Election 2026 · Federal

U.S. House, California District 26

Published September 29, 2026 · Updated October 2, 2026

Jacqui Irwin and Sam Gallucci are the candidates for U.S. House, California District 26 on the November 3, 2026 ballot.

Jacqui Irwin, a Democrat, and Sam Gallucci, a Republican, are running for the U.S. House seat in the 26th Congressional District. In the City of Los Angeles, the district covers parts of West Hills and Woodland Hills.

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

Congress writes the budgets for federal grant programs that pay for some City of Los Angeles services. One example is the Community Development Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The City's 2026-27 Proposed Budget says the City gets these funds based on its population, poverty and housing overcrowding, and uses them for housing, economic development and social services for low- and moderate-income residents. The same budget estimates $749,787,681 in grant receipts for City departments in 2026-27, from federal, state, local and other sources. About 70,500 City residents, in parts of West Hills and Woodland Hills, live in this district.

Primary results, June 2, 2026

Nine candidates. Jacqui Irwin and Sam Gallucci, the top two, advanced to November 3. Total votes: 193,230 in the Los Angeles County and Ventura County parts of the district. Percentages are each candidate's share of all votes cast for the office, from the certified Statement of Vote. Certified results

The candidates

The job

What a House member does. The House makes and passes federal laws; the Senate is the other chamber of Congress (House.gov). Members serve on committees, which consider bills and oversee federal agencies and programs (House.gov). A member’s office also helps constituents with federal agencies such as Social Security, the VA and the IRS (example: Rep. Whitesides’s casework page).

Pay and staff. A member earns $174,000 a year, a rate frozen since 2009. Each member gets a Members’ Representational Allowance to pay for staff, travel, mail and district offices. Since 2023 these allowances have ranged from $1,849,149 to $2,088,499 per member, and the levels did not change for 2026. A member may hire up to 18 permanent staff plus up to four part-time or temporary employees (Congressional Research Service, Sept. 10, 2026).

Why it matters to the City. Congress funds grant programs the City relies on. The City’s proposed 2026-27 budget estimates $749.8 million in grant receipts for City departments from federal, state and other sources, including HUD’s Community Development Block Grant (City proposed budget). As of May 2026, the Southern California News Group noted, neither the President nor Congress had acted on Gov. Newsom’s request for supplemental disaster aid for the January 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires (SCNG).

The new district. Proposition 50 redrew the lines for 2026 through 2030 (Secretary of State).

• Most of the district is in Ventura County. It includes all of Oxnard, Thousand Oaks, Camarillo, Moorpark, Port Hueneme, Santa Paula and Fillmore (Statewide Database city splits report). The Ventura County Star reported that it covers all of Ventura County except the city of Ventura, most of the Ojai area and Simi Valley (VC Star).
• In Los Angeles County it takes in Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Westlake Village and 8,781 residents of Lancaster (Statewide Database city splits report). The Daily News reported that the new lines reach into the Antelope Valley, adding communities such as Lake Hughes and Quartz Hill (Daily News).
• City of Los Angeles: 70,514 City residents live here, 1.8% of the City’s 3,912,115 (2020 Census; Statewide Database city splits report). They are in the western San Fernando Valley: parts of the West Hills and Woodland Hills-Warner Center neighborhood council areas, in Council Districts 12 and 3. We placed them by matching census tracts in the Statewide Database block file to the City’s council district and neighborhood council maps, so the edges are approximate.
• Voters: 475,656 registered as of May 18, 2026: 42.95% Democratic, 28.14% Republican and 21.28% no party preference (Secretary of State).
• The LA Times described wildfire risk, coastal erosion and flooding as major challenges in the district (LA Times).

Records

Jacqui Irwin

Offices. Thousand Oaks City Council (elected 2004) and two terms as mayor (Assembly bio). State Assembly since 2014 (LA Times).

Committee roles in the Assembly (Assembly bio):

• Chair of the Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, 2014-2021.
• Chair of the Revenue and Taxation Committee, 2022-2025.
• Now chair of the Joint Committee on Climate Change Policies and the Select Committee on Cybersecurity. Member of Agriculture, Business and Professions, Privacy and Consumer Protection, Rules, and Utilities and Energy.

Laws and bills (2025-2026 session).

