California
Election 2024: Get to know the candidates in California’s 38th congressional race
There’s a bit of a rematch happening in California’s 38th congressional district.
Rep. Linda Sánchez, a Democrat from Whittier who is serving her 11th term, is being challenged by Walnut City Councilmember Eric Ching, pastor John Sarega and entrepreneur Robert Zhang Ochoa. She faced Ching and Sarega in the midterm election in 2022.
Sánchez’s seat is deemed unlikely to become closely contested by the Cook Political Report, which analyzes elections. According to state data, Democrats account for 48.3% of all the registered voters in the district, which covers portions of Los Angeles and Orange counties, while 22.8% are no party preference voters and 22.7% are Republicans.
Ching, Ochoa and Sánchez differ on several issues, including immigration. Sarega did not submit a questionnaire for the Register’s 2024 Primary Election Voter Guide and did not respond to requests for comment about his platform.
Sánchez, the daughter of immigrants from Mexico, is a strong advocate for a pathway to citizenship for “Dreamers,” young immigrants brought to the U.S. unlawfully, as well as agricultural workers and noncitizens who have temporary protected status, which is granted to foreign nationals from countries that have “extraordinary and temporary conditions,” like war, that prevent them from returning safely, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
She also supports reforms to the United States’ asylum system, which include increasing asylum processing, upping the number of refugee and asylum officers and expanding temporary shelters for asylum seekers, as outlined in legislation she introduced last year.
“The U.S. Citizenship Act would build upon existing funds to provide smarter and safer border management, specifically by directing new resources to where they are most needed — at ports of entry where we must invest in technology, infrastructure and screening capacity,” Sánchez said.
But Ching and Ochoa, both Republicans, suggest shutting down the border.
“We should stop people from coming in because our cities cannot handle more illegal immigrants,” said Ching, who came to the U.S. from Taiwan in 1982. “We should not have any more people that we can’t handle.”
As for “Dreamers,” Ching said it isn’t fair for them to get “a free pass” simply because they were brought to the U.S. by their parents through no fault of their own.
“For the young kids, it’s not their fault,” Ching said. “But I do believe that we have to have law and order.”
Ochoa, who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico when he was 6, said the border “needs to be closed.” He’s also advocating for reinstating the “Remain in Mexico” policy, which requires asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for their hearings, and a guest worker program, formerly known as the “Bracero Program,” which, from 1942-1964, allowed millions of Mexican laborers to work in the U.S with a temporary work permit.
“That worked really well … they were here legally,” he said. “They had the right to be here for a period of time to work, and then they had to go back and reapply. My dad and all his friends would do that constantly, and it worked well for everybody. The United States needed workers and people from Mexico would take their earnings back home, so everybody was happy.”
Ochoa also said he supports a pathway to citizenship for “Dreamers.”
“That’s a very easy answer, yes,” he said. “I came here legally with paperwork, but in my mind, I always think, ‘Suppose my parents had not come here legally. I didn’t have a choice, I was 6 years old. I lived here my entire life.’”
CA-38 has the highest unemployment rate, 4.4%, of all the congressional districts that touch Orange County, according to U.S. Census data, The district includes La Habra in Orange County and Diamond Bar, La Habra Heights, Hacienda Heights, La Mirada, Los Nietos, Norwalk, Montebello, Pico Rivera, Rowland Heights, Santa Fe Springs, Walnut, Whittier and parts of Downey and Industry in Los Angeles County.
Sánchez strongly supports union workers and higher wages, and her political philosophy involves advocating for the working class, she said. Ochoa wants to see the economy improve, and Ching says that “the net effect of any bill should be beneficial to both the labor and employer as a whole.”
“Higher wages drive up the cost of living,” Ching said. “So by raising their minimum wage, is that really a win-win for the employee?”
Just as labor was one of the hottest topics in the California news landscape in this election cycle, foreign conflicts, including the Israel-Hamas war, are a driving topic in 2024 as well.
When asked how much assistance should the U.S. provide — military and/or financial — to foreign countries at war, like Israel or Ukraine, Sánchez said: “It’s critical that we deliver already-delayed aid to Ukraine in their efforts to stop Russian aggression and deliver aid to Israel as it works to defend itself from Hamas.” Aid to Ukraine and Israel has been delayed due to Congress’ inability to reach a deal yet this year on granting billions of dollars to the war-torn countries.
Sánchez also said humanitarian assistance must be delivered to “the millions in Gaza who are without food, water, fuel and more.”
“When it comes to assistance from the U.S., we have a responsibility to ensure humanitarian needs are met and that any military offenses are done within the bounds of international law,” she said.
While Ching and Ochoa agreed that the U.S. should aid its allies, Ching believes the assistance should serve “our national interests,” and Ochoa says the U.S. should ensure “other countries contribute a proportional amount of assistance.”
