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State Assembly, District 12

Why does this race matter?

Assemblymember Damon Connolly is running for the state Senate, leaving an open seat in this North Bay district. The race is a proxy fight for labor versus business, with unions supporting progressive candidate Jackie Elward while tech and business interests back Eric Lucan.

What does a state Assembly member do? 

State Assembly members represent communities at the California Legislature in Sacramento. The Assembly’s 80 members write and vote on state bills, serve on policy committees and vote on the annual state budget. The winner of this race will serve a two-year term.

Candidates

Jackie Elward
Jackie ElwardCity Council member, Rohnert Park Democrat
Eric Lucan
Eric LucanBoard of Supervisors member, Marin CountyDemocrat
 

Positions on Key Issues

Candidate summaries are based on interviews with the candidates, questionnaires, statements made at debates and public events, and past news coverage.

North Bay communities have seen some of the highest home insurance rate increases in the state in the past decade. Some are calling for more state pressure on insurers to stay in California’s market, while others emphasize fire prevention and home hardening. What would be your approach to addressing this crisis?

Elward says she would prioritize holding insurance companies accountable and capping annual rate increases. She also supports expanding and stabilizing the FAIR Plan, California’s insurer of last resort, to make sure residents in high-risk wildfire zones retain access to coverage when other insurers decline to cover them.
Lucan points to Marin County’s decision to tax itself to create a revenue stream funding inspections, home hardening, vegetation management and other wildfire prevention efforts. He supports advancing legislation to reward counties like Marin that choose to tax themselves. “If you’re doing all this work to become more resilient to wildfires, then there should be a benefit to the taxpayers when they’re paying their insurance bill.”

Federal funding cuts to Medicaid, called Medi-Cal in California, are threatening coverage for many residents in this district. What specifically would you fight for in Sacramento to protect them?

Elward says she would make universal healthcare a budget priority and would work to build “a system where healthcare is treated as a right, not a privilege.” She would incorporate coverage for mental health as well.
Lucan would prioritize community clinics, outlining two specific fixes. First, he wants to change a rule that prevents federally qualified health centers from billing Medi-Cal for both medical and mental health services on the same day, a burden he says falls hardest on workers who can’t easily take time off. Second, he wants to make it easier for community clinics to pre-enroll more residents for Medi-Cal.

California has the second-highest utility rates in the country. What’s the first concrete thing you’d do as a legislator to bring costs down for your constituents?

Elward calls for expanding investment in renewable energy and community solar for renters and low-income households. She supports additional state funding for undergrounding utility lines and regional grid expansion to import cheaper power. As vice chair of Sonoma Clean Power, which negotiates and purchases power for customers, she also backs expanding the community choice aggregation model and says she would consider public ownership of utilities in areas with persistently high rates.
Lucan says legislators need to revisit the state’s original rooftop solar incentive program, noting that early adopters are receiving favorable rates that lower- and middle-income ratepayers are effectively subsidizing. “It’s a very careful and delicate balance. … You would be taking away from somebody that made an investment under a certain framework,” he says, adding that it’s a necessary conversation given the “sheer cost of energy rates.” 

California lawmakers are under growing pressure to regulate AI. What safeguards would you push for in the Legislature?

Elward wants moratoriums on “anything related to AI,” including in hospitals, schools and workplaces. She pointed to a bill protecting healthcare workers from employer retaliation for overriding an AI system as an example of the approach she would take. “Protecting workers is the priority,” she says.
Lucan says that as a father with young kids, he wants more policies that protect young people from harmful uses of artificial intelligence. He supports a bill to regulate AI chatbots for children’s safety, following lawsuits alleging AI contributed to teenagers’ suicides.

Nearly three-quarters of Californians oppose the construction of AI data centers in their area. How would you balance the economic benefits of data center growth with local concerns over water, electricity and artificial intelligence?

Elward says, “I am not pro-data center.” She would implement a statewide moratorium on new AI data centers until the state can create guardrails to protect workers and the environment. While she welcomes innovation and economic opportunity, she says, “We should not ask working families to subsidize enormous corporate energy use or sacrifice our climate and water goals.” She would also ensure data center developers use local and union labor as much as possible.
Lucan would focus on ratepayer protections, making sure hyperscale data centers do not drive up electricity and water prices for local communities. He wants more transparency and analysis of the impact of data centers on energy costs, but ultimately he thinks land-use decisions should be handled at the local level. He says the state’s role should be to provide tools and close loopholes, not to override local control.

Key Supporters

This list represents notable organizations and individuals who have taken a position on the ballot measure or candidate, or who are funding campaigns in support or opposition. This list is not exhaustive, and may be updated.

For Elward

  • Damon Connolly, California Assembly member 
  • Mike Thompson, U.S. representative
  • California Federation of Labor Unions
  • California Teachers Association
  • Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria

For Lucan

  • Jared Huffman, U.S. representative
  • Adam Schiff, U.S. senator
  • California YIMBY
  • North Bay Building Trades
  • North Bay Leadership Council
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