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Sade Elhawary
From Ballotpedia
Sade Elhawary (Democratic Party) is a member of the California State Assembly, representing District 57. She assumed office on December 2, 2024. Her current term ends on December 7, 2026.
Elhawary (Democratic Party) ran for election to the California State Assembly to represent District 57. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Elhawary completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Sade Elhawary was born in Los Angeles, California. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2010 and a graduate degree from Harvard University School of Education in 2011. Her career experience includes working as a community organizer.[1]
Elhawary has been affiliated with the following organizations:[1]
- AFT Local 2/UFT
- Black LA Young Democrats
- Community Coalition
- Human Rights Campaign
- LA County Young Democrats
- Black Women’s Democratic Club
- Harvard Black Alumni Society
- Coalition for a Diverse Harvard
- UCLA Black Alumni Association
- Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc.
Elections
2024
See also: California State Assembly elections, 2024
General election
General election for California State Assembly District 57
Sade Elhawary defeated Efren Martinez in the general election for California State Assembly District 57 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Sade Elhawary (D)  | 61.1 | 54,117 |
| Efren Martinez (D) | 38.9 | 34,506 | ||
| Total votes: 88,623 | |||
| = 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 57
Efren Martinez and Sade Elhawary defeated Dulce Vasquez, Greg Akili, and Tara Perry in the primary for California State Assembly District 57 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Efren Martinez (D) | 32.7 | 8,891 | |
| ✔ | | Sade Elhawary (D) | 31.1 | 8,443 |
 | Dulce Vasquez (D) | 13.4 | 3,648 | |
 | Greg Akili (D) | 11.4 | 3,088 | |
 | Tara Perry (D) | 11.4 | 3,083 | |
| Total votes: 27,153 | |||
| = 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
Endorsements
To view Elhawary's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Elhawary in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released February 8, 2024 |
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Sade Elhawary completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Elhawary's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Born and raised in Los Angeles, I attended local K-12 public schools and have been involved in politics and activism from the time I was elected Student Body President in elementary school. As the eldest daughter of Guatemalan and Egyptian immigrants who moved to the United States for a brighter future, I have devoted myself to building Black and Brown solidarity and tackling issues of equity and access to transform underserved communities. After receiving my bachelor’s from UCLA and master’s from Harvard Graduate School of Education, I joined the founding faculty team that launched and shaped the curriculum—and the very first graduating class of students—of the Nelson Mandela School for Social Justice. I’m a foster mom and have served as a youth mentor, college counselor, credentialed high school history teacher, and organizer at South L.A.’s Community Coalition (since 2011). For the 2022 election, I served as the Youth Engagement Campaign Manager on Karen Bass’s successful campaign to become L.A.’s first female mayor, working to increase the campaign’s energy and visibility, inspire civic engagement, and dramatically improve voter turnout.
- Delivering on the commitment that housing is a human right by creating affordable housing and taking the steps needed to end the root causes of houselessness because these are urgent crises in California and in my district, which includes Skid Row, Downtown Los Angeles, South Central, and Watts—all areas with large and growing unhoused populations.
- Passing universal health care—and making sure we build into our universal health care the provision for comprehensive reproductive care, mental health care, and substance use treatment—and targeting resources to low-income, high-need areas to reduce health disparities and fund community clinics and health centers, because everyday people are being denied their fundamental right to health and wellness.
- Improving outcomes for our youth through deep investments in public K-12 education, debt-free higher education, the development of youth workforce programs, and criminal legal reform, because this is the way we create success for our future.
I’m a foster mother to a young woman named Makailah. I met Makailah when she was 15-years-old. And, for a year and half, I was her mentor at Community Coalition (CoCo) in the program called South Central Youth Empowered thru Action (SCYEA). Even though she had experienced trauma at home, she showed up regularly and participated in training to help uplift the young people of our neighborhoods. We navigated foster care together and aging out of the system. And our experience informs how I’ll shape legislation around issues of family, foster care, educational advocates, and funding to keep our kids in school and on track to succeed. I’m running to give folks like Makailah a voice in the laws that shape our everyday lives.
