Paul Nguyen

Draft. Last updated 2026-10-17. This contest is still being reviewed.

State Senator, 34

State 1 seat 2026-11-03

Fullerton voters who live in the 34th Senate District. The district covers much of north Orange County and a piece of Los Angeles County: LAist's guide says it includes nearly all of Santa Ana and about half of Anaheim and Fullerton, and the Orange County Register reported in December 2024 that it centers on Anaheim and takes in Buena Park, Fullerton, La Habra and Santa Ana. The part of Fullerton that is not in this district is in the 37th Senate District, which has no Senate election on the November 3, 2026 ballot because only the even numbered Senate districts are up this year. The 34th District seat is open: the sitting senator, Tom Umberg, is termed out and his term runs through December 4, 2026.

What this office does

A California state senator is one of 40 members who make up one half of the state Legislature, and senators serve four year terms with half the districts elected every two years, so the 20 even numbered Senate districts are the ones on the November 3, 2026 ballot. LAist's guide, produced with CalMatters, says each Senate district holds more than 900,000 constituents and lists the job as representing those constituents and keeping attuned to their priorities, serving on some of the 22 standing committees and their subcommittees, and introducing as many as 35 bills per two year session along with specific budget items.

It says state lawmakers draft and pass laws that govern the entire state, from benefits such as paid family leave to statewide rules such as gun purchase restrictions, and that they set minimum standards that cities and counties may go beyond. CalMatters reports that the Senate currently has 30 Democrats and 10 Republicans, that a two thirds supermajority lets the majority pass tax increases or put constitutional amendments on the ballot without any Republican votes, and that Republicans would need to flip at least four seats to end that supermajority.

LAist says senators are paid $134,694 a year plus $236 a day for expenses while the Legislature is in session, that these races are decided by simple majority with no runoff, and that party leaders are paid more. The Senate's own website, in a message from Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limon, describes the Senate's purpose as representing the 40 million people who live in California and names homelessness and housing, health care and climate change among the issues it works on.

A senator does not set local property tax rates, run city departments, run school districts or run county agencies, and does not control the state budget alone: the Legislature passes a budget that the Governor may sign, veto or reduce. As of the Senate's October 2026 calendar page, the 2025-26 session had adjourned for final recess, so the seat is being filled at the end of that session.S3S4S28

Contest context

  • Two candidates qualified for this contest. The Secretary of State's certified list names Avelino Valencia, Democratic, ballot designation California State Assemblymember, and Rhonda Shader, Republican, ballot designation Local Small Businesswoman, as the State Senate District 34 candidates for November 3, 2026, in that order. Neither name carries the incumbent mark used elsewhere in the same list, and the seat is open because the sitting senator, Tom Umberg, is termed out. This file lists the candidates in the order used by the certified list.S1S5S24
  • Only these two candidates ran, so both advanced from the June 2, 2026 primary to the November ballot regardless of the top two rule; Voice of OC noted at the time that because only two candidates were running, both would appear in November. Official results in the Secretary of State's Statement of Vote were Avelino Valencia, Democratic, 92,826 votes, 65.2 percent, and Rhonda Shader, Republican, 49,569 votes, 34.8 percent.S2S5
  • CalMatters' voter guide lists the district as Republican Rhonda Shader, Local Small Businesswoman, and Democrat Avelino Valencia, California State Assemblymember, and it notes that Senate terms are four years with half the 40 districts up every two years, so the even numbered districts such as District 34 are on this ballot.S1S3
  • LAist's guide describes District 34 as mostly based in northern Orange County but extending into the unincorporated South Whittier area of Los Angeles County, including nearly all of Santa Ana and about half of Anaheim and Fullerton, and records voter registration as 46 percent Democratic, 24.1 percent Republican and 23.9 percent no party preference. It says the incumbent, Democrat Tom Umberg, is termed out.S4
  • Both candidates answered the same Southern California News Group questionnaires, the general election questionnaire published October 5, 2026 and the primary election questionnaire published May 6, 2026. Each candidate answered every question in both sets. The May questionnaires ask about the budget, cost of living, immigration enforcement, health care, housing, energy penalties, Proposition 36, gender affirming care, social media, artificial intelligence and crime, while the October questionnaires ask about fuel costs, homeownership and rent, homelessness, groceries, the state's health care funding, high speed rail, data centers, Proposition 40, refinery closures, offshore drilling and warehouse rules. Neither questionnaire is an official ballot statement.S6S7S8S9
  • The Orange County Register's editorial board endorsed Rhonda Shader in this race on September 16, 2026, calling both candidates reasonable and knowledgeable and writing that the district could do worse than Valencia while saying it was endorsing Shader. The characterizations of the candidates in that editorial are the newspaper's own views, and they are recorded in this file as the newspaper's statements, not as findings about either candidate.S22
  • The Secretary of State's Official Voter Information Guide carries candidate statements for statewide offices only, so no official state guide statement exists for this legislative contest, and the county voter information guide that carries legislative candidate statements was not located in a fetchable form during this run. The positions recorded in this file therefore come from each candidate's own questionnaire answers, campaign website and public record rather than from a printed ballot statement.S1S4

Candidates

Listed in ballot order. Candidates are described with the same sections and level of detail; no ranking or endorsement is implied.

