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California State Assembly District 34

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California State Assembly District 34
Incumbent
Assumed office: December 5, 2022

California State Assembly District 34 is represented by Tom Lackey (R).

As of the 2020 Census, California state representatives represented an average of 494,709 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 466,775 residents.

About the office

Members of the California State Assembly serve two-year terms with term limits.[1] California legislators assume office the first Monday in the December following their election.[2]

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

According to Article IV of the California Constitution:[3]

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.[4]


Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislative salaries, 2025[5]
SalaryPer 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).[6]


Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

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.[7]

DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: California Code, 1773 and California Cons. Art. IV, § 2


District map

Redistricting

2020 redistricting cycle

See also: Redistricting in California after the 2020 census

The California Citizens Redistricting Commission voted 14-0 in favor of a new state Assembly and Senate district maps on December 20, 2021, and delivered those maps to the secretary of state on December 27, 2021.[8][9] These maps took effect for California's 2022 state legislative elections.

How does redistricting in California work? In California, a non-politician commission draws both congressional and state legislative district lines. Established in 2008 by ballot initiative, the commission comprises 14 members: five Democrats, five Republicans, and four belonging to neither party. A panel of state auditors selects the pool of nominees from which the commissioners are appointed. This pool comprises 20 Democrats, 20 Republicans, and 20 belonging to neither party. The majority and minority leaders of both chambers of the state legislature may each remove two members from each of the aforementioned groups. The first eight commission members are selected at random from the remaining nominees. These first eight comprise three Democrats, three Republicans, and two belonging to neither party. The first eight commissioners appoint the remaining six, which must include two Democrats, two Republicans, and two belonging to neither party.[10]

Commissioners must meet the following requirements in order to serve:[10]

  1. Members must have voted in at least two of the last three statewide elections.
  2. Members cannot have switched party affiliation for at least five years.
  3. "Neither commissioners nor immediate family may have been, within 10 years of appointment, a candidate for federal or state office or member of a party central committee; an officer, employee, or paid consultant to a federal or state candidate or party; a registered lobbyist or paid legislative staff; or a donor of more than $2,000 to an elected candidate."
  4. Members cannot be "staff, consultants or contractors for state or federal government" while serving as commissioners. The same prohibition applies to the family of commission members.

In order to approve a redistricting plan, nine of the commission's 14 members must vote for it. These nine must include three Democrats, three Republicans, and three belonging to neither party. Maps drawn by the commission may be overturned by public referendum. In the event that a map is overturned by the public, the California Supreme Court must appoint a group to draw a new map.[10]

The California Constitution requires that districts be contiguous. Further, the state constitution mandates that "to the extent possible, [districts] must ... preserve the geographic integrity of cities, counties, neighborhoods and communities of interest." Districts must also "encourage compactness." State Senate and Assembly districts should be nested within each other where possible.[10]

California State Assembly District 34
until December 4, 2022

Click a district to compare boundaries.

California State Assembly District 34
starting December 5, 2022

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Elections

2024

See also: California State Assembly elections, 2024

General election

General election for California State Assembly District 34

Incumbent Tom Lackey defeated Ricardo Ortega in the general election for California State Assembly District 34 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Tom Lackey
Tom Lackey (R)
 
62.0
 
117,751
Image of Ricardo Ortega
Ricardo Ortega (D) Candidate Connection
 
38.0
 
72,152

Total votes: 189,903
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for California State Assembly District 34

Incumbent Tom Lackey and Ricardo Ortega advanced from the primary for California State Assembly District 34 on March 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Tom Lackey
Tom Lackey (R)
 
66.1
 
58,283
Image of Ricardo Ortega
Ricardo Ortega (D) Candidate Connection
 
33.9
 
29,848

Total votes: 88,131
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.

2022

See also: California State Assembly elections, 2022

General election

General election for California State Assembly District 34

Incumbent Tom Lackey defeated incumbent Thurston Smith in the general election for California State Assembly District 34 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Tom Lackey
Tom Lackey (R)
 
56.5
 
63,840
Image of Thurston Smith
Thurston Smith (R)
 
43.5
 
49,183

Total votes: 113,023
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.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for California State Assembly District 34

The following candidates ran in the primary for California State Assembly District 34 on June 7, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Thurston Smith
Thurston Smith (R)
 
31.1
 
23,663
Image of Tom Lackey
Tom Lackey (R)
 
29.7
 
22,622
Image of Rita Ramirez
Rita Ramirez (D)
 
26.8
 
20,384
Image of Raj Kahlon
Raj Kahlon (D) Candidate Connection
 
5.3
 
4,063
Image of Paul Fournier
Paul Fournier (R) Candidate Connection
 
4.2
 
3,189
Image of Roger LaPlante
Roger LaPlante (Independent)
 
2.8
 
2,122

Total votes: 76,043
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.

