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Robert Rivas

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Robert Rivas
Democratic Party
Candidate, California State Assembly District 29
California State Assembly District 29
Tenure
2022 - Present
Term ends
2026
Years in position
3
Predecessor: Mark Stone (D)
Prior offices:
California State Assembly District 30
Years in office: 2018 - 2022
Successor: Dawn Addis (D)
Compensation
Base salary
$132,703/year
Per diem
$236/day
Elections and appointments
Last election
November 5, 2024
Next election
June 2, 2026
Education
High school
Hollister High School, 1998
Bachelor's
California State University, Sacramento, 2003
Graduate
San José State University, 2011
Personal
Birthplace
Hollister, CA
Profession
Student support director
Contact
Official website
Official Facebook
Official X
Official Instagram
Official YouTube
Personal Facebook
Personal LinkedIn
Personal TikTok

Robert Rivas (Democratic Party) is a member of the California State Assembly, representing District 29. He assumed office on December 5, 2022. His current term ends on December 7, 2026.

Rivas was unanimously elected speaker of the Assembly on November 10, 2022, and his term began on June 30, 2023, succeeding Anthony Rendon (D).[1] After his election, Rivas said, "As the grandson of immigrant farmworkers, I hope to ensure the door of opportunity that was available to my family remains open for future generations."[2] Cal Matters' Alexei Koseff wrote that "Rivas has a similar ideological profile to his longtime predecessor — the outgoing Speaker Anthony Rendon, a progressive Democrat from Lakewood — so supporters do not expect a dramatic shift in the priorities of Assembly Democrats."[3] The Democratic caucus elected Rivas to another two-year term in December 2024.[4]

Rivas was born in Henderson, Nevada.[5] He earned a bachelor’s in government from California State University-Sacramento in 2003 and an M.P.A. from San Jose State University in 2011.[6] Before entering electoral politics, he worked as a student support member at San Benito High School, an adjunct professor at Gavilan College, a senior board clerk for the County of Monterey, and a senior field representative for Assemblymember Anna Caballero (D).[7] Rivas was elected to the San Benito County Board of Supervisors in 2010 and re-elected in 2014.[6]

Rivas was first elected to the California State Assembly in 2018, winning 68% of the vote for an open seat. He won re-election in each consecutive election with more than 60% of the vote. Rivas' official biography says he has "championed legislation to improve California’s supply of affordable housing, increase workplace health and safety protections, create the Golden State Teacher Grant Program, and secure the first-in-the-nation COVID-19 Farmworker Relief Package, which included critical efforts related to access to PPE and testing, temporary housing, and health care."[6]

At a swearing-in ceremony in December 2024, Rivas highlighted his priorities for the next legislative session. Rivas said, "California will always be America’s destination for dreams and opportunities. But we need to consider every bill through the lens of Californians who are anxious about affordability. Specifically, we must focus on building more housing and lowering energy costs. . . . Affordable, decent housing is the civil rights struggle of our time. Working people have a right to live near their jobs, in the communities they help enrich, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make that possible."[4]

Biography

Rivas was born in Henderson, Nevada.[5] He earned a bachelor’s in government from California State University-Sacramento in 2003 and a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) from San Jose State University in 2011. His career experience includes working as a student support member at San Benito High School, an adjunct professor at Gavilan College, a senior board clerk for the County of Monterey, and a senior field representative for California State Assemblymember Anna Caballero (D). Rivas was elected to be a county supervisor for San Benito County, California in 2010.[7]

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes yearly updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org

2025-2026

Rivas was assigned to the following committees:

2023-2024

Rivas was assigned to the following committees:


2021-2022

Rivas was assigned to the following committees:

2019-2020

Rivas was assigned to the following committees:


The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2026

See also: California State Assembly elections, 2026

General election

The primary will occur on June 2, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Nonpartisan primary

Nonpartisan primary election for California State Assembly District 29

Incumbent Robert Rivas (D), James Paine (R), and Dennis Sanchez (R) are running in the primary for California State Assembly District 29 on June 2, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Robert Rivas
Robert Rivas (D)
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
James Paine (R)
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Dennis Sanchez (R)

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

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Endorsements

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2024

See also: California State Assembly elections, 2024

General election

General election for California State Assembly District 29

Incumbent Robert Rivas defeated James Paine in the general election for California State Assembly District 29 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Robert Rivas
Robert Rivas (D)
 
66.0
 
99,600
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
James Paine (R)
 
34.0
 
51,291

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 150,891
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for California State Assembly District 29

Incumbent Robert Rivas and James Paine advanced from the primary for California State Assembly District 29 on March 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Robert Rivas
Robert Rivas (D)
 
64.8
 
40,756
✔
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
James Paine (R)
 
35.2
 
22,145

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 62,901
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign finance

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Rivas in this election.

