Election 2026 · State of California

California Assembly District 44

Published September 29, 2026 · Updated October 2, 2026

Carolyn Daniels and Nicholas "Nick" Schultz (incumbent) are the candidates for California Assembly District 44 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 269,800 of the district's 514,600 residents live in the City of Los Angeles, in Sunland-Tujunga, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, North Hollywood, Valley Village and Toluca Lake.

Primary results, June 2, 2026

Three candidates. Schultz and Daniels, the top two, advanced to November 3. Total votes: 136,554. District totals from the Secretary of State's certified Statement of Vote. Certified results

The candidates

The job

The district. The 44th Assembly District includes Burbank and most of Glendale, plus La Crescenta and the Los Angeles communities of Sunland-Tujunga, North Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Toluca Lake and Valley Village (Assembly bio; district page).

• City of LA. 269,760 of the district’s 514,568 residents (52%) live in the City of Los Angeles. Burbank (107,614), Glendale (117,154, about 59% of that city) and La Crescenta-Montrose (20,043) make up the rest, according to the 2020 Census figures on the Assembly’s district page.
• Neighborhood Councils. An overlay of the County’s district map on the City’s Neighborhood Council map shows Foothill Trails, Sunland-Tujunga, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, NoHo, Valley Village and Greater Toluca Lake, plus small parts of Van Nuys and Sun Valley (County district layer; City Neighborhood Councils).
• People. The Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 survey estimates 506,709 residents: about 58% white (not Latino), 21% Latino, 11% Asian and 4% Black, with a median household income of $99,887 (Census Reporter).
• Voters. On May 18, 2026 the district had 339,355 registered voters: 48.8% Democratic, 20.7% Republican and 23.9% no party preference (Secretary of State). In the June primary 136,554 votes were cast in this race (Statement of Vote).

What an Assemblymember does.

• Laws. The Constitution gives the state’s lawmaking power to the Senate and Assembly (art. IV, sec. 1). A bill passed by both houses becomes law when the Governor signs it, or if the Legislature overrides a veto by two thirds of each house (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. State law sets the City’s housing planning duties (Gov. Code 65588).

Records

Carolyn Daniels

Career and advocacy. Her campaign says she won Miss America as the first woman from Hawai’i, then did three decades of advocacy on women’s and children’s issues (campaign site). It says she helped bring a national voice to the women in the Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes employment discrimination class action; founded Safe Places for Abused Women and Children in 1992, drawing on her own experience as a survivor of domestic violence; and was asked by President George H.W. Bush and Education Secretary Lamar Alexander to promote the America 2000 education initiative, speaking at more than 400 schools and other groups and in 17 state legislatures (campaign site). These claims come from her campaign only.

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

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. Court records under “Carolyn Daniels” in CourtListener could not be tied to her, and no news coverage of a case involving her was found (searched Sept. 30, 2026).

Nicholas “Nick” Schultz

Office. Schultz was first elected to the Assembly in 2024. Speaker Robert Rivas named him chair of the Assembly Public Safety Committee. He also sits on the Budget, Natural Resources and Utilities and Energy committees and the budget subcommittee on public safety (Assembly bio). He says that as chair he reviews every measure to amend the Penal Code (SCNG questionnaire).

Burbank. He was elected to the Burbank City Council in 2020 and became mayor in 2023. His bio says he approved more than 1,000 new units for low-income residents while on the council (Assembly bio).

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. They cover Assembly bills whose final version lists him as a lead author, including 10 he shares with other members (bill data).

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 he wrote include (bill data):

• AB 2319 (2026): a separate state tax credit for film and TV post-production work, signed Sept 19, 2026.
• AB 1546 (2026): driving under the influence, signed Sept 25, 2026.
• AB 1905 (custodial interrogation of juveniles), AB 1603 (PFAS) and AB 2478 (kinship family approval), all signed Sept 27, 2026.
• AB 690 (2026): pay for court-appointed defense lawyers.
• AB 1036 (2025): access to evidence after conviction.
• AB 379 (2025): prostitution crimes.
• AB 1050 (2025): removing unlawful restrictive covenants that block housing.
• AB 2266 (2026): electricity planning for load-serving entities.
• AB 43 (2025): wild and scenic rivers.

Signed Sept 29, 2026: AB 939 (density bonuses for for-sale homes) (Governor’s office) and AB 2760 (law enforcement wearable electroshock devices, shared with LaShae Sharp-Collins and Alex Lee) (Governor’s office).

Vetoed: AB 44 (electricity demand forecasts) and AB 734 (biological resources data) on Oct 1, 2025, and AB 1595 (habeas corpus and motions to vacate) and AB 306 (building standards appeals) on Sept 20, 2026 (bill data). His dynamic electricity rates bill, AB 1787, was held in Senate Appropriations on Aug 13, 2026, as its 2025 version (AB 1117) had been on Aug 29, 2025 (bill data).

Key floor votes.

Source: Assembly floor votes on each bill’s votes page (linked in each row) and the Legislature’s bill data download.

Ethics and court records. The State Bar lists Nicholas Bernard Coolon Schultz as active since 2014 with no discipline. No complaints or enforcement actions were found in FPPC, City Ethics Commission or FEC records (FEC searched Oct. 1, 2026). The Assembly Legislative Ethics Committee posts no complaint decisions. No court case naming him 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 (Daniels; Schultz; both May 6, 2026).

