Election 2026 · State of California

California Assembly District 40

Published September 29, 2026 · Updated October 2, 2026

Rickey Tracy Hayes II and Pilar Schiavo (incumbent) are the candidates for California Assembly District 40 on the November 3, 2026 ballot.

The State Assembly is one of the two houses of the California Legislature, which holds the state's lawmaking power. The Assembly has 80 members. Its members write and vote on state laws and, with the Senate, pass the state budget, which the Constitution requires by June 15 each year.

Summary by CityHallPass, not the official text or legal advice. The official text controls: LA County's official election information.

What it means for the City of LA

State laws bind the City, and the state budget funds programs the City runs. Example: state law requires the City to plan housing for all income levels and update that plan on a set schedule (Government Code sections 65580 and 65588). About 227,700 of the district's 517,000 residents live in the City of Los Angeles, in Chatsworth, Porter Ranch, Granada Hills, Northridge and part of North Hills.

Primary results, June 2, 2026

Four candidates. Schiavo and Hayes, the top two, advanced to November 3. Total votes: 133,924. District totals from the Secretary of State's certified Statement of Vote. Certified results

The candidates

The job

The district. The 40th Assembly District covers the Santa Clarita Valley, Castaic, Val Verde and the northwest San Fernando Valley (Assembly bio).

• City of LA. The Assembly’s district page counts 227,698 City of LA residents in the district, 44% of its 517,084 people (2020 Census) (district map page). The rest live in Santa Clarita (229,156), Stevenson Ranch, Castaic, Val Verde and other unincorporated areas (district map page). The City neighborhoods are Chatsworth, Porter Ranch, Granada Hills, Northridge and the western part of North Hills, based on an overlay of the County’s district map on the City’s Neighborhood Council map (County district layer; City Neighborhood Councils).
• People. The Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 survey estimates 515,952 residents, about 39% white (not Latino), 34% Latino, 16% Asian and 5% Black, with a median household income of $121,328 (Census Reporter).
• Voters. On May 18, 2026 the district had 345,107 registered voters: 40.3% Democratic, 30.2% Republican and 22.4% no party preference (Secretary of State). In the June primary 133,924 votes were cast in this race (Statement of Vote).
• Local issue. The Chiquita Canyon Landfill near Castaic and Val Verde has had an underground “elevated temperature” event that led to several bills from this seat (AB 28; AB 985).

What an Assemblymember does.

• Laws. The Assembly and Senate write and pass state laws. A bill becomes law when both houses pass it and the Governor signs it (Constitution, art. IV, sec. 10).
• Budget. The Legislature must pass the budget by midnight on June 15, and a simple majority of each house is enough (art. IV, sec. 12). CalMatters reported the 2026-27 budget deal at $352 billion (CalMatters).
• Taxes. Any state tax increase needs two thirds of each house (art. XIII A, sec. 3).
• What it means for the City. The same budget deal gave counties $900 million for homelessness, CalMatters reported (CalMatters). State law also sets the City’s housing planning duties (Gov. Code 65588).

Records

Rickey Tracy Hayes II

Career. Hayes’s campaign describes him as a Marine Corps veteran, a former custody officer and police officer, an IBEW Local 47 journeyman lineman and an energy infrastructure executive (campaign site). He lists his current job as director of North America field operations and calls himself “an infrastructure executive” (SCNG questionnaire). His site does not name the police agencies or his employers (campaign site).

Public office. He listed no other political positions held (SCNG questionnaire).

Party. The California Republican Party’s 2026 endorsement list skips Assembly District 40 (CAGOP). The Yuba County Republican Party gave his campaign $9,500 (Cal-Access).

Ethics and court records. No complaints or enforcement actions were found in FPPC, City Ethics Commission or FEC records (FEC searched Oct. 1, 2026), and no license in his name at the State Bar. No court judgment against him was found in CourtListener records (searched Sept. 30, 2026).

Pilar Schiavo

Office. Schiavo was elected to this seat in November 2022. Her Assembly site says the Speaker named her Assistant Majority Whip when she took office, and that she now chairs the Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs (Assembly bio). In 2026 she said she sits on the Assembly’s health budget subcommittee and the Select Committee on Retail Theft (SCNG questionnaire).

Bills. Counts are from the Legislature’s bill data as of Oct 1, 2026, after the Governor’s Sept 30 deadline to act on bills. A bill counts if she is a lead author of its final version, alone or jointly; constitutional amendments and resolutions are left out. That adds three bills she co-led: AB 1217 (2023, with Assemblymembers Jesse Gabriel and Sabrina Cervantes), AB 2262 (2024, with Assemblymembers Eloise Gómez Reyes and Stephanie Nguyen) and SB 296 (2026, with Sens. Bob Archuleta and Suzette Martinez Valladares). It leaves out AB 1359. She led it at first, but it became law with Assemblymember Diane Papan as lead author.

Source: the Legislature’s bill data download (the full 2025-26 file dated Oct 1, 2026, which includes the Governor’s actions through Sept 30) and the Governor’s Sept 30 legislative update; each bill’s status is on its leginfo page. Sept 30 was the Governor’s deadline to sign or veto bills passed this session (Constitution, art. IV, sec. 10).