2022

See also: California State Assembly elections, 2022

General election

General election for California State Assembly District 29

Incumbent Robert Rivas defeated Stephanie Castro in the general election for California State Assembly District 29 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Robert Rivas
Robert Rivas (D)
 
63.8
 
63,439
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Stephanie Castro (R)
 
36.2
 
36,030

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 99,469
Candidate Connection = 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 29

Incumbent Robert Rivas and Stephanie Castro advanced from the primary for California State Assembly District 29 on June 7, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Robert Rivas
Robert Rivas (D)
 
64.3
 
38,163
✔
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Stephanie Castro (R)
 
35.7
 
21,148

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 59,311
Candidate Connection = 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.

Campaign finance

2020

See also: California State Assembly elections, 2020

General election

General election for California State Assembly District 30

Incumbent Robert Rivas defeated Gregory Swett in the general election for California State Assembly District 30 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Robert Rivas
Robert Rivas (D)
 
69.6
 
123,617
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Gregory Swett (R)
 
30.4
 
53,928

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 177,545
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for California State Assembly District 30

Incumbent Robert Rivas and Gregory Swett advanced from the primary for California State Assembly District 30 on March 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Robert Rivas
Robert Rivas (D)
 
69.4
 
64,086
✔
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Gregory Swett (R)
 
30.6
 
28,308

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 92,394
Candidate Connection = 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.

2018

See also: California State Assembly elections, 2018

General election

General election for California State Assembly District 30

Robert Rivas defeated Neil Kitchens in the general election for California State Assembly District 30 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Robert Rivas
Robert Rivas (D)
 
68.2
 
83,162
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Neil Kitchens (R)
 
31.8
 
38,719

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 121,881
Candidate Connection = 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

Robert Rivas and Neil Kitchens defeated Peter Leroe-Muñoz, Trina Coffman-Gomez, and Bill Lipe in the primary for California State Assembly District 30 on June 5, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Robert Rivas
Robert Rivas (D)
 
45.5
 
30,379
✔
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Neil Kitchens (R)
 
30.1
 
20,099
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Peter Leroe-Muñoz (D)
 
10.6
 
7,099
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Trina Coffman-Gomez (D)
 
7.5
 
5,003
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Bill Lipe (D)
 
6.3
 
4,217

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 66,797
Candidate Connection = 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.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

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2024

Robert Rivas did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Robert Rivas did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Robert Rivas did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Robert Rivas campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024California State Assembly District 29Won general$4,220,282 $3,512,109
2022California State Assembly District 29Won general$1,774,502 $1,444,769
2020California State Assembly District 30Won general$849,820 N/A**
Grand total$6,844,604 $4,956,878
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Election Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Notable endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.

Notable candidate endorsements by Robert Rivas
EndorseeElectionStageOutcome
Zach Sokoloff  source  (Nonpartisan) Los Angeles City Controller (2026) –
Laura Friedman  source  (D) U.S. House California District 30 (2024) PrimaryWon General
Dave Min  source  (D) U.S. House California District 47 (2024) PrimaryWon General
Adam Schiff  source  (D) U.S. Senate California (2024) PrimaryWon General
Notable ballot measure endorsements by Robert Rivas
MeasurePositionOutcome
California Proposition 13, School and College Facilities Bond (March 2020)  source SupportDefeated
California Proposition 36, Drug and Theft Crime Penalties and Treatment-Mandated Felonies Initiative (2024)  source OpposeApproved
California Proposition 50, Use of Legislative Congressional Redistricting Map Amendment (2025)  source SupportApproved

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards, State legislative scorecards in California

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the California State Legislature in 2025.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the California State Legislature in 2024.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the California State Legislature in 2023.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the California State Legislature in 2022.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the California State Legislature in 2021.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the California State Legislature in 2020.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the California State Legislature in 2019.

See also

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External links

Officeholder

California State Assembly District 29
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    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Courthouse News Service', "California gets new Assembly speaker," June 30, 2023
    2. ↑ BenitoLink, "Robert Rivas elected as next Speaker of the California State Assembly," November 10, 2022
    3. ↑ Cal Matters, "Robert Rivas takes charge as California Assembly speaker," June 30, 2023
    4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Contra Costa News, "Speaker Rivas Seeks to Lower Cost of Living, Limit Bills Introduced," December 2, 2024
    5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Join California, "Robert Rivas," accessed September 3, 2025
    6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Robert Rivas - Speaker of the Assembly, "Biography," accessed May 13, 2025
    7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 LinkedIn, "Robert Rivas," accessed May 13, 2025

    Political offices
    Preceded by
    Mark Stone (D)     		California State Assembly District 29
    2022-Present    		 Succeeded by
    -
    Preceded by
    -     		California State Assembly District 30
    2018-2022    		 Succeeded by
    Dawn Addis (D)


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