• AB 1207, cap-and-trade extension. She was a lead author with Senate leader Monique Limón, Sen. Mike McGuire and Speaker Robert Rivas. It extended the state’s market-based climate program and passed the Assembly 58-10 on its final vote. Gov. Newsom signed it on Sept. 19, 2025, as Chapter 117 (bill status; votes). In her SCNG questionnaire she said the law uses “funding from polluters” to lower electricity bills in the four months when bills are highest (SCNG).
• AB 762, disposable vape ban. Signed Sept. 28, 2026, as Chapter 717 (bill status). From January 1, 2028, stores may sell only nicotine vapes that are rechargeable and refillable (Irwin release).
• AB 2531, veterans’ reproductive care. Signed Sept. 27, 2026, as Chapter 489 (bill status). It is meant to let California veterans get abortion and contraception care after the federal VA cut that coverage (Irwin release).
• AB 2692, Palisades condo rebuild. An urgency law signed Aug. 24, 2026, as Chapter 124 (bill status). It lets owners at the 107-unit Via de la Paz complex in Pacific Palisades vote to restore governing documents that expired shortly before the fire, so they can rebuild (Irwin release).
• AB 2143 raises penalties on online marketplaces that facilitate sales of illegal invasive plants. Signed Sept. 18, 2026, as Chapter 290 (bill status) (Irwin release).
• AB 2589 requires the Public Utilities Commission to pass federal tax savings, such as those from H.R. 1, back to utility customers. It passed the Legislature on Aug. 26 and was signed Sept. 27, 2026, as Chapter 625 (Irwin release; bill status).

Earlier work her office lists. Cybersecurity assessments for state agencies, tax-free savings accounts for people with disabilities, expansion of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, standard food date labels, and funding for the CSU Channel Islands engineering school (Assembly bio).

Votes on the new map and on measures on this ballot. These are Assembly floor votes from the Legislature’s records.

• Proposition 50 (ACA 8) and the maps (AB 604): yes on both, Aug. 21, 2025 (ACA 8 votes; AB 604 votes).
• Yes on the bills that placed Props 1, 2, 4, 5 and 43 on the November ballot (SB 417; ACA 20; SB 42; SCA 1; ACA 22).

Ethics and court records. In January 2013 the FPPC closed a complaint against Irwin, her committee’s treasurer and her 2012 Thousand Oaks City Council committee with a warning letter and no fine. It found the committee did not file a 24-hour late contribution report for a loan of her own money before the November 2012 election. The FPPC said it chose a warning because the loan was her own money, she filed the report before she was notified of the complaint, and she had no enforcement history (FPPC warning letter, FPPC No. 12/895). No other public enforcement action naming her was found in FPPC, City Ethics Commission or FEC enforcement records (MURs, administrative fines and ADR cases, searched by her name, her committee’s name and its ID, C00933630). She holds no State Bar license. The Assembly’s Legislative Ethics Committee posts no complaint decisions. No court case naming her as a party was found in CourtListener federal and appellate records (searched Sept. 30, 2026).

Sam Gallucci

Business career. His campaign says he was hired by IBM in 1981 and rose to executive vice president and general manager of PeopleSoft (campaign bio). The LA Times cited his LinkedIn profile for his IBM executive role (LA Times).

Nonprofits and ministry (campaign bio):

• Founder and CEO of The Kingdom Center, which the campaign says has sheltered more than 3,000 women and their children in 16 years.
• Founder of Treasured Harvest (2014), which provides food and other help to farmworker families.
• Founder of Revive Academies (2023), a low-cost alternative to public schools in Ventura County.
• Most recently senior pastor of Embrace! Church. Author of three books, including a 2021 book on California homelessness (campaign bio).

2021 run for governor. He was a Republican replacement candidate in the Newsom recall. He told Patch he opposed mask mandates, vaccine mandates and lockdowns and wanted more water storage and desalination (Patch, Sept. 11, 2021). He received 18,134 votes (Secretary of State).

Public office. None (SCNG questionnaire).

Pledges. U.S. Term Limits says he signed its pledge to support a constitutional amendment on congressional term limits (U.S. Term Limits, Jan. 14, 2026).

Ethics and court records. No public enforcement actions found in FPPC, City Ethics Commission or FEC enforcement records (MURs, administrative fines and ADR cases, searched by his name, his committee’s name and its ID, C00900613), and no license in his name at the State Bar. No court case naming him personally as a party was found in CourtListener federal and appellate records (searched Sept. 30, 2026).

Where they stand

Issues come from the League of Women Voters debate on May 8, 2026 (immigration, climate, the budget, health care and the Iran war, per the VC Star), the LA Times voter guide (wildfire, the Trump administration) and the questions both candidates answered for the Southern California News Group (Irwin; Gallucci; both May 4, 2026). Gallucci’s issue plans are on his campaign site (samgallucci.com, checked Sept. 30, 2026). Irwin’s campaign site has no issue pages (jacquiirwin.com, checked Sept. 30, 2026).