Avelino Valencia

Democratic California State Assemblymember

Bio

  • The Secretary of State's certified list prints his party preference as Democratic and his ballot designation as California State Assemblymember, and does not mark him as an incumbent.S1
  • In the October 2026 questionnaire he gave his age as 37, said he lives in Anaheim, listed his current job title as California State Assemblymember, recorded the Anaheim City Council as the other political position he has held, marked the incumbent question no, and gave AvelinoValencia.com as his campaign website. In the May 2026 questionnaire he marked the incumbent question yes and listed the same job, party and city.S6S8
  • The Assembly's official biography says he was first elected to the State Assembly in November 2022 and reelected in November 2024 to represent the 68th Assembly District, which includes Anaheim, Santa Ana and Orange, that he served as an Anaheim councilmember from 2020 to 2022, and that he chairs the Assembly Banking and Finance Committee. It says he grew up in Orange County, attended local public schools, earned an associate degree from Fullerton College, a bachelor's degree from San Jose State University and a master's degree from Johns Hopkins University, played Division One college football and briefly pursued a career in the NFL, then coached at Fullerton College and worked as a special education instructional assistant in the Anaheim Elementary School District. It says he is married to Dr. Monica Valencia, a local elementary school principal.S17
  • His campaign site says he is the son of immigrant parents who built a local small business and that he is running to continue work he began in the Assembly. These are the campaign's own descriptions.S14S15
  • The Orange County Register reported in December 2024, when he launched this Senate campaign, that he had just started his second Assembly term, and described him as the son of immigrants and a first generation college graduate who had described himself as a pragmatic progressive who listens and finds common ground, and who was a district director for former Assemblymember Tom Daly and the first millennial to represent Orange County in the legislature.S24

Record in office

  • He has represented the 68th Assembly District since November 2022 and the Assembly says he chairs its Banking and Finance Committee, sits on the Budget Subcommittee on Accountability and Oversight, and is a commissioner on the California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission. The Assembly's August 28, 2026 press release also lists him as chair of the Select Committee on Developing Pathways to Purpose for Young Men.S17S18
  • Before the Assembly he was an Anaheim city councilmember from 2020 to 2022. The Assembly biography says he prioritized expediting COVID-19 vaccine rollout, expanding mental health resources, developing city parks, establishing a small business assistance program and working with local police, firefighters and paramedics on neighborhood safety and emergency response times.S17
  • His campaign lists legislative work it says he authored: AB 2803 to stop politicians who commit fraud or other public crimes from using campaign money for their legal defense, AB 1824 letting consumers opt out of having their data sold or shared during corporate mergers, AB 1483 to close what it calls a gun purchase loophole that lets private party transactions bypass the state's waiting period, AB 34 to create an independent redistricting commission in Orange County, and AB 2131 to make it easier to be trained and certified as a nursing assistant. These are the campaign's own claims about his record.S15
  • The Assembly's own press release says Governor Newsom signed his AB 2512, the Home Run for Anaheim Act, on August 28, 2026, and that the bill passed both houses without opposition. It says the law requires the franchise to use the name Anaheim Angels if the City of Anaheim grants a Surplus Land Act exemption tied to the sale, lease or redevelopment of Angel Stadium, and that the requirement does not apply if the city and the team agree on a name first.S18
  • His campaign says that on the Anaheim City Council he spoke out and voted against then Mayor Harry Sidhu's effort to sell Angel Stadium below market value, that he was the first elected leader to publicly call on Sidhu to resign, that he launched an emergency audit of the City of Anaheim, and that in the Assembly he authored laws on nonpartisan redistricting of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, on preventing politicians who commit crimes from using campaign money for legal defense, and on public oversight of discretionary funds after what the campaign calls the Andrew Do scandal. These are the campaign's own claims.S15
  • On this race he says he believes the Legislature has a role in overseeing climate and transportation policies and weighing their cost to consumers, and he told the Register he sees the state's affordability problem as broader than fuel prices. He finished first in the June 2, 2026 primary with 92,826 votes, 65.2 percent, and has not held a Senate seat.S6S2