On the other ballot measures

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

Source: measure list from the Secretary of State’s voter guide; votes from each bill’s votes page and the Legislature’s bill data download. No position from either candidate on the City or County measures was found.

Endorsements

Carolyn Daniels

• Party: California Republican Party (CAGOP).

From her campaign’s endorsement page, which is undated, says it is a partial list, and was checked Sept 30, 2026:

• Organizations: Reform California, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, California Young Republicans, Los Angeles Young Republicans, and the California Rifle and Pistol Association (listed as “California Pistols and Rifles Association”) (endorsement page).
• Voter guides: Lady With A Brain voter guide (Elizabeth Barcohana) and Susan Collins voter guide (endorsement page).
• Newspapers: none found.

Nicholas “Nick” Schultz

• Party: The California Democratic Party endorsed him for the November election (CDP general election endorsements, Aug 5, 2026).

From his campaign’s endorsement page, which is undated and was checked Sept 30, 2026:

• Elected officials: U.S. Senator Adam Schiff; Representatives Luz Rivas, Laura Friedman and Brad Sherman; Secretary of State Shirley Weber; Attorney General Rob Bonta; Supervisor Lindsey Horvath; Burbank Mayor Tamala Takahashi; Glendale Mayor Ardy Kassakhian; LA City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez (endorsement page).
• Unions: LA County Federation of Labor, SEIU California, California Teachers Association, California Professional Firefighters, CAL FIRE Local 2881 (endorsement page).
• Organizations: California YIMBY, Sierra Club California, Working Families Party, Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project LA County, Jane Fonda Climate PAC, California Legislative Progressive Caucus (endorsement page).
• Newspapers: none found for 2026.

Polls

No public polls of this race were found.

Money

Source: each committee’s Form 460 reports and later late-contribution reports (Daniels; Schultz), 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. 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.

Carolyn Daniels. 15 donors, all individuals, gave $14,307 in itemized money (Cal-Access).

• Where from. 93.0% of dollars came from out of state. $807 came from City of LA ZIP codes, including $457 from Daniels herself (Cal-Access).
• Size. One donor, a retiree outside California, gave the $11,800 maximum, 82% of her itemized money. 11 donors gave under $250 (Cal-Access).
• Loan. The $5,700 loan came from Frog Prince Productions, Inc. (Cal-Access).

Nicholas “Nick” Schultz. 373 donors gave $965,361 in itemized money (Cal-Access).

• Who gave (Cal-Access):
  • Unions and public-employee groups: 65 donors, $330,050 (34.2%). The school administrators’ PAC gave $17,700 and the California Nurses Association PAC $16,400.
  • Businesses and other organizations: 99, $287,009 (29.7%), including CVS Health and Irvine Management Company ($11,800 each).
  • Business, trade and other PACs: 50, $146,950 (15.2%), led by the Realtors’ CREPAC ($11,800).
  • Individuals: 145, $139,651 (14.5%). The four largest gave $11,800 (three donors) and $11,720.
  • Tribes: 14, $61,700 (6.4%).
• Where from. 11.8% of dollars came from City of LA ZIP codes and 14.7% from the rest of LA County. 51.0% came from elsewhere in California, mostly Sacramento-based committees, and 21.9% from out of state (Cal-Access).
• Size. 63 donors gave $5,900 or more, for $517,120 (53.6%). 72 donors gave under $250 in total, $7,181 (0.7%) (Cal-Access).
• Industries (Cal-Access):
  • Law firms: 28 donors, $55,920 (5.8%), led by Labaton Keller Sucharow ($11,000). The out-of-state firm Bursor & Fisher also gave $11,100.
  • Technology: Airbnb ($6,000), Intoxalock ($5,900), Uber ($5,500) and Amazon ($4,000).
  • Real estate: the Realtors’ CREPAC ($11,800) and the building industry’s PAC ($3,000).
  • Utilities and telecom: Comcast ($9,300) and Southern California Edison ($7,500).
• Shared employers. No group of five or more donors from one employer within three days was found in his committee’s filings.

Outside spending

Source: independent expenditure reports (Form 496) filed since Jan 1, 2025 by the committee linked in the table, from the Cal-Access raw data.

Who funds it. The committee reported $1.18 million in contributions from Jan 2025 to Sep 19, 2026. The largest were Fabian Núñez’s State Treasurer committee ($100,000, plus $26,000 reported after Sept 19), Allied Physicians of California ($100,000), UTLA’s committee ($75,000), SEIU Local 721 ($55,000), the Carpenters and Edison International’s committee ($50,000 each). $143,123 came in unitemized gifts under $100 (Cal-Access raw data).

Key moments

Debates and forums. No debate or candidate forum between Schultz and Daniels was found.

Public Safety chair. Schultz says that as chair he reviews every measure to amend the Penal Code, and that the committee has “passed bills to punish repeat domestic violence and DUI offenders” and to “prevent abuse of mental health diversion and elder parole programs” (SCNG). Daniels said “Sacramento is soft on crime, and repeat offenders get released into the community” (SCNG).

Local special taxes (June 2026). Schultz was one of two Assemblymembers to vote no on ACA 22, which placed Prop 43 on this ballot. It passed 68-2 (bill data). No public statement from him explaining the vote was found.