Organizing is who I am. It’s in my blood. I grew up admiring my mother’s work. She came to this country from Guatemala. My mom worked hard and raised three daughters on her own. Yet, somehow she always made time to give back to our community. Since I was a little girl, I would watch my mom organize young Latinas for the annual college and career conference ¡Adelante Mujer Latina! And, through the Latina program at Women at Work, she helped connect thousands of women every year to good-paying jobs. She was a pantsuit and stiletto-wearing superhero to me. My mother instilled in me the strength of community. It’s from her that I learned persistence and the importance of being in service to others. She taught me that being an organizer was a commitment to creating change within my community. I’ve been a fighter for equity, justice, and community healing since my first ¡Adelante Mujer Latina!
I would recommend that they go on the South L.A. vs. West L.A. “Reality” tour to understand the historical, present day, and future story of South L.A.'s struggle for renewal (disinvestment, policy change, activism). The tour highlights a sampling of organizing victories and shows the diversity of South L.A. neighborhoods. On the tour, we lead folks through both communities to compare how our built environments and neighborhoods are set up in both places (liquor stores vs. grocery stores; dine-in vs. fast-food restaurants; vacant lots vs. parks; banks vs. check cashing sites in strip malls; hotels vs. motels; hospitals vs. health clinics). It helps to show the direct impact of food deserts in our community and highlight the differences between grocery stores and markets in low-socioeconomic areas versus affluent areas. Community Coalition ran a successful campaign that pushed Ralph's to stop sending expired food over to the South L.A. stores and stop dying meat that was going bad. Highlighting victories also conveys my political philosophy and why I’m so invested in power-building by mobilizing and organizing community members to advocate for change through an outside/inside strategy.
The tour would put in context the foundation of the community that shaped me and my values, which are entirely progressive. I’m grounded in community, first and foremost, with a keen understanding of organizing through youth and community empowerment. My political philosophy centers on social justice and liberation through people-powered and government action for positive change. I firmly believe the role of leaders is to make sure people have their basic needs met: a livable income, affordable housing in safe communities free from violence and hate, with access to good schools, nutritious food, clean air and water, and quality healthcare. I strongly support the principles of equity and putting disadvantaged communities and the people with the greatest need first in line for resources
The tour would put in context the foundation of the community that shaped me and my values, which are entirely progressive. I’m grounded in community, first and foremost, with a keen understanding of organizing through youth and community empowerment. My political philosophy centers on social justice and liberation through people-powered and government action for positive change. I firmly believe the role of leaders is to make sure people have their basic needs met: a livable income, affordable housing in safe communities free from violence and hate, with access to good schools, nutritious food, clean air and water, and quality healthcare. I strongly support the principles of equity and putting disadvantaged communities and the people with the greatest need first in line for resources
1. Speaking truth to power. Through my work with BLAYD, I addressed the Los Angeles City Council in response to the leaked recordings of racist remarks and called for solidarity.
2. Having an organizer’s approach to solving problems by building coalitions. I’m about the people. For the people.
I believe California legislators have a moral responsibility to create the change and growth needed to measurably improve the material conditions and the health of overlooked communities throughout the state—regardless of pushback or opposition. I will work to persuade colleagues and businesses to stand on the right side of history. I will hold systems of oppression accountable for our diminished health and will fight to stamp out the assaults on our people. I know there will be some temporary failures. But I’m good at getting back up, brushing myself off, and going back in to fight some more. It’s the lasting victories that matter. I will work to develop our collective power and invite more and more people to join us. We must draw the road map, write the bills, pass the laws that get folks what they need. We must stand by our values no matter what and shape an annual state budget that truly reflects the will and needs of the people.