Positions

Taxes
  • He says part of his affordability agenda is preventing the Legislature from passing measures that, while well intentioned, make everyday goods more expensive, and that he has worked to oppose measures that raise taxes and fees for working families. Asked in the May questionnaire what is a non starter for budget cuts, he answered raising taxes and spending the whole budget stabilization reserve, saying Californians face an affordability crisis and the state cannot add fiscal pressure with new taxes. On Proposition 40, the one time 5 percent tax on individuals and trusts with net worth over $1 billion, he says he understands and agrees with the goals and that the ultra wealthy should pay their fair share, but that he is not supporting it because he worries it will not accomplish its goal and because he says nonpartisan analysts and organizations concluded a one time tax would significantly decrease state revenue long term, leading to cuts in health care and public education. The Orange County Register editorial board, which endorsed his opponent, wrote that he vowed to protect Proposition 13 and that beyond that and his opposition to the wealth tax he had not been a friend of the taxpayer, adding that he acknowledged support for new taxes on health insurance and software and that he ultimately supported AB 1383 and AB 1776 after initially abstaining on them; those statements are the newspaper's characterizations from its own interview. The bill the editorial cites on sales tax limits, AB 1768, is described by CalMatters Digital Democracy as authorizing Los Angeles County and Contra Costa County to levy transactions and use taxes above the 2 percent cap, subject to voter approval and until December 31, 2031, and as taking effect immediately as an urgency statute; this file records that bill description and the editorial's account of his vote, and did not independently verify the roll call.S6S8S22S29
Housing
  • He says demand for housing continues to outpace supply and that Sacramento must be part of the solution because, as he puts it, the housing crisis was in many ways caused by Sacramento and previous generations of elected officials created too many barriers to building. He calls for increasing the supply of all types of housing, from affordable units to duplexes, condominiums and single family homes, expanding programs such as the First Time Homebuyers Program, investing in housing tax credits for developers, streamlining the rezoning process, allowing exemptions or flexibility for new homes and apartments, and pushing or requiring municipalities to act quickly on pending applications because projects in queue cost more to build. In his May questionnaire he said he is proud to support the ballot measure to reform CEQA as a step toward building housing faster and more cheaply, and he said his views on housing have evolved since his Anaheim council years toward making it easier, faster and cheaper to build, which he says means policies that allow for less local control.S6S8S14
Cost of living
  • He says there is much more to do in California on affordability broadly and that he is focused on reducing the costs of housing, groceries, health care, utilities, insurance and higher education, and on pausing proposals he says would raise costs, such as new climate mandates that can increase utility costs or new taxes on businesses that can be passed on to consumers. On fuel he says the recent spike is driven by federal foreign policy failures, that he supported AB 30 (2025) to allow the sale of E15, a blend he says studies suggest is about 20 cents a gallon cheaper, and that he previously wrote to the California Air Resources Board asking for more transparency on the Low Carbon Fuel Standard when proposed amendments signalled higher fuel prices. On groceries he says the lowest grocery prices in the continental United States are in states with lower wages and weaker infrastructure, that California is expensive partly because it has the strongest economy and high wages, and that the state should shorten its own supply chains, raise wages for low income workers and help people who are struggling. Those price and policy statements are his own.S6
Public safety
  • His campaign says he has authored legislation to close what it describes as a private party gun purchase loophole that bypasses the state's waiting period, and its priorities list says he fights gun violence. In the May questionnaire he said voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 36, which increases penalties for certain drug and retail theft crimes and offers drug treatment to some people who plead guilty to felony drug possession, that implementing it requires investment in courts, county jails and behavioral health treatment, and that he supports finding the funding. He also said that reducing homelessness through investments in mental health and addiction treatment is part of addressing why residents do not feel safe.S15S8
Education
  • His campaign says he will fight to fully fund schools and improve teacher recruitment and to expand college access by lowering costs and supporting students. His Assembly biography records that he attended local public schools, earned an associate degree from Fullerton College and coached football and worked as a special education instructional assistant in the Anaheim Elementary School District. He describes himself as a first generation college graduate, and he has authored a law the Assembly describes as making it easier for people to be trained and certified as a nursing assistant.S14S17S18S24
Health care
  • He says he supports the state's $300 million to offset health care costs expected when federal subsidies expire, describing it as filling gaps the federal government leaves behind, and says the state should keep working with health care providers on policies that expand access, invest in preventive care and improve outcomes. In the May questionnaire he said every Californian deserves access to quality care, that the work is more critical given federal cuts, and that the state needs to address doctor and nurse shortages, invest in health care infrastructure and keep rural hospitals and clinics open. On gender affirming care he said California has consistently supported LGBTQ+ residents and that the state can use its oversight authority to ensure hospitals and doctors comply with care standards and laws. His campaign lists improving health care so that every Californian is covered among his priorities.S6S8S14
Homelessness
  • He says homelessness remains a crisis, that California has the largest unhoused population in the country but also the largest overall population, and that four states, which he names as New York, Oregon, Vermont and Hawaii, have higher homelessness rates than California. He says progress is being made through transitional housing, shelters and long term supportive housing, and that the most important step the Legislature can take is to reduce rent by building housing working people can afford while adding capacity to move people out of homelessness. In the May questionnaire he linked the crisis to the lack of housing stock and to the need to streamline housing production and expand homeownership programs.S6S8
Transportation
  • On high speed rail he says he is deeply concerned by the cost overruns, which he calls symptomatic of an inability to complete infrastructure projects on time and on budget, that he hopes federal funding cuts for the project will be reversed, and that California needs to be able to build infrastructure if it is to thrive. In the May questionnaire he said that addressing the housing crisis can also help transportation and climate problems because people would commute shorter distances, and he tied rising costs partly to state requirements on transportation and fuel.S6S8
Environment and energy
  • He opposes expanding offshore oil drilling in California, saying residents do not want the coast destroyed, that new drilling ended because of spills and coastal damage as well as because richer fields were found elsewhere, that any oil produced would be among the most expensive and environmentally destructive in the world, and that it would not change gas prices while costing the coastline, so the state should do everything legally in its power to prevent it. On refinery closures and climate policy he says Californians are extremely vulnerable to fuel price swings, that declining refinery capacity concentrates cost pressure, that regulators must weigh consumer impact before adding mandates, and that the Legislature should exercise oversight and run a cost benefit analysis on climate and transportation policies. On data centers he says the Legislature should not override local decisions about whether and where they are built, that they create temporary construction work but few long term jobs, and that he is skeptical they bring innovation to a community.S6
Immigration
  • He says the federal government is overstepping on immigration, that it is illegally holding United States citizens and deporting children receiving cancer treatment and veterans, and that until there is an honest conversation about immigration reform the state Legislature will do everything in its power to protect the rights of immigrants. He also said one of the state's most pressing issues is challenges with the federal government related to immigration and that the state should keep funding legal services so undocumented residents can avoid deportation, apply for citizenship and remain part of the workforce.S8
Economy and jobs
  • His campaign says he will fight to create new jobs that pay good wages and offer benefits and to responsibly manage the state's budget and tax dollars, and the Assembly biography says his legislative efforts focus on government accountability and transparency. He says he grew up in a family that built a small business after immigrating, and he lists his time as a small business owner family member and his work on a small business assistance program in Anaheim among his experience. On warehouses he says he voted for the 2024 law he identifies as AB 2187, which he says bars new truck loading bays for logistics warehouses of 250,000 square feet or more within 300 feet of a school, home, park or hospital, while not requiring changes to existing facilities or limiting warehouse construction; he frames it as keeping very large facilities from putting loading docks next to homes and schools. On the budget he proposed a multi year approach with efficiency and modernization, reducing spending on one time projects, new revenue ideas including a digital asset reserve fund he says he is authoring in AB 2335, and raising the budget reserve cap through ACA 1 so savings are available in difficult years, while calling new taxes a non starter.S14S17S6S8
Local services
  • His campaign makes government accountability central. It says that on the Anaheim council he voted against selling Angel Stadium below market value, was the first elected leader to call on then Mayor Harry Sidhu to resign after the corruption investigation, and launched an emergency audit of the city, and that in the Assembly he authored AB 34 creating an independent redistricting commission for Orange County and a law requiring public oversight of discretionary funds controlled by Orange County supervisors after what the campaign calls the Andrew Do scandal. He also authored AB 2803, which his campaign says stops politicians who commit fraud or other public crimes from using campaign money for their legal defense. These are the campaign's own accounts of his record.S15
Water
  • He sets out no water supply or water rate position in either questionnaire or on his campaign website, and the materials reviewed for this file contain no water proposal from him. The office matters to water indirectly because a state senator votes on water policy and on the state budget that funds water programs, but no stated position from this candidate was found.S6S8S14S15
Other
  • Artificial intelligence: he says the Legislature should make sure AI is used to help businesses, workers and industries in ways that enhance jobs rather than replace workers, guard against misinformation, and avoid over regulating, and he says innovation is key to future economic growth. Social media and young people: he says the state has a responsibility to address a youth mental health crisis, citing a figure that young men account for 80 percent of suicides, and that guardrails for social media should be part of a wider conversation including community, purpose and mentorship. Abortion and reproductive health: not addressed in the materials reviewed. Government transparency: he says he has championed ethics and campaign finance reforms and wrote laws on campaign money and public corruption, and his campaign priorities include increasing transparency in government and fighting corruption. Baseball: the Assembly press release says he authored AB 2512, the Home Run for Anaheim Act, requiring the Anaheim Angels name if the city grants a stadium related Surplus Land Act exemption, and it quotes him saying the team's history and name belong to the community.S8S14S18

