious minority groups, California has had a pretty good reputation with testing them fairly - especially in the more recent years.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Homelessness and Corporate abuse of power. Homelessness has been increasing over the past five decades and it’s only getting worse. The institutions and policies we have in place are not managed properly, nor are they as affective as they were initially thought to be. As for corporate abuse of power, corporations have lobbied out politicians for decades now, and it’s only gotten worse. Politicians in Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Francisco care more about taking money from corporate donors for their re-election campaigns than they do their actual constituency. This has led to these politicians passing policies that disproportionately improve the lives of multimillionaire and multibillionaires, all while leaving the middle and lower classes in California to wither away and die.

Under what circumstances should the governor of your state be able to use emergency powers?

Civil Unrest, Medical Crisis, and tackling an issue that the legislature has failed to effectively handle - like Homelessness. From there the Governor should have the ability to reallocate funds from failing institutions to better improve the situation.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Candidate

California State Assembly District 30

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Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the California State Assembly

Leadership

Majority Leader:Cecilia Aguiar-Curry

Minority Leader:James Gallagher

Representatives

District 1

Heather Hadwick (R)

District 2

Chris Rogers (D)

District 3

James Gallagher (R)

District 4

Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D)

District 5

Joe Patterson (R)

District 6

Maggy Krell (D)

District 7

Josh Hoover (R)

District 8

David Tangipa (R)

District 9

Heath Flora (R)

District 10

Stephanie Nguyen (D)

District 11

Lori Wilson (D)

District 12

Damon Connolly (D)

District 13

Rhodesia Ransom (D)

District 14

Buffy Wicks (D)

District 15

Anamarie Avila Farias (D)

District 16

Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D)

District 17

Matt Haney (D)

District 18

Mia Bonta (D)

District 19

Catherine Stefani (D)

District 20

Liz Ortega (D)

District 21

Diane Papan (D)

District 22

Juan Alanis (R)

District 23

Marc Berman (D)

District 24

Alex Lee (D)

District 25

Ash Kalra (D)

District 26

Patrick Ahrens (D)

District 27

Esmeralda Soria (D)

District 28

Gail Pellerin (D)

District 29

Robert Rivas (D)

District 30

Dawn Addis (D)

District 31

Joaquin Arambula (D)

District 32

Stan Ellis (R)

District 33

Alexandra Macedo (R)

District 34

Tom Lackey (R)

District 35

Jasmeet Bains (D)

District 36

Jeff Gonzalez (R)

District 37

Gregg Hart (D)

District 38

Steve Bennett (D)

District 39

Juan Carrillo (D)

District 40

Pilar Schiavo (D)

District 41

John Harabedian (D)

District 42

Jacqui Irwin (D)

District 43

Celeste Rodriguez (D)

District 44

Nick Schultz (D)

District 45

James Ramos (D)

District 46

Jesse Gabriel (D)

District 47

Greg Wallis (R)

District 48

Blanca Rubio (D)

District 49

Mike Fong (D)

District 50

Robert Garcia (D)

District 51

Rick Zbur (D)

District 52

Jessica Caloza (D)

District 53

Michelle Rodriguez (D)

District 54

Mark Gonzalez (D)

District 55

Isaac Bryan (D)

District 56

Lisa Calderon (D)

District 57

Sade Elhawary (D)

District 58

Leticia Castillo (R)

District 59

Phillip Chen (R)

District 60

Corey Jackson (D)

District 61

Tina McKinnor (D)

District 62

Jose Solache (D)

District 63

Natasha Johnson (R)

District 64

Blanca Pacheco (D)

District 65

Mike Gipson (D)

District 66

Al Muratsuchi (D)

District 67

Sharon Quirk-Silva (D)

District 68

Avelino Valencia (D)

District 69

Josh Lowenthal (D)

District 70

Tri Ta (R)

District 71

Kate Sanchez (R)

District 72

Diane Dixon (R)

District 73

Cottie Petrie-Norris (D)

District 74

Laurie Davies (R)

District 75

Carl DeMaio (R)

District 76

Darshana Patel (D)

District 77

Tasha Horvath (D)

District 78

Christopher Ward (D)

District 79

LaShae Sharp-Collins (D)

District 80

David Alvarez (D)

Democratic Party (60)

Republican Party (20)