California State Senate District 26
| California State Senate District 26 | ||
 | ||
| Current incumbent | Ben Allen  | |
California’s twenty-sixth state senate district is represented by Democratic Senator Ben Allen.
California state senators represent an average of 931,349 residents.[1] After the 2000 Census, each member represented 846,791 residents.[2]
About the office
Members of the California State Senate serve four-year terms with term limits.[3] The terms of the senators are staggered so that half the membership is elected every two years. The senators representing odd-numbered districts are elected in years evenly divisible by four. The senators from even-numbered districts are elected in the intervening even-numbered years. California legislators assume office the first Monday in the December following their election.[4]
Qualifications
According to Article IV of the California Constitution:[5]
| “ | A person is ineligible to be a member of the Legislature unless the person is an elector and has been a resident of the legislative district for one year, and a citizen of the United States and a resident of California for 3 years, immediately preceding the election, and service of the full term of office to which the person is seeking to be elected would not exceed the maximum years of service permitted by subdivision (a) of this section.[6] | ” |
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2025[7] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $132,703/year | $236/day |
Term limits
- See also: State legislatures with term limits
The California Legislature is one of 16 state legislatures with term limits. Since the passage of Prop 28 in 2012, legislators first elected on or after November 6, 2012, are limited to a maximum of 12 years. Prop 140, passed in 1990, affects any members elected prior to November 6, 2012, and limits them to a maximum of two four-year terms (eight years total).[8]
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the California State Legislature, the governor must call for a special election. The governor must call the election within 14 calendar days of the vacancy. No special election shall be held if the vacancy occurs after the nominating deadline has passed in the final year of the term of office.[9]
See sources: California Code, 1773 and California Cons. Art. IV, § 2
Elections
2014
- See also: California State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the California State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 7, 2014. Ben Allen (D) and Sandra Fluke (D) defeated Barbi S. Appelquist (D), Betsy Butler (D), Amy Howorth (D), Vito Imbasciani (D), Patric M. Verrone (D) and Seth Stodder (I) in the blanket primary. Allen defeated Fluke in the general election.[10][11][12]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Ben Allen |
60.3% | 122,901 | |
| Democratic | Sandra Fluke | 39.7% | 80,781 | |
| Total Votes | 203,682 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |
Ben Allen |
22.2% | 25,987 | |
| Democratic | Sandra Fluke |
19.4% | 22,759 | |
| Independent | Seth Stodder | 17.4% | 20,419 | |
| Democratic | Betsy Butler | 16.5% | 19,301 | |
| Democratic | Amy Howorth | 15.7% | 18,411 | |
| Democratic | Vito Imbasciani | 4.4% | 5,189 | |
| Democratic | Patric M. Verrone | 2.9% | 3,446 | |
| Democratic | Barbi S. Appelquist | 1.4% | 1,630 | |
| Total Votes | 117,142 | |||
2013
Holly Mitchell (D) won election in a special election for California State Senate District 26. The seat was vacant following Sen. Curren Price's (D) election to the Los Angeles City Council. Mitchell defeated Mervin Evans (D) in a blanket primary, which took place on September 17.[13][14][15][16]
| California State Senate, District 26, Blanket Primary, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Holly Mitchell |
81% | 19,481 | |
| Democratic | Mervin Evans | 19% | 4,579 | |
| Total Votes | 24,060 | |||
Campaign contributions
From 2002 to 2012, candidates for California State Senate District 26 raised a total of $3,529,307. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $294,109 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.
| Campaign contributions, California State Senate District 26 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average | |
| 2012 | $570,763 | 1 | $570,763 | |
| 2010 | $572,333 | 4 | $143,083 | |
| 2008 | $193,734 | 1 | $193,734 | |
| 2006 | $921,658 | 3 | $307,219 | |
| 2004 | $460,412 | 1 | $460,412 | |
| 2002 | $488,481 | 1 | $488,481 | |
| 2000 | $321,926 | 1 | $321,926 | |
| Total | $3,529,307 | 12 | $294,109 | |
See also
- California State Legislature
- California State Senate
- California State Assembly
- California state legislative districts
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ United States Census 2010, "Population in 2010 of the American states," November 22, 2013
- ↑ United States Census 2010, "Population in 2000 of the American states," November 27, 2013
- ↑ California State Constitution, accessed December 16, 2013
- ↑ California Constitution, "Article 4, Section 2. (a)(3)," accessed November 1, 2021
- ↑ California Legislature, "Qualifications for State Legislature," accessed May 21, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2025 Legislator Compensation," December 2, 2025
- ↑ California Legislative Information, "Article IV Legislative (Sec. 1 - Sec. 28)," accessed February 9, 2021
- ↑ California Legislative Information, "California Code," accessed February 9, 2021 (Statute, 1773-California Government Code)
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official 2014 Primary election candidate list," accessed March 27, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed July 15, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official general election results," accessed December 14, 2014
- ↑ scpr.org, "Special elections set for Asssembly, Senate seats are costly, draw few voters," July 4, 2013
- ↑ sos.ca.gov, "SD 26 Special Primary Election - Official Certified List of Candidates," accessed July 31, 2013
- ↑ latimes.com, "Assemblywoman Holly Mitchell wins state Senate seat," September 17, 2013
- ↑ sos.ca.gov, "Official special election results," accessed November 19, 2013