Endorsements

  • The California Democratic Party's published 2026 general election endorsement list, dated August 5, 2026, lists SD 34 – Avelino Valencia among its state Senate endorsements.S27
  • The California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO, lists Avelino Valencia, Democratic, for Senate District 34 in its published 2026 general election endorsement recommendations.S26
  • LAist's voter guide records that no endorsements were available on his campaign website at the time of publication. The pages published on his campaign site as of this run are the home page, five things, about, contact, district, get involved and media, and none of them carries an endorsements list, so this file records endorsements only from the organizations that published them.S4S14S15S16

Funding

Total raised: $675,003 S10S11

Cash on hand: $536,905

As of: September 19, 2026

Top funders

  • Association of California School Administrators PAC Small Contributor Committee $23,600 Cycle total of two itemized monetary contributions to the committee listed on Cal-Access, dated March 20, 2025 and August 28, 2025
  • SEIU California State Council of Service Employees Small Contributor Committee $23,600 Cycle total of two itemized monetary contributions to the committee listed on Cal-Access, dated December 16, 2025 and June 29, 2026
  • Peace Officers Research Association of California PAC (PORAC PAC) Small Contributor Committee $23,600 Cycle total of two itemized monetary contributions to the committee listed on Cal-Access, dated May 27, 2025 and September 1, 2026
  • Faculty for Our University's Future, a committee sponsored by the California Faculty Association Small Contributor Committee $21,800 Cycle total of four itemized monetary contributions to the committee listed on Cal-Access, dated April 2, 2025, June 25, 2025, April 16, 2026 and September 2, 2026
  • California Teachers Association/Association for Better Citizenship Small Contributor Committee $11,800 Itemized monetary contribution to the committee listed on Cal-Access, dated March 5, 2026
  • California State Council of Laborers PAC Small Contributor Committee $11,800 Cycle total of two itemized monetary contributions to the committee listed on Cal-Access, dated December 3, 2025 and May 13, 2026
  • Pechanga Band of Indians $11,800 Cycle total of two itemized monetary contributions to the committee listed on Cal-Access, dated April 22, 2025 and December 15, 2025
  • Western Manufactured Housing Communities Association PAC $11,800 Cycle total of two itemized monetary contributions to the committee listed on Cal-Access, dated June 23, 2025 and August 17, 2026
  • California New Car Dealers Association PAC $11,800 Cycle total of two itemized monetary contributions to the committee listed on Cal-Access, dated June 30, 2025 and August 24, 2026
  • Edison International and affiliated entities/Southern California Edison $11,800 Cycle total of two itemized monetary contributions to the committee listed on Cal-Access, dated June 3, 2025 and August 24, 2026

The total raised and the cash on hand here are what the candidate's own committee, VALENCIA FOR SENATE 2026; AVELINO (Cal-Access filer ID 1477383, listed as an Assembly District 68 officeholder committee), reported for January 1 through September 19, 2026, with the last report filed September 24, 2026. The committee reported $188,818.91 in contributions and $174,989.73 in expenditures in the July 1 to September 19, 2026 period, and $681,522.70 in total expenditures for January 1 through September 19, 2026. Another donor at the same $11,800 level in the itemized list is the Orange County Professional Firefighter's Association Local 3631 PAC, and Patty Quillin also appears at $11,800. The donor entries above are taken from the committee's Cal-Access contributions received page sorted by amount, which displays in pages of 250 entries; the first page as retrieved holds 249 itemized entries totaling $1,073,932.53 and covers dates from April 2025 through September 2026, so those entries span the whole 2025-2026 cycle while the reported contribution total is for the 2026 portion only, and the two figures are therefore not directly comparable. Because the list is sorted by amount, the first page holds the largest itemized entries on file, and the donor amounts should be read as the largest contributions disclosed rather than as a complete picture of the committee's money. Spending by separate committees that support or oppose candidates is reported on a different schedule and is not included in the committee totals or the itemized list above; no independent expenditure figure for this race was found in the sources reviewed for this file.

What this could mean for your household

  • Homeowners and renters: he says the state must increase the supply of all types of housing, expand the First Time Homebuyers Program, invest in housing tax credits for developers, streamline rezoning, allow flexibility for new homes and apartments, and make cities act on pending applications faster because delay adds cost. He says the state should build housing working people can afford, and in the May questionnaire he said he supports the ballot measure to reform CEQA as a way to make building faster and cheaper.S6S8
  • Households paying utility and fuel bills: he says he wants to pause proposals that would raise costs, naming new climate mandates that can increase utility costs and new taxes on businesses that can be passed to consumers, and he says he supported AB 30 (2025) to allow the sale of E15, a blend he says studies suggest is about 20 cents a gallon cheaper, and wrote to the air board about transparency when changes to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard signalled higher fuel prices. He also says taxes on businesses can be passed down to consumers, so he opposes them.S6S8
  • Homeowners and renters facing state tax changes: he says he has opposed measures that raise taxes and fees for working families, that raising taxes is a non starter for him on the budget, and that he does not support Proposition 40 because he says analysts concluded a one time wealth tax would cut state revenue long term and lead to cuts in health care and education. The Orange County Register editorial board wrote that he vowed to protect Proposition 13 and that he acknowledged support for new taxes on health insurance and software; that is the newspaper's account of its interview with him.S6S8S22
  • Small business owners and their employees: he says he grew up in a family that built a small business after immigrating and that part of his affordability agenda is avoiding measures that raise business costs, and in the May questionnaire he proposed efficiency savings, a digital asset reserve fund he says he is authoring, and a higher budget reserve cap rather than new taxes. He also says he voted for the 2024 warehouse law he identifies as AB 2187, which he describes as keeping loading bays of very large warehouses at least 300 feet from homes, schools, parks and hospitals without restricting existing facilities or blocking warehouse construction.S8S6S15
  • Households that use state funded health coverage: he says he supports the state's $300 million to offset costs when federal subsidies expire and wants to expand access, invest in preventive care and keep rural hospitals and clinics open, and he says he has authored a law making it easier to train and certify nursing assistants, which he frames as easing the provider shortage.S6S8S15