On the other ballot measures

Irwin’s entries are her Assembly floor votes to place legislative measures on the ballot. A vote to place a measure is not an endorsement. Neither candidate stated a position on any measure in the sources we checked: the LA Times guide, the SCNG questionnaires (Irwin; Gallucci), the VC Star debate story and both campaign sites.

Endorsements

Jacqui Irwin

These come from her campaign’s endorsement page (jacquiirwin.com, checked Sept. 30, 2026) unless another source is linked.

• Elected officials:
  • Gov. Gavin Newsom, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and Treasurer Fiona Ma.
  • U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff.
  • Rep. Julia Brownley, who holds the seat now (campaign page; KEYT), and Reps. Carbajal, Correa, Friedman, Robert Garcia, Gray, Huffman, Kamlager-Dove, Lieu, Min, Mullin, Rivas, Takano, Mike Thompson and Whitesides.
  • Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, Senate President pro Tem Monique Limón, State Sens. Ben Allen and Henry Stern, and about 40 Assembly members.
  • LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath; Ventura County Supervisors Matt LaVere and Vianey Lopez; Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko.
  • City of LA: Councilmembers Bob Blumenfield and Traci Park, and former City Controller Wendy Greuel.
  • Council members and mayors in Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Camarillo, Hidden Hills, Malibu, Moorpark, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Thousand Oaks, Ventura and Westlake Village.
• Party: California Democratic Party, primary endorsement (CDP list, Feb. 22, 2026).
• Unions:
  • California Federation of Labor Unions, general election (Labor Fed list, Aug. 4, 2026).
  • SEIU California (SEIU California); California Faculty Association (CFA); National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW).
  • American Federation of Government Employees, California Federation of Teachers, California School Employees Association, IBEW Local 952, Operating Engineers Local 12, LiUNA and the Tri-Counties Building and Construction Trades Council.
  • Ventura County Professional Firefighters’ Association and Ventura County Deputy Sheriffs Association.
• Business groups: Conejo PAC (Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce) and the West Ventura County Business Alliance.
• Organizations: LCV Action Fund (LCV, July 2, 2026); Giffords (Giffords); 314 Action, Elect Democratic Women, California Environmental Voters, California Medical Association, Equality California, NRDC, Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Sierra Club (campaign page).
• Newspapers: None found.

Sam Gallucci

These come from the endorsement section of his campaign site (samgallucci.com, checked Sept. 30, 2026) unless another source is linked.

• Elected officials: None listed.
• Parties: California Republican Party (CAGOP endorsements). His site also lists the “Ventura Republican Party” and the American Independent Party of California as “Official Party Endorsement.”
• Community and faith leaders: Dr. Manuel Tigerino (Latin University of Theology), Mona Golastani (Perseverance Christian Academy), Rev. Gerardo Núñez (Centro Libre Missionary Church), Mizrrahim Morales Jr. (Iglesia Fuente de Vida), Dr. Rafael Porras (NuevaVision Radio), Rev. Edwin Recinos (City on a Hill Church), Apostle Carlos Quintero (Harvest Rock Hispana, Pasadena), Adam Lopez (Revive Community Church), Pastor Fermin Hernandez (Hill St. Family Christian Center) and Pastor Grecia Castro (La Iglesia Cristiana de Oxnard) (campaign site).
• Unions and business groups: None listed.
• Newspapers: None found.

Polls

No public polls of this race were found.

Money

Source: FEC candidate summaries (Irwin; Gallucci). The next reports, covering July 1 to Sept. 30, are due Oct. 15 (FEC 2026 reporting dates). The limit on gifts from one person is $3,500 per election, so a donor can give $3,500 for the primary and $3,500 for the general (FEC contribution limits).

Who is giving

Method: CityHallPass analysis of itemized individual contributions to each candidate’s campaign committee in the FEC bulk contribution files for 2025-2026, latest amendment of each entry, refunds netted. A donor is a name plus ZIP code. Gifts of $200 or less in a cycle need not be itemized, so small donors are undercounted; the table estimates unitemized money as FEC individual receipts minus itemized totals. Location is by ZIP code; a ZIP code counts as City of LA when at least half its area is inside the City. Industry comes from employer and occupation keywords.

Source: FEC itemized contributions (Irwin; Gallucci), analyzed by CityHallPass.

Source: same FEC contributions, placed by donor ZIP code using the City’s boundary map and Census ZIP code areas.

Jacqui Irwin

Irwin’s campaign listed 418 itemized donors from January through June 2026 (FEC). Maximum-size gifts made up 52.9% of her itemized money, and 55.1% came from California outside Los Angeles County.