Laws she wrote include:

• AB 28 (2026): rules for landfills with high underground temperatures, after the Chiquita Canyon event.
• AB 2390 (2026): streamlined approval of housing that meets objective standards. Signed Sept 29, 2026 (Governor’s office).
• AB 2219 (2026): the Faster Services for Veterans Act, which she says will connect veterans to VA and state services more quickly. Signed Sept 28, 2026 (Governor’s office).
• AB 985 (2025): property tax reassessment for homes near the Chiquita Canyon Landfill.
• AB 301 (2025, with Speaker Robert Rivas): time limits for state agencies on permits after a housing project is approved.
• AB 1820 (2024): rules on fees and exactions charged to housing projects.
• AB 519 (2023): one combined application for state affordable housing money.
• AB 1312 (2025): hospitals must screen patients for free or reduced-cost care.
• AB 365 (2025): defibrillators at electric utility work sites.
• AB 2499 (2024): job protections and leave for victims of violence.
• AB 2863 (2024) and AB 656 (2025): rules for automatic renewals and canceling accounts.
• AB 3074 (2024, with Assemblymember James Ramos): bans racially derogatory school and team names.

The Governor vetoed AB 539 (insurer prior authorizations) on Sept 20, 2026 (bill data). The Governor signed AB 2219 (veterans) on Sept 28 (Governor’s office) and AB 2390 (streamlined housing approvals) on Sept 29 (Governor’s office). He signed AB 2116 (commercial financing) on Sept 30 (Governor’s office).

Vetoed bills from 2023-24 include AB 2670 (an abortion services awareness campaign), AB 608 (Medi-Cal perinatal services), AB 1423 (PFAS in artificial turf) and AB 2637 (health facility financing). A bill to exempt Chiquita Canyon relief payments from income tax, AB 27, stalled in the Senate in August 2025, when its hearing was canceled at her request (bill data).

Key floor votes (Assembly floor):

Source: vote records on each bill’s leginfo page (linked in each row) and the Legislature’s vote data download.

District funding. Her Assembly site says she has brought back “a record $111 million in district investments” and that her office’s casework returned nearly $4 million to residents (Assembly bio). Her campaign site uses a figure of $116 million (campaign site). These are her own figures; they were not checked against budget records.

Ethics and court records. No complaints or enforcement actions were found in FPPC, City Ethics Commission or FEC records (FEC searched Oct. 1, 2026), and no license in her name at the State Bar. The Assembly Legislative Ethics Committee posts no complaint decisions. No court case naming her as a party was found in CourtListener federal and appellate records or in news coverage (searched Sept. 30, 2026).

Where they stand

The issues are the ones the Southern California News Group asked every legislative candidate about in its 2026 questionnaire. Both candidates answered (Hayes; Schiavo; both May 6, 2026).

On the other ballot measures

For measures the Legislature placed on the ballot, the table shows Schiavo’s Assembly floor vote to place them. A vote to place a measure is not the same as an endorsement.

Source: measure names and types from the Secretary of State’s voter guide; floor votes from each bill’s votes page (linked in the row). “No stated position” means none was found on the candidates’ campaign sites or questionnaires.

No position from either candidate on the City or County measures was found.

Endorsements

Rickey Tracy Hayes II

• Party: not on the California Republican Party’s endorsement list, which skips this district (CAGOP).
• Elected officials, unions, organizations: none listed on his campaign site; its endorsements link returns the home page (campaign site). His donors include the IBEW’s national PAC and IBEW Local 18 (Cal-Access); a donation is not an endorsement.
• Newspapers: none found.

Pilar Schiavo

Her campaign’s endorsement page is undated and calls itself her “current list” (checked Sept 30, 2026). It names dozens of legislators; a sample is below.

• Party: The California Democratic Party endorsed her for the November election (CDP general election endorsements, Aug 5, 2026). Her page also lists the Los Angeles County Democratic Party (endorsement page).
• Public safety groups: Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, Los Angeles Police Protective League, California Professional Firefighters, LA County Firefighters Local 1014, CAL FIRE Local 2881, California Correctional Peace Officers Association (endorsement page).
• Unions: California Labor Federation, LA County Federation of Labor, California Teachers Association, SEIU California, United Nurses Associations of California, State Building and Construction Trades Council, and many others (endorsement page).
• Organizations: Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce, Sierra Club, California Environmental Voters, Equality California, Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project LA County Action Fund, Consumer Attorneys of California, Everytown for Gun Safety (endorsement page).
• Elected officials: Attorney General Rob Bonta, Treasurer Fiona Ma, Mayor Karen Bass, City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto, Councilmember Bob Blumenfield and many Assemblymembers (endorsement page).
• Newspapers: none found for 2026.

Polls

No public polls of this race were found.

Money

Source: Hayes’s and Schiavo’s Form 460 reports and later late-contribution reports, from the Secretary of State’s Cal-Access campaign data, downloaded Sept 29, 2026. The limit is $5,900 per donor per election, so $11,800 for the primary and general together, and small contributor committees may give twice that (FPPC).