Campaign website

Rhonda Shader

Republican Local Small Businesswoman

Bio

  • The Secretary of State's certified list prints her party preference as Republican and her ballot designation as Local Small Businesswoman, and does not mark her as an incumbent.S1
  • In the October 2026 questionnaire she gave her age as 60, said she lives in Placentia, listed her current job title as Insurance Agency Owner, recorded City Councilmember and Mayor as the other political positions she has held, marked the incumbent question no, and gave shaderforsenate.com as her campaign website. In the May 2026 questionnaire she listed the same job, party and city and recorded Placentia Mayor/City Council as her other positions.S7S9
  • Her campaign site says she was first elected to the Placentia City Council in 2016, served two terms as mayor, launched Placentia's first independent fire department, cut what it calls wasteful spending and saved the city over $28 million, created what it calls California's first joint city-county infrastructure district producing 5,000 jobs, and streamlined business licensing during the pandemic. It says she runs a local insurance agency and a life and health coaching practice, has worked in banking and risk management, holds a Bachelor's Degree in Management from the University of Phoenix and a paralegal degree from Rancho Santiago College, and lives in Placentia with her husband Frank. These are the campaign's own descriptions.S19S20
  • The Orange County Register reported in February 2025 that she is a Republican and a longtime North Orange County resident who served on the Placentia City Council for eight years before terming out the previous year, and that she entered politics in 2016 following a City Hall embezzlement scandal in which a finance services manager stole about $5 million in public funds. She told the newspaper she is running because she has seen the impact of state laws on cities and residents and wants to play a role in shaping policy, and that she feels Sacramento is not representing north Orange County well.S23
  • In a June 2019 report the Orange County Register identified her as Mayor of Placentia at the time the council voted to leave the Orange County Fire Authority and form the city's own fire department. Her campaign says she served two terms as mayor; the newspaper identified her as mayor in that 2019 report and she was serving on the council through 2024.S25S20S23

Record in office

  • She served on the Placentia City Council for eight years, from her election in 2016 until she termed out in 2024, according to the Orange County Register, and her campaign says she served two terms as mayor during that time.S23S20
  • The Orange County Register reported on June 4, 2019 that Placentia would become the first Orange County city to leave the Orange County Fire Authority and build its own fire and emergency medical services system, after a council decision that lasted into the early morning. It reported that Mayor Rhonda Shader said she chose to look at options beyond the existing contract because the city would otherwise have been locked in until 2030, and that the council voted 3 to 1 for the plan. It reported that a staff report projected the first year of a city fire department with a private ambulance contract would cost $6.1 million against $7.1 million to stay with the authority, and that the city administrator forecast potential savings of more than $28 million over ten years. Opponents at the meeting and the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association raised concerns about using reserve firefighters and about the contractor's lack of prior 911 city service.S25
  • She ran for this same Senate seat in 2022 and lost to incumbent Senator Tom Umberg, taking 41.2 percent of the vote to his 58.8 percent, according to the Orange County Register. The Register's editorial board endorsed her in that 2022 race and again wrote in its 2026 endorsement that she endured union opposition in Placentia for creating a new fire department and exiting what the editorial called an overpriced county contract, which it said saves the city $28 million over a decade.S23S22
  • Her campaign says that as a council member and mayor she brought jobs and services to the community, built consensus, implemented what it calls common sense budgeting and long term financial planning, streamlined licensing and eliminated barriers for small businesses during the pandemic, and served on the St. Jude Medical Center Community Health Committee, the Orange County Human Relations Commission, the Orange County Legislative Committee, the Orange County Association of Cities, the Southern California Edison Government Advisory Committee and the board of a nonprofit serving at risk youth. These are the campaign's own claims.S20S19
  • She finished second in the June 2, 2026 primary with 49,569 votes, 34.8 percent, and she has not held state office.S2