• Donors who gave $7,000, the maximum for both elections: 22, giving $154,000 in all (FEC).

• Industries (share of itemized dollars): retired or not employed 23.5%; real estate and development 7.6% (20 donors, $47,000); finance and investment 6.1%; law 4.1%; entertainment and media 4.1%; lobbying, public affairs and political consulting 4.0% (22 donors, $24,750); health care 3.9%; government 3.7%. 26.5% could not be assigned an industry. Fourteen donors ($10,500) list “lobbyist” or a lobbying firm as their occupation or employer, most of them Sacramento firms (CityHallPass coding of FEC employer and occupation fields).

• Top employers by donor count: State of California (6) and the California State Assembly (5, under two spellings) (FEC). No employer cluster (five or more donors from one employer within three days) appeared.

• City of LA lobbyists and contractors: five donors share a name and firm with lobbyists on the City’s registry (City lobbyist registry), $2,250 in all. Five donors ($3,000, 0.5%) work for firms on City contract reports, such as Covington & Burling, Verizon and T-Mobile (City Ethics contract data).

• PACs and other committees: the giving committees reported $235,048 to Irwin from 66 committees through August 2026 in their own FEC reports (FEC bulk committee-to-candidate file; FEC committee receipts). That is more than the $164,050 on her own report through June 30, partly because it includes gifts made in July and August. By type: labor union PACs $84,500; leadership and other PACs $61,000; membership groups $33,050; trade associations $29,998; corporations $14,000. The largest were $10,000 each from Operating Engineers Local 12, the SMART sheet metal and transportation workers’ union and Ernst & Young, and $7,500 from the International Association of Fire Fighters. $5,000 gifts came from, among others, IBEW, LiUNA, SEIU COPE, the Carpenters, the Machinists, the National Association of Realtors, the American Dental Association, America’s Credit Unions, Rep. Brownley’s leadership PAC (JULIA PAC) and the New Democrat Coalition Action Fund. The Morongo Band of Mission Indians gave $1,000 directly (FEC).

Sam Gallucci

Gallucci’s campaign listed 76 itemized donors (FEC). His own money and loans ($232,520) exceeded what he raised from individuals ($144,557). Maximum-size gifts made up 64.0% of his itemized money, and 27.8% came from outside California. Two donors, $10,500 in all, gave from City of LA ZIP codes.

• Largest donors: two gave $7,000 each and one gave $5,000 (FEC).
• Industries: 45.8% of itemized dollars came from donors who listed no employer or said they were self-employed. Architecture and engineering 8.0%, real estate 5.6%, construction 5.1%. No donor listed lobbying (CityHallPass coding of FEC employer and occupation fields).
• Committees: $6,000 from two PACs: First In Freedom PAC ($5,000) and Eureka PAC ($1,000) (FEC committee receipts).
• City of LA lobbyists and contractors: none matched the City lobbyist registry or City Ethics contract data.

Outside spending

All outside spending in this race so far came before the primary. No independent expenditures for the November election had been reported to the FEC as of Sept. 30, 2026. Source: FEC independent expenditure data.

Source: FEC independent expenditures supporting Irwin; FEC independent expenditure file, rechecked Sept. 30, 2026.

Who funds Protect Progress. Its 2025-2026 FEC reports show $33,000,000 in transfers from Fairshake, a super PAC, and $250,000 from Ripple Labs (FEC, Protect Progress). Fairshake’s own itemized 2025-2026 receipts are almost all from cryptocurrency companies: Ripple Labs $48,000,000; Coinbase $33,201,738 (including Coinbase Commerce); Digital Currency Group $1,000,000; and Uniswap Labs $999,987. Its year-end 2025 report also lists $11.9 million each from Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz of AH Capital Management as memo entries (FEC, Fairshake).

Protect Progress also spent $476,254 for George Whitesides in the neighboring 27th District in the same week (FEC).

Key moments

Debates and forums

We found no debate between Irwin and Gallucci scheduled for the November election as of Sept. 30, 2026.

Events

• Brownley retires and backs Irwin (Jan. 8, 2026).

  • What happened: Rep. Julia Brownley announced she would not seek re-election, and Irwin entered the race the same day with Brownley’s endorsement (KEYT; Daily News, whose headline says Brownley endorsed Irwin as her successor).
  • Irwin’s statement: she would fight “Trump’s assault on our democracy and values while prioritizing public safety, affordability, and the needs of Ventura County” (KEYT).
  • Gallucci’s response: we found none.

• Crypto super PAC spending (May 2026).

  • What happened: Protect Progress spent $366,028 backing Irwin in the last two weeks before the primary (FEC).
  • Responses: we found none from either candidate.