2020

See also: California State Assembly elections, 2020

General election

General election for California State Assembly District 34

Incumbent Vince Fong defeated Julie Solis in the general election for California State Assembly District 34 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Vince Fong
Vince Fong (R)
 
68.1
 
146,611
Julie Solis (D)
 
31.9
 
68,716

Total votes: 215,327
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.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for California State Assembly District 34

Incumbent Vince Fong and Julie Solis defeated Regina Velasquez in the primary for California State Assembly District 34 on March 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Vince Fong
Vince Fong (R)
 
71.6
 
83,909
Julie Solis (D)
 
28.1
 
32,922
Regina Velasquez (D) (Write-in)
 
0.3
 
343

Total votes: 117,174
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 34

Incumbent Vince Fong defeated Nick Nicita in the general election for California State Assembly District 34 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Vince Fong
Vince Fong (R)
 
70.6
 
103,346
Image of Nick Nicita
Nick Nicita (D)
 
29.4
 
43,048

Total votes: 146,394
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.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for California State Assembly District 34

Incumbent Vince Fong and Nick Nicita advanced from the primary for California State Assembly District 34 on June 5, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Vince Fong
Vince Fong (R)
 
76.4
 
65,323
Image of Nick Nicita
Nick Nicita (D)
 
23.6
 
20,221

Total votes: 85,544
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.

2016

See also: California State Assembly elections, 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.[11] Incumbent Shannon Grove (R) did not seek re-election.

Vince Fong defeated Perrin Swanlund in the California State Assembly District 34 general election.[12][13]

California State Assembly, District 34 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.png Vince Fong 73.23% 123,959
     Democratic Perrin Swanlund 26.77% 45,305
Total Votes 169,264
Source: California Secretary of State


Vince Fong and Perrin Swanlund defeated Ernie Gollehon and Michael Garcia Biglay in the California State Assembly District 34 Blanket primary.[14][15]

California State Assembly, District 34 Blanket Primary, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.png Vince Fong 60.32% 57,915
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Perrin Swanlund 24.40% 23,429
     Republican Ernie Gollehon 9.14% 8,779
     Republican Michael Garcia Biglay 6.13% 5,886
Total Votes 96,009

2014

See also: California State Assembly elections, 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 Shannon Grove (R) and Virginia "Mari" Goodman (D) were unopposed in the blanket primary. Grove defeated Goodman in the general election.[16][17][18]

California State Assembly, District 34, General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngShannon Grove Incumbent 74.5% 70,403
     Democratic Virginia "Mari" Goodman 25.5% 24,132
Total Votes 94,535

2012

See also: California State Assembly elections, 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 Shannon Grove (R) and Mari Goodman (D) advanced past the June 5 blanket primary unopposed, before Grove defeated Goodman in the general election.[19] [20]

California State Assembly, District 34, General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngShannon Grove Incumbent 69.2% 106,384
     Democratic Mari Goodman 30.8% 47,254
Total Votes 153,638

Campaign contributions

From 2000 to 2024, candidates for California State Assembly District 34 raised a total of $7,589,533. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $216,844 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money

Campaign contributions, California State Assembly District 34
Year Amount Candidates Average
2024 $661,040 2 $330,520
2022 $1,194,399 6 $199,067
2020 $964,596 1 $964,596
2016 $761,194 4 $190,299
2014 $670,885 2 $335,443
2012 $521,425 2 $260,713
2010 $545,721 2 $272,861
2008 $939,451 5 $187,890
2006 $277,430 4 $69,358
2004 $355,380 2 $177,690
2002 $209,497 2 $104,749
2000 $488,515 3 $162,838
Total $7,589,533 35 $216,844


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. California State Constitution, accessed December 16, 2013
  2. California Constitution, "Article 4, Section 2. (a)(3)," accessed November 1, 2021
  3. California Legislature, "Qualifications for State Legislature," accessed May 21, 2025
  4. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  5. National Conference of State Legislatures, "2025 Legislator Compensation," December 2, 2025
  6. California Legislative Information, "Article IV Legislative (Sec. 1 - Sec. 28)," accessed February 9, 2021
  7. California Legislative Information, "California Code," accessed February 9, 2021 (Statute, 1773-California Government Code)
  8. Politico, "California’s new congressional map boosts Democrats," Dec. 21, 2021
  9. Lake County News, "California Citizens Redistricting Commission delivers maps to California Secretary of State," Dec. 28, 2021
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 All About Redistricting, "California," accessed April 21, 2015
  11. California Secretary of State, "Key Dates and Deadlines," accessed April 18, 2017
  12. California Secretary of State, "Certified List of Candidates for the November 8, 2016, General Election," accessed September 7, 2016
  13. California Secretary of State, "2016 General Election results," accessed December 23, 2016
  14. California Secretary of State, "Certified List of Candidates for Voter-Nominated Offices," accessed April 4, 2016
  15. California Secretary of State, "Statement of Vote," accessed August 22, 2016
  16. California Secretary of State, "Official 2014 Primary election candidate list," accessed March 27, 2014
  17. California Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed July 15, 2014
  18. California Secretary of State, "Official general election results," accessed December 14, 2014
  19. " California Secretary of State, "2012 General Election," November 7, 2013 (dead link)
  20. California Secretary of State, "2012 General Primary,” November 7, 2013