Positions

Taxes
  • She says her first step on fuel costs would be to suspend any further increases in the gas tax and to make it easier to produce oil in California rather than importing it. In the May questionnaire she said the absolute first priority in the budget should be spending cuts, that a non starter for her is anything that raises taxes or fees on anyone, and that lowering the cost of living means freezing or removing requirements she says are passed on to consumers, including dismantling the cap and trade program, suspending what she calls onerous regulatory requirements from the last five years and freezing new legislation and requirements on housing developers and landlords. On Proposition 40, the one time 5 percent tax on net worth over $1 billion, she answered simply that she does not support more taxes on anyone.S7S9
Housing
  • She says every legislative session Sacramento passes more laws that make it harder to get a home, build new homes and be a landlord, and that all of those costs are passed on to potential home buyers, so the state should pause more onerous regulations and roll some back. In the May questionnaire she said the state should support a diversified effort to keep people in crisis in their homes, including rent subsidies and emergency financial aid, that building more affordable housing is important but that state laws and regulations often slow affordable projects down, and that the state should incentivize home building rather than make it harder. Asked about a time she changed her mind, she described the placement of affordable housing in her city: she said she changed her mind when she learned that working with the community and the developer could produce solutions acceptable to everyone, calling it a win for new housing, the neighborhood and the city.S7S9
Cost of living
  • She makes cost of living the headline of her campaign and says Sacramento is broken and that residents deserve a California they can afford to enjoy. Her specific proposals are to suspend further gas tax increases and block the automatic inflation increases she says happen each summer, to freeze new legislation and requirements on housing developers and landlords, to restrict local ordinances on grocery stores, to lower transportation costs by lowering the gas tax and using local fuel sources instead of imports, to support what she calls water abundance for farmers, to allow a diverse utility supply from all sources while suspending recent regulatory requirements, and to dismantle the cap and trade program, which she describes as a cost passed through to consumers. In the October questionnaire she named fuel costs, and in the May questionnaire housing, health care, utilities, gas and food as the costs she would not vote to increase.S7S9S19
Public safety
  • She says reducing homelessness requires a blend of drug treatment, emergency housing, mental health stabilization, in some cases permanent treatment facilities and in some cases incarceration, because each individual is different, and that reporting and accountability are key for anyone working in this area on behalf of taxpayers. In the May questionnaire she said public safety remains a key concern, that north Orange County voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 36 and want it fully funded and operational for law enforcement, that she supports funding it and prioritizing victims' rights and tools for police, deputies and firefighters, and that she would require accountability reports from treatment centers and annual recertification to keep receiving state money. In the October questionnaire she also described requiring developers to return with added buffers, tighter operating hours and more thorough traffic controls after neighbors testified about noise and traffic, which she described as listening first and then deciding.S7S9
Education
  • In the May questionnaire she named the education of children as one of the state's three most pressing issues, citing funding, educational choices and parental rights, and said she would support bills that prioritise children and include parents. Neither her October questionnaire answers nor the pages of her campaign site reviewed for this file set out a further education proposal, such as a position on school funding formulas or on the state's school facilities program.S9S7S19S20
Health care
  • She says she does not support the state's $300 million to offset health care costs when federal subsidies expire, that decisions have been made in Sacramento to extend that coverage inappropriately, and that she would want a full audit for fraud, waste and abuse, which she believes would find money to make sure the right people get help. In the May questionnaire she said she would support legislation on administrative waste, unfair pricing practices, more preventive care, and fraud and abuse, that the state does not currently have the funding to cover non citizens and that many citizens, including small business owners, still need help with coverage, and that on gender affirming care the government should not interfere with or force health care treatment offerings or patient choices.S7S9
Homelessness
  • Her answer on homelessness combines drug treatment, emergency housing, mental health stabilization, in some cases permanent treatment facilities and in some cases incarceration, with reporting and accountability for organizations receiving public money, and she says the state should use established organizations that already know how to do this work. Her campaign site says she has a record of bringing jobs and services to her community, and she told the Orange County Register in February 2025 that homelessness is a key issue for her, pointing to the high rates recorded in Santa Ana and Anaheim in this district.S7S20S23
Transportation
  • She says she does not support moving forward with high speed rail because it appears funding cannot be found to complete it, but that the state must find solutions for cities affected by the structures already built. On road and fuel costs she says she would suspend further gas tax increases, block the automatic inflation increases she says occur each summer, and lower transportation costs by lowering the gas tax and supporting the use of local fuel sources.S7S9
Environment and energy
  • She says California's oil and gas producers have been doing good work to help the state meet environmental goals while supplying the fuel residents need, and that Sacramento leadership has continued what she calls an attack on the backs of working families, leaving the state with the highest gas prices in the country and worse to come as refineries close. She supports expanding offshore oil drilling in California, answering that local drilling is a big part of the solution to lowering gas and utility prices. In the May questionnaire she called the state's approach to oil companies misguided and short sighted, said the state is not in a position to push oil companies out because importing fuel creates more pollution, said the Energy Commission was wise to freeze penalties on refiners at that time, and said the state must weigh the risk and burden to residents against the benefits of climate policy. On data centers she says there are appropriate places for them that avoid the problems residents raise, that she understands operators are creating their own utilities and working with nearby communities, and that she trusts the right balance will be found and that operators will prove they can be good neighbors.S7S9
Immigration
  • In the May questionnaire she answered that immigration is a federal government responsibility and that as a state legislator her involvement would be to hold the federal government accountable for conducting enforcement within California in a legal manner. The October questionnaire did not include an immigration question, and the pages of her campaign site reviewed for this file set out no further immigration position.S9S7S19
Economy and jobs
  • She is an insurance agency owner and describes herself as a small business owner, and she says Sacramento's death by a thousand cuts approach to business regulation is one reason she is running. She pledged to visit 100 businesses in 100 days across the district and told the Orange County Register she had reached about 20 by February 2025, hearing concerns about regulations including the $20 an hour minimum wage for fast food workers and about businesses leaving the state, of which she gave examples from cafes, restaurants, a biodiesel provider, home health care companies and small manufacturers. Her campaign says she brought jobs and services to Placentia, streamlined licensing and helped employers stay open during the pandemic, and that she created what it calls California's first joint city-county infrastructure district, which it says produced 5,000 jobs. In the May questionnaire she said the state should make it easier for businesses to thrive and create jobs as a way to improve the state's fiscal position. These descriptions of results are the campaign's own claims.S19S20S23S9
Local services
  • She says she believes in governing with fiscal responsibility so taxpayers get the most out of their government, and her campaign cites careful budgeting, long term financial planning, cutting what it calls wasteful spending, launching a city fire department, streamlining business licensing and helping employers during the pandemic as her record in local office. On warehouse rules she says the location of a large warehouse should be up to the local government that knows the city best and its future planning, and that the state should play a role in how sales tax from goods leaving warehouses is apportioned. In the May questionnaire she said the state should prioritise spending cuts when closing the budget gap.S20S19S7S9
Water
  • In the May questionnaire she said she would support what she calls water abundance to help the state's farmers and a diverse utility supply from all sources, as part of lowering household and business costs. She sets out no further water position, such as a stance on the state's water project, groundwater rules or regional water rates, in the materials reviewed for this file.S9S7S19
Other
  • Small business regulation: she says she would shift the state toward what she calls a business friendly environment, citing the fast food minimum wage as an example of a cost that gets passed to customers, and says she believes some regulation has become too burdensome while not opposing all regulation. Artificial intelligence: she says California must allow AI to flourish and grow, work with the industry as it develops to maintain balance and protection, and resist what she calls the tendency to panic and over regulate. Social media and young people: she says protecting children is everyone's responsibility including government, that oversight of social media companies' efforts to restrict children from certain content is imperative, and that companies should give parents easily accessible tools and education. Crime: she says that because the Legislature and ballot measures have reclassified crimes it is difficult to read crime statistics, that the erosion of the prison system and early release help explain why residents do not feel safe, and that she supports fully funding Proposition 36. Public safety implementation and treatment accountability are covered under her public safety position.S9S23

