California State Assembly District 45
| California State Assembly District 45 | ||
 | ||
| Current incumbent | Jesse Gabriel  | |
California’s forty-fifth state assembly district is represented by Democratic Representative Jesse Gabriel, who won a special election to replace Rep. Matt Dababneh (D) on June 5, 2018. Gabriel defeated Justin Clark (R) in the race. Dababneh resigned due to sexual misconduct allegations. He said the allegations against him were not true.
California state assembly members represent an average of 465,674 residents.[1] After the 2000 Census, each member represented 420,000 residents.[2]
About the office
Members of the California State Assembly serve two-year terms with term limits.[3] 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 of service. Prop 140, passed in 1990, affects any members elected prior to November 6, 2012, limiting them to a maximum of three two-year terms (six 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
2020
Elections for the office of California State Assembly took place in 2020. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for March 3, 2020. The filing deadline was December 6, 2019.
2018
Regular election
General election
General election for California State Assembly District 45
Incumbent Jesse Gabriel defeated Justin Clark in the general election for California State Assembly District 45 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jesse Gabriel (D) | 70.3 | 107,757 |
 | Justin Clark (R) | 29.7 | 45,619 | |
| Total votes: 153,376 | |||
 = 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. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for California State Assembly District 45
The following candidates ran in the primary for California State Assembly District 45 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jesse Gabriel (D) | 43.7 | 31,068 |
| ✔ | | Justin Clark (R) | 31.9 | 22,709 |
| Tricia Robbins Kasson (D) | 7.4 | 5,277 | ||
 | Ankur Patel (D) | 6.4 | 4,534 | |
| Jeff Bornstein (D) | 5.7 | 4,039 | ||
| Daniel Brin (D) | 3.4 | 2,432 | ||
| Raymond Bishop (D) | 1.5 | 1,088 | ||
| Total votes: 71,147 | |||
| = 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
- Dennis Zine (Independent)
Special election
A special primary election for the position of California State Assembly District 45 was called for April 3, 2018. Jesse Gabriel (D) and Justin Clark (R), the top two vote-getters, advanced to the special general election that was held on June 5, 2018.[10][11] Gabriel won the seat.[12]
To qualify for the race, candidates had to obtain nomination documents from election officials in their county of residence by February 8, 2018. Candidates could have qualified by paying a $1,072.42 filing fee. Candidates could have also qualified by submitting petition signatures by January 9, 2018. The filing deadline for write-in candidates was March 20, 2018.[13]
The seat became vacant following Matt Dababneh's (D) resignation effective January 1, 2018, due to sexual misconduct allegations. He said the allegations against him were not true.[14]
Eight candidates—six Democrats, one Republican, and one independent—filed to run in the race.[15] Independent candidate Dennis Zine unofficially withdrew from the race in February 2018, but his name still appeared on the primary election ballot.[16]
General election
Special general election for California State Assembly District 45
Jesse Gabriel defeated Justin Clark in the special general election for California State Assembly District 45 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jesse Gabriel (D) | 65.7 | 46,168 |
| Justin Clark (R) | 34.3 | 24,109 | |
| Total votes: 70,277 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Special nonpartisan primary for California State Assembly District 45
The following candidates ran in the special primary for California State Assembly District 45 on April 3, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| Raymond Bishop (D) | ||
| Jeff Bornstein (D) | ||
| Daniel Brin (D) | ||
| ✔ | | Justin Clark (R) |
| ✔ | | Jesse Gabriel (D) |
| Tricia Robbins Kasson (D) | ||
| Ankur Patel (D) | |
| Dennis Zine (Independent) | ||
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
2016
Elections for the California State Assembly took place in 2016. The primary election was held on June 7, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was February 25, 2016, for candidates filing with signatures. The deadline for candidates using a filing fee to qualify was March 11, 2016.[17]
Incumbent Matt Dababneh defeated Jerry Kowal in the California State Assembly District 45 general election.[18][19]
| California State Assembly, District 45 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Matt Dababneh Incumbent |
66.39% | 111,148 | |
| Republican | Jerry Kowal | 33.61% | 56,257 | |
| Total Votes | 167,405 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State | ||||
Incumbent Matt Dababneh and Jerry Kowal defeated Doug Kriegel in the California State Assembly District 45 Blanket primary.[20][21]
| California State Assembly, District 45 Blanket Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Matt Dababneh Incumbent |
49.33% | 42,135 | |
| Republican | Jerry Kowal |
26.81% | 22,899 | |
| Democratic | Doug Kriegel | 23.87% | 20,387 | |
| Total Votes | 85,421 | |||
2014