In California, both parties aim to protect and improve the lives of citizens of the state, and the two entities work together to ensure that legislation reflects the values and needs of the people. That’s why representation matters. We need diverse legislators serving as the voice of the people of their districts and shaping the laws that address their constituents' concerns. And we need a governor who sees the big picture, signs the laws that do good and make the most impact, understands the budget, and can listen to and compromise with fellow lawmakers to steer funds where they are most needed. Ideally, legislators and the governor share core principles of democracy and largely see eye to eye on the laws needed to solve problems big and little. The governor and the legislature should not operate as two independent entities but as a team fighting for the same cause: the people of California. I love how hands-on our Governor is in terms of creating solutions. Governor Newsom recently pushed to get a measure, Proposition 1, on the ballot before voters this year. It creates more residential mental health facilities to focus on getting people with severe mental illness off the streets and into treatment. Newsom unveiled the plan a year ago, and state lawmakers passed legislation to put the measure on the ballot. It showcases the governor and the legislature working together to tackle the problems that plague us most. The relationship between the two ideally is a high-functioning, effective, collaborative effort to pass good laws for the people.
The housing crisis.
Our state is severely behind on building the housing we need for our population. Not only do we lack the housing and resources to adequately address and assist our unhoused neighbors, but the market is not providing the opportunity for first-time homebuyers. The state has mandated that our local governments address housing needs locally but without the resources to fulfill the mandate. We must do better.
Also, the cost to build in California is too high. We can and must create and fund innovative solutions to cut red tape and streamline development based on research showing where we have the highest need for housing units. I am an advocate for the use of underutilized and vacant commercial spaces. Given the urgent affordable housing crisis, I think we need to look at every factor that holds back housing development and find ways to address the roadblocks, with workarounds that still protect communities but ultimately speed up construction. I’ll work to ease the permitting and land-use entitlement process, costs, and timelines, so housing development doesn’t stagnate.
I will be a staunch ally in supporting the City of L.A.’s homelessness plan—Inside Safe—and investing in bold solutions to move our unhoused population into housing with wraparound services that address the root causes of this public health emergency.
No. Politics as usual got us where we are today. We need new, passionate leaders to step forward and shake up the status quo. This is my first race, and I’m by far the strongest candidate for the job—the one who will deliver results. I know and care deeply about the people of my district and their needs, about our neighborhoods’ decline at the hands of government disinvestment and our struggle for renewal. For years and years, I’ve been a leader in the power-building movement in South Los Angeles, and I’ve fought arm in arm with my community to turn things around. I intend to win this race. And I’m going to make the voice of the people of my district heard loud and clear and make sure the laws we write do the greatest good and give the most relief to folks who are suffering.
Certainly. I’m a coalition builder, I know that we are stronger together, and a lot of my power lies in creating teams of the right people to attack problems and devise solutions. I intend to form tight bonds with—and learn from—other legislators and leaders, including those representing people in overlapping districts and neighboring districts that face the same or similar issues my people face.
I am honored to count Karen Bass as my political mentor. I first met her when I was working at Community Coalition (CoCo) and attended a workshop she led for a Youth Organizing Boot Camp. This was the start of the long history of her mentorship of me. I was truly moved by her personal story of activism—a powerful woman who began her career as an emergency room physician’s assistant and then built an organization dedicated to transforming a community devastated by the crack cocaine epidemic. She spoke of the leadership and entrepreneurial skills displayed by young people who were often recruited into gangs or selling drugs. During the ’80s and ’90s, these young people were being criminalized as a result of Darryl Gates’ Operation Hammer. Mayor Bass worked on channeling their energies in a different direction to positively impact the community and taught us the importance of utilizing similar strategies through our own organizing efforts. Through Mayor Bass’s guidance, I truly understood the power of organizing and uniting our communities. I felt so aligned with her approach and knew I wanted to follow in her footsteps. She came back to CoCo every year to lead trainings with staff and open the floor to genuine dialogue where she shared her leadership experience and tips for our own organizing work. Her transparency and down-to-earth nature were such a departure from what I understood politicians to be. Also, she was a coalition-builder who intentionally started the organization focused on both Black and Latino communities, at a time when solidarity wasn’t popular. As a foster mother, I admire her investment in young people, especially those in the foster care system. She passed important legislation and made real progress for youth who need a voice. She’s a great example for my own leadership as she always focused on building bridges.
I’m running specifically for Assembly—and I’m single-minded about serving in the state legislature—because I know I can pass meaningful legislation there, legislation that improves the everyday lives of the people in my community. And I’m the right one for this job because it’s a direct extension of the work I’ve been doing as an organizer in our community for the past two decades. Wherever my path leads, my focus will always be uplifting my community.