Endorsements

  • Her campaign's endorsements page lists the OC Register and LA Daily News editorial boards, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association PAC, Reform California, the California Republican Party, the California College Republicans, Log Cabin Republicans of California, the California Republican Assembly, the California Women's Leadership Association, the California Young Republicans Federated, the Orange County Republican Party, the Los Angeles Republican Party, the Lincoln Club of Orange County, New Majority Orange County, the Orange County Young Republicans, the Huntington Beach Republican Women and the Pat Nixon Republican Women Federated among its organization endorsements.S21
  • The same page lists elected officials including Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, Senate Minority Leader elect Roger Niello, state Senators Steven Choi, Shannon Grove, Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, Kelly Seyarto, Tony Strickland, Suzette Valladares, retired Senators Dick Ackerman and John Moorlach, Assemblymembers Phillip Chen, Laurie Davies, Carl DeMaio, Tri Ta, Diane Dixon and Kate Sanchez, former Assembly Republican Leader Scott Baugh, Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen, Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner, Orange County Treasurer Shari Freidenrich, Orange County Assessor Claude Parrish, Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes, four Orange County Board of Education members and a long list of city council members, including Fullerton City Councilmember Nick Dunlap and former Fullerton Mayor Greg Sebourn, Anaheim Mayor Pro Tem Natalie Meeks, Placentia Mayor Kevin Kirwin and Placentia Councilmember Ward Smith. The page also lists businesses including the National Federation of Independent Businesses and a large number of individual supporters.S21
  • The Orange County Register's editorial board endorsed her on September 16, 2026, writing that it was throwing its support to her because of her market oriented approach to affordability, her position that Sacramento's regulation of business is death by a thousand cuts, and her willingness to stand up to public employee unions over the Placentia fire department decision. It also endorsed her in this district in 2022.S22

Funding

Total raised: $78,471 S12S13

Cash on hand: $23,221

As of: September 19, 2026

Top funders

  • Brian Jones for Lt. Governor 2026 $8,400 Cycle total of three itemized monetary contributions to the committee listed on Cal-Access, dated June 27, 2025, December 17, 2025 and June 25, 2026
  • Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh for Senate 2028 $5,900 Itemized monetary contribution to the committee listed on Cal-Access, dated March 31, 2026
  • Seyarto for Senate 2026 $5,900 Itemized monetary contribution to the committee listed on Cal-Access, dated May 7, 2026
  • The Lincoln Club of Orange County State PAC $5,000 Itemized monetary contribution to the committee listed on Cal-Access, dated June 3, 2025
  • Personal Insurance Federation of CA Agents & Employees PAC $5,000 Cycle total of two itemized monetary contributions to the committee listed on Cal-Access, dated November 19, 2025 and September 8, 2026
  • Raymond Delacruz $3,781 Cycle total of four itemized non monetary contributions from an individual to the committee listed on Cal-Access, dated March 3, 2025, May 15, 2025, July 24, 2025 and February 11, 2026
  • Roger Niello for Senate 2026 $3,500 Cycle total of two itemized monetary contributions to the committee listed on Cal-Access, dated July 16, 2026 and September 18, 2026
  • Cari Recycling $3,300 Cycle total of two itemized monetary contributions to the committee listed on Cal-Access, dated June 24, 2026 and August 25, 2026
  • Carl DeMaio for State Assembly 2026 $3,250 Cycle total of two itemized non monetary contributions to the committee listed on Cal-Access, dated March 12, 2026 and September 1, 2026
  • Jolynn Mahoney $3,000 Cycle total of two itemized monetary contributions from an individual to the committee listed on Cal-Access, dated May 1, 2025 and November 3, 2025

The total raised and the cash on hand here are what the candidate's own committee, SHADER FOR SENATE 2026; RHONDA (Cal-Access filer ID 1460521), reported for January 1 through September 19, 2026, with the last report filed September 24, 2026. The committee reported $27,803.00 in contributions and $36,492.35 in expenditures in the July 1 to September 19, 2026 period, and $95,755.88 in total expenditures for January 1 through September 19, 2026. Other donors in the same itemized list include Daryl Mayfield at $2,500 dated March 29, 2025 and Munoz Mecanical and Welding Services at $2,500 dated August 25, 2026, and Ward Smith appears at $2,025 across seven entries. The donor entries above are taken from the committee's Cal-Access contributions received page sorted by amount, which displays in pages of 250 entries; the first page as retrieved holds 249 itemized entries totaling $134,810.93 and covers dates from March 2025 through September 2026, so those entries span the whole 2025-2026 cycle while the reported contribution total is for the 2026 portion only, and the two figures are therefore not directly comparable. Because the list is sorted by amount, the first page holds the largest itemized entries on file, and the donor amounts should be read as the largest contributions disclosed rather than as a complete picture of the committee's money. Spending by separate committees that support or oppose candidates is reported on a different schedule and is not included in the committee totals or the itemized list above; no independent expenditure figure for this race was found in the sources reviewed for this file.