Elections for the California State Assembly 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. Incumbent Matt Dababneh (D) and Susan Shelley (R) were unopposed in the blanket primary. Dababneh defeated Shelley in the general election.[22][23][24]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Matt Dababneh Incumbent |
57.1% | 45,321 | |
| Republican | Susan Shelley | 42.9% | 34,055 | |
| Total Votes | 79,376 | |||
2013
Matt Dababneh (D) won election in a special election for California State Assembly District 45. The seat was vacant following Rep. Bob Blumenfield's (D) election to the Los Angeles City Council. Dababaneh faced ten others in a blanket primary, which took place on September 17. As no candidate received 50 percent of the vote the top two vote-getters - Matt Dababneh (D) and Susan Shelley (R) - met in a runoff election on November 19, which Dababaneh won.[25][26][27][28][29][30][31]
| California State Assembly, District 45, Special Election, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Matt Dababneh |
50.5% | 14,984 | |
| Republican | Susan Shelley | 49.5% | 14,665 | |
| Total Votes | 29,649 | |||
| California State Assembly, District 45, Blanket Primary, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Matt Dababneh |
24.7% | 6,088 | |
| Republican | Susan Shelley |
21.1% | 5,205 | |
| Democratic | Elizabeth Badger | 2.8% | 679 | |
| Democratic | Damian Carroll | 6.8% | 1,680 | |
| Democratic | Dennis De Young | 2.7% | 673 | |
| Democratic | Jeff Ebenstein | 13.8% | 3,407 | |
| Democratic | Andra Hoffman | 10% | 2,477 | |
| Democratic | Dan McCrory | 1.1% | 262 | |
| Republican | Armineh Chelebian | 2.5% | 624 | |
| Republican | Chris Kolski | 12.7% | 3,141 | |
| Independent | Eric Lewis | 1.8% | 432 | |
| Total Votes | 24,668 | |||
2012
Elections for the office of California State Assembly consisted of a primary election on June 5, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 9, 2012. Incumbent Bob Blumenfield (D) and Chris Kolski (R) advanced past the June 5 blanket primary unopposed, before Blumenfield defeated Kolski in the general election.[32] [33]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bob Blumenfield Incumbent |
63.4% | 100,422 | |
| Republican | Chris Kolski | 36.6% | 57,996 | |
| Total Votes | 158,418 | |||
Campaign contributions
From 2002 to 2016, candidates for California State Assembly District 45 raised a total of $8,132,458. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $338,852 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.
| Campaign contributions, California State Assembly District 45 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average | |
| 2016 | $1,445,705 | 3 | $481,902 | |
| 2014 | $935,948 | 2 | $467,974 | |
| 2012 | $732,273 | 2 | $366,137 | |
| 2010 | $326,751 | 2 | $163,376 | |
| 2008 | $1,199,676 | 2 | $599,838 | |
| 2006 | $2,011,328 | 6 | $335,221 | |
| 2004 | $364,673 | 2 | $182,337 | |
| 2002 | $446,140 | 2 | $223,070 | |
| 2000 | $669,964 | 3 | $223,321 | |
| Total | $8,132,458 | 24 | $338,852 | |
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)
- ↑ Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, "Calendar of Events: Assembly Districts 45 and 54 Special Primary Elections," accessed February 9, 2018
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "State Assembly District 45 - Districtwide Results," accessed April 4, 2018
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "State Assembly District 45 - Districtwide Results," accessed June 6, 2018
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Special Election Calendar: Special Primary Election April 3, 2018 California State Assembly, 45th District (Matthew Dababneh)," accessed January 11, 2018
- ↑ SFGate, "California Assemblyman Matt Dababneh resigns, accused of sexual misconduct," December 8, 2017
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official Certified List of Candidates: State Assembly Member District 45," accessed March 29, 2018
- ↑ Daily Breeze, "Former LA councilman Dennis Zine’s campaign for Assembly is over after 2 weeks," February 12, 2018
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Key Dates and Deadlines," accessed April 18, 2017
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Certified List of Candidates for the November 8, 2016, General Election," accessed September 7, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "2016 General Election results," accessed December 23, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Certified List of Candidates for Voter-Nominated Offices," accessed April 4, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Statement of Vote," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ 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, "AD 45 Special Primary Election - Official Certified List of Candidates," July 31, 2013
- ↑ latimes.com, "Assemblywoman Holly Mitchell wins state Senate seat," September 17, 2013
- ↑ latimes.com, "Assemblywoman Holly Mitchell wins state Senate seat," September 17, 2013
- ↑ sos.ca.gov, "Official blanket primary results," November 19, 2013
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedresults - ↑ sos.ca.gov, "Official special election results," December 11, 2013
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "2012 General Election," November 7, 2013
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "2012 General Primary,” November 7, 2013