One story that stuck with me recently was one shared from a former foster youth. Regina shared how she doesn’t plan to vote this year because she’s lost faith in the system and doesn’t feel inspired by the current options, especially for president. Currently in her mid-forties, she mentioned that she had always voted because she knew the importance of it and even wanted to run for office at one point. She spoke about how difficult it is now to afford her basic needs, inflation has taken a toll, and even though she went to college and has a “good job” with the County, she can barely make ends meet for herself and her two children. She’s disappointed in our government that she feels has not stepped up to support our communities in the ways we need.
What really stuck out to me was her journey as a foster youth. Regina shared how she was placed with foster parents/families that were unwilling to invest in her development, even with something as basic as enrolling her in school. The lack of support when she was living in homes like this impacted the foundation she had to fall back on once she aged out of the system. She shared that so many foster parents aren't willing to enroll foster children in school and how often these children can end up stuck in a foster home where the foster parents are just collecting a check, without providing for the proper care of the young people. What really hurt her was one day when she was in high school, she walked all the way down to the neighborhood school where she tried to enroll on her own and the school said there was nothing they could do about it— in order to enroll in school, a guardian had to be present. I couldn’t imagine the pain she felt that day, when all she wanted to do was go to school and the adults around her either didn’t care or couldn’t help her make it happen. She challenged me to consider areas where the support for foster youth can be strengthened to ensure we don't allow these injustices to happen.
What really stuck out to me was her journey as a foster youth. Regina shared how she was placed with foster parents/families that were unwilling to invest in her development, even with something as basic as enrolling her in school. The lack of support when she was living in homes like this impacted the foundation she had to fall back on once she aged out of the system. She shared that so many foster parents aren't willing to enroll foster children in school and how often these children can end up stuck in a foster home where the foster parents are just collecting a check, without providing for the proper care of the young people. What really hurt her was one day when she was in high school, she walked all the way down to the neighborhood school where she tried to enroll on her own and the school said there was nothing they could do about it— in order to enroll in school, a guardian had to be present. I couldn’t imagine the pain she felt that day, when all she wanted to do was go to school and the adults around her either didn’t care or couldn’t help her make it happen. She challenged me to consider areas where the support for foster youth can be strengthened to ensure we don't allow these injustices to happen.
The pandemic we are emerging from now is not the last global health emergency we will face. On a case-by-case basis, when facing terror attacks, war, widespread infectious disease, natural disasters, and other extraordinary events, the legislature should be the body that decides the use of emergency powers.
Mental health care is a top priority of mine, and it should be accessible and affordable for everyone. As an Assemblywoman, I am going to be laser-focused on redesigning and reintroducing the California Guaranteed Health Care for All Act, ensuring all Californians have timely access to the health care they need without fear of sky-high medical costs. I will fight to make sure our health system has strong provisions for comprehensive mental health care.
Some of my major endorsements include:
Mayor Karen Bass, Supervisors Holly J. Mitchell and Hilda Solis
Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove
California Legislative Black Caucus
California Legislative Progressive Caucus
Attorney General Rob Bonta
California State Controller Malia Cohen
California State Treasurer Fiona Ma
State Senators:
Steven Bradford, Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, Isadore Hall (fmr), and Kevin Murray (fmr)
State Assemblymembers:
Given my expertise and interest, I hope to have a voice on Assembly Committees on Education, Higher Education, Health, Housing and Community Development, Labor and Employment, and Public Safety.
It is of utmost importance that we prioritize financial transparency and government accountability at all levels of government.
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Campaign finance summary
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See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate California State Assembly District 57 |
Officeholder California State Assembly District 57 |
Personal |
Footnotes
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Reginald Jones-Sawyer (D) |
California State Assembly District 57 2024-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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
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
District 16
District 17
Matt Haney (D)
District 18
Mia Bonta (D)
District 19
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
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
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
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
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
District 80
David Alvarez (D)
Democratic Party (60)
Republican Party (20)