Who is giving

Method: every itemized contribution (money and in-kind) on the Form 460s for the period, plus later late-contribution reports. A donor is a normalized name plus ZIP code. A donor’s location comes from the ZIP code: “City of LA” means at least half the ZIP code’s area is inside the City. Donor types come from the filer’s entity code and name. Source: Hayes’s and Schiavo’s filings in the Cal-Access raw data.

Rickey Tracy Hayes II. 63 donors gave $93,187 in itemized money (Cal-Access).

• Who gave.
  • Individuals: 51 donors, $31,932 (34.3%) (Cal-Access).
  • Other candidates’ committees: 6, $24,955 (26.8%). The largest were Suzette Martinez Valladares’s 2028 Senate committee ($11,800) and Alexandra Macedo’s Assembly committee ($5,900) (Cal-Access).
  • Unions: 2, $22,800 (24.5%): the IBEW’s national PAC ($11,800) and IBEW Local 18’s Water & Power Defense League ($11,000) (Cal-Access).
  • Political parties: the Yuba County Republican Party, $9,500 (10.2%) (Cal-Access).
  • Business PACs: 2, $3,500, both electrical contractors’ PACs (Cal-Access).
• Where from. 45.6% of dollars came from California outside LA County, 20.8% from LA County outside the City, 18.2% from City of LA ZIP codes and 15.4% from out of state (Cal-Access).
• Size. 5 donors gave $5,900 or more, for $50,000 (53.7%). 22 donors gave under $250 in total, $2,530 (2.7%) (Cal-Access).
• Individuals. The two largest individual donors gave $3,500 and $3,000 (Cal-Access).
• Clusters. None found (Cal-Access).

Pilar Schiavo. 260 donors gave $1,679,897 in itemized money, including late contributions after Sept 19 (Cal-Access).

• Who gave. Nearly all of it came from committees and organizations:
  • Other candidates’ committees: 53, $513,900 (30.6%). Most gave $11,800, the two-election maximum. They include the committees of Assemblymembers Marc Berman, Mark Gonzalez, Matt Haney, Mike Fong, Nick Schultz, Patrick Ahrens and Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (Cal-Access).
  • Unions and public-employee groups: 64, $436,629 (26.0%). This counts union PACs whose names do not say “union”: the Machinists’ political league ($4,500), the California Statewide Law Enforcement Association ($3,500), the California Association of Psychiatric Technicians ($3,000), UAW Region 6 ($2,500), the Teamsters’ DRIVE Committee ($2,000) and the California IATSE Council ($1,500). It leaves out the California Credit Union League PAC ($5,900) and the Personal Insurance Federation of California Agents & Employees PAC ($4,250), which are industry groups. SEIU Local 1000, United Domestic Workers and the Association of California School Administrators gave $23,600 each (Cal-Access).
  • The California Democratic Party: $359,573 (21.4%), all as in-kind mail, printing, data and polling (Cal-Access).
  • Businesses: 47, $147,700 (8.8%). Business and trade PACs: 34, $118,900 (7.1%). Tribes: 9, $59,800 (3.6%) (Cal-Access).
  • Individuals: 52, $43,395 (2.6%) (Cal-Access).
• Where from. 75.9% of dollars came from California outside LA County, mostly Sacramento-based committees. 12.3% came from City of LA ZIP codes, 6.9% from the rest of LA County and 4.9% from out of state (Cal-Access).
• Size. 111 donors gave $5,900 or more, for $1,417,852 (84.4%). 23 donors gave under $250 in total, $2,520 (0.2%) (Cal-Access).
• Industries. Technology companies: Airbnb ($11,800), Meta ($5,900), Google ($3,000) and Anthropic ($3,000). Real estate: the Realtors’ CREPAC small contributor committee ($11,800). Utilities and telecom: Comcast ($5,900), AT&T ($4,000) and PG&E ($1,500). The largest individual gift was $11,800 (Cal-Access).
• Clusters. None found (Cal-Access).

Outside spending

Independent expenditure reports (Form 496) filed with the Secretary of State since Jan 1, 2025 (Cal-Access raw data).

Who funds it. Advance California reported $5.44 million in contributions from Jan 2025 to Sep 19, 2026, including $5.25 million from the California Apartment Association Independent Expenditure Committee. That committee’s largest donors were apartment owners: Essex Property Trust ($3.0 million), Equity Residential ($2.17 million) and AvalonBay Communities ($1.96 million) (Cal-Access).

Key moments

Debates and forums. No debate or candidate forum between Schiavo and Hayes was found.

Chiquita Canyon Landfill. Several of Schiavo’s bills deal with the landfill’s underground heating event. Her AB 985 (property tax relief for nearby homes) became law in 2025 and AB 28 (landfill temperature rules) in September 2026 (bill data). She called the landfill an “urgent” challenge needing “stronger oversight, accountability, and immediate mitigation” (SCNG). Hayes did not address the landfill in his questionnaire.