What this could mean for your household

  • Households paying fuel and utility bills: she says she would suspend any further gas tax increases and block the automatic inflation increases she says occur each summer, dismantle the cap and trade program she says is passed through to consumers, suspend recent regulatory requirements on utilities and support a diverse utility supply, support local oil and gas production, and support what she calls water abundance for farmers, all framed as lowering the cost of living.S7S9
  • Homeowners, landlords and renters: she says every session Sacramento adds laws that make it harder to get a home, build new homes and be a landlord, and that those costs are passed to buyers, so she would pause new requirements and roll some back, and that she would freeze new legislation and requirements on housing developers and landlords. She also says the state should support rent subsidies and emergency financial aid so people in crisis stay in their homes, and that it should incentivize building rather than adding barriers.S7S9
  • Households buying groceries and paying sales tax: she says she would support efforts to lower grocery prices by restricting local ordinances on grocery stores, and she says she will not support any bill that further increases the cost of housing, health care, utilities, gas or food, and would not support new taxes or fees on anyone.S7S9
  • Small business owners: she owns an insurance agency, says she has made payroll and dealt with regulations as a business owner, pledged to visit 100 businesses in 100 days in the district, and says she would shift the state toward a business friendly environment, citing the $20 an hour fast food minimum wage and regulations on businesses as costs that get passed to customers.S19S20S23S9
  • Households using state health coverage and public safety services: she says she would not support the state's $300 million to offset expiring federal health care subsidies and would want a full audit for fraud, waste and abuse instead, and she says she supports fully funding Proposition 36 so its drug treatment and sentencing provisions operate, with accountability reporting from treatment providers and annual recertification for state funding.S7S9

Campaign website

Sources

  1. Certified List of Candidates, November 3, 2026, General Election California Secretary of State Accessed 2026-10-17
  2. Statement of Vote, June 2, 2026 Statewide Direct Primary Election, State Senate District 34 summary page California Secretary of State Accessed 2026-10-17
  3. 2026 California Voter Guide: State Senate, including the District 34 candidate list and the Senate supermajority background CalMatters Accessed 2026-10-17
  4. California State Senate: Who's running in the Nov. 3 general election and why it matters, including the District 34 at a glance panel, voter registration and the description of what a state senator does LAist, with CalMatters Accessed 2026-10-17
  5. Primary Election Night Results: California Senate District 34 (June 3, 2026) Voice of OC Accessed 2026-10-17
  6. Avelino Valencia, Senate District 34 candidate, 2026 election questionnaire (October 5, 2026) Orange County Register, Southern California News Group Accessed 2026-10-17
  7. Rhonda Shader, Senate District 34 candidate, 2026 election questionnaire (October 5, 2026) Orange County Register, Southern California News Group Accessed 2026-10-17
  8. Avelino Valencia, SD-34 candidate, 2026 primary election questionnaire (May 6, 2026) Orange County Register, Southern California News Group Accessed 2026-10-17
  9. Rhonda Shader, SD-34 candidate, 2026 primary election questionnaire (May 6, 2026) Orange County Register, Southern California News Group Accessed 2026-10-17
  10. VALENCIA FOR SENATE 2026; AVELINO, committee summary, Cal-Access filer ID 1477383, reporting period 07/01/2026 to 09/19/2026 California Secretary of State, Cal-Access Accessed 2026-10-17
  11. VALENCIA FOR SENATE 2026; AVELINO, contributions received, itemized contributions for the 2025-2026 session sorted by amount California Secretary of State, Cal-Access Accessed 2026-10-17
  12. SHADER FOR SENATE 2026; RHONDA, committee summary, Cal-Access filer ID 1460521, reporting period 07/01/2026 to 09/19/2026 California Secretary of State, Cal-Access Accessed 2026-10-17
  13. SHADER FOR SENATE 2026; RHONDA, contributions received, itemized contributions for the 2025-2026 session sorted by amount California Secretary of State, Cal-Access Accessed 2026-10-17
  14. Home page, including the campaign priorities list (campaign website) Avelino Valencia for State Senate 2026 Accessed 2026-10-17
  15. About Avelino, including biography, committee memberships and the legislative accomplishments list (campaign website) Avelino Valencia for State Senate 2026 Accessed 2026-10-17
  16. District 34, including the list of cities and areas in the district (campaign website) Avelino Valencia for State Senate 2026 Accessed 2026-10-17
  17. Biography, Assemblymember Avelino Valencia, Assembly District 68 California State Assembly Accessed 2026-10-17
  18. Governor Newsom Signs Assemblymember Valencia's Home Run for Anaheim Act (August 28, 2026) California State Assembly, Office of Assemblymember Avelino Valencia Accessed 2026-10-17
  19. Welcome, including the letter to neighbors (campaign website) Rhonda Shader for Senate 2026 Accessed 2026-10-17
  20. Meet Rhonda, including biography and the list of priorities (campaign website) Rhonda Shader for Senate 2026 Accessed 2026-10-17
  21. Rhonda's Endorsements, including the elected official, organization, business and individual lists (campaign website) Rhonda Shader for Senate 2026 Accessed 2026-10-17
  22. Endorsement: Elect Rhonda Shader in the 34th Senate District (September 16, 2026, updated September 17, 2026) Orange County Register editorial board Accessed 2026-10-17
  23. Former Placentia Mayor Rhonda Shader running for California's 34th Senate District (February 8, 2025) Orange County Register Accessed 2026-10-17
  24. Assemblyman Avelino Valencia launches 2026 bid for state Senate seat (December 12, 2024) Orange County Register Accessed 2026-10-17
  25. Placentia to create its own fire department and withdraw from the Orange County Fire Authority (June 4, 2019, updated June 5, 2019) Orange County Register Accessed 2026-10-17
  26. California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO, 2026 general election endorsement recommendations (September 2026) California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO Accessed 2026-10-17
  27. 2026 General Election Endorsements and Ballot Measure Positions (August 5, 2026) California Democratic Party Accessed 2026-10-17
  28. Home page, including the message from the Senate President pro Tempore and the October 2026 Senate calendar California State Senate Accessed 2026-10-17
  29. AB 1768: Transactions and use taxes: Counties of Contra Costa and Los Angeles, bill summary and status page CalMatters Digital Democracy Accessed 2026-10-17