David Penaloza
David Penaloza was elected to the Santa Ana City Council in 2018 and re-elected in 2022. He serves as Mayor Pro Tem and is a Santa Ana native raising his family in the city he was born in. He is Chair of the Transportation Corridor Agencies, a bipartisan regional board. Professionally, he has worked for the same Orange County company for 16 years. His priorities are fiscal responsibility, public safety, more housing, and protecting good paying jobs.
Why We Endorsed: David Penaloza is a Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem with one of the strongest builder records on the entire 2026 ballot. He has helped approve more than 2,000 new housing units, reduced 911 response times, opened four new parks, and refinanced city pension debt to save Santa Ana more than $212 million.
Alignment With NCC Priorities: David's housing record is exactly the builder profile NCC was created to elevate. More than 2,000 housing units approved during his Council tenure puts him in the top tier of housing-producing local officials in Orange County. His $212 million pension refinancing is the kind of fiscal discipline NCC champions on the cost-of-government side of its middle class jobs agenda. As Chair of the Transportation Corridor Agencies, he runs a bipartisan regional board, which is direct evidence of cross-aisle pragmatism. His endorsements include Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas, outgoing Assemblymember Avelino Valencia, Congressman Dave Min, former Congresswoman Katie Porter, Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua, and former Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez.
Learn More: davidpenaloza.com
Assembly District
68
The Race
District 68 covers portions of Santa Ana, Anaheim, and Orange in Orange County. The seat is open because Assemblymember Avelino Valencia is running for State Senate. Penaloza faces fellow Santa Ana Councilmember Jessie Lopez, the other major Democrat in the race. The district is solidly Democratic, so the November runoff is likely to feature two Democrats.
A New California Starts With This Slate
Together, these fourteen candidates are the slate NCC believes can move California forward in 2026. They come from cities and counties up and down the state, from different backgrounds and different parties, and from different chapters of California's story. What they share is a commitment to getting things done: finding solutions to homelessness, building the housing, securing the water and energy, and growing the middle class jobs that working Californians need now. NCC stands behind each of them, and we are asking voters in their districts to join us. The California Dream is worth fighting for, and these are the leaders who will help us bring it back within reach.
June 2026 NCC Races: the map highlights Senate Districts 12, 14, 22, 26, and 34, and Assembly Districts 12, 31, 34, 35, 47, 65, 66, 67, and 68