“For example, if Taiwan is at war, there are friendly countries like South Korea, Japan (and) so forth that should be contributing financial support,” Ochoa said.
If those countries decline to give money, the U.S. needs to exert pressure on them by saying the U.S. may not give them financial support if they’re ever in trouble, he said.
In terms of the money game, Sánchez is far and away in the lead. She reported raising $217,035 in the last quarter of 2023, ending the year with $628,948 still left to spend.
Ching reported raising $1,390 and having $10,517 cash on hand.
Sarega and Ochoa haven’t reported any fundraising.
Primary ballots are set to go out to all registered voters on Monday, Feb. 5. Ballot drop boxes will open the same day and voting centers will open starting Feb. 24. The Orange County Registrar’s office will provide in-person voting, voter registration, replacement ballots and other general assistance starting Feb. 5.
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As the nation prepares for its 250th Independence Day celebration, a decades-long California Fourth of July fireworks tradition that has raised millions for local children’s programs is going dark this year after the California Coastal Commission rejected a final effort to keep it alive, citing environmental concerns to protect the bay.
“We’ve raised over the past 14 years $2 million for kids programs here in Long Beach,” event organizer John Morris told Fox News Digital, adding the July 3 event is fully funded by the local community.
“This community pays for everything — everything. City fees, and the city doesn’t give us a break. We pay $20,000 to the city for police and fire, which I’m fine with, because there’s 100,000 people enjoying the fireworks,” said Morris, a Long Beach resident and business owner.
Morris, who owns the Boathouse on the Bay restaurant, had planned a scaled-up fireworks display this year to mark America’s 250th Independence Day.
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Long Beach residents have enjoyed the fireworks organized by John Morris for over a decade. (Scott Varley/MediaNews Group/Torrance Daily Breeze via Getty Images)
In January, Coastal Commission staff rejected the proposal, and last week commissioners unanimously upheld that decision despite an appeal backed by local, state and federal officials.
Regulators warned Morris last year that 2025 would likely be the final year for fireworks at the event, as they continue pushing organizers to switch to drone shows they say are more environmentally friendly.
The decision stands in contrast to other approvals by the commission, including a permit granted to SeaWorld allowing up to 40 nights of fireworks.
“They get 40 nights in Mission Bay. All I’m asking for is 20 minutes — it doesn’t make any sense,” Morris said.
Morris, 78, also pushed back on the environmental concerns cited by the commission, pointing to years of testing around the event.
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Due to the lack of fireworks, Morris has decided to cancel the July 3rd celebration.
“We’ve had 10 years of environmental studies,” Morris said. “We test the water before and after the fireworks and send a robotic camera into the bay to check for debris — there’s never been any. It’s been spotless.
“We’ve also had eight years of bird reports to make sure we’re not harming wildlife. We’ve never had an issue. We’ve never been written up one time. So what is it really about?”
Joshua Smith, a spokesman for the California Coastal Commission, told Fox News Digital that permits are determined on a case-by-case basis, citing environmental concerns to “protect the bay.”
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Organizer John Morris said environmental studies are regularly conducted to measure the impact of the fireworks show on the bay. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Smith said Morris was approved for a permit to hold a drone show in lieu of fireworks. Morris told Fox News Digital such a show would cost about $200,000 — roughly four times more than traditional fireworks.
Smith confirmed that SeaWorld received a permit allowing 40 nights of fireworks. When pressed on the discrepancy, he reiterated that decisions are made individually and declined to provide further details.
Morris said the loss of the fireworks show will be felt across the community, from local businesses to families who have made the event an annual tradition.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — In the wide-open race for California governor, billionaire Tom Steyer is on a spending binge.
The hedge fund manager-turned-liberal activist is using his personal fortune to saturate TV screens and mobile phones with advertising, while his competitors accuse him of trying to use his vast wealth to buy the state’s most powerful job.
Steyer’s ads — in which he promises to bring down household costs or rails against federal immigration raids — appear inescapable at times in heavily Democratic Los Angeles, the state’s largest media market. Data compiled by advertising tracker AdImpact show Steyer has spent or booked over $115 million in ads for broadcast TV, cable and radio — nearly 30 times the amount of his nearest Democratic rival.
If he makes it through the June 2 primary election, Steyer could easily eclipse the 2010 record set by Republican Meg Whitman, who spent $178.5 million in a losing bid for governor, much of it her own money. At the time, it was the costliest campaign for statewide office in the nation’s history.
Even when ad buys from all his major competitors are combined, along with ad purchases by independent committees supporting candidates, Steyer is outspending the field by tens of millions of dollars.
“Billionaire money is flooding our state in an attempt to buy this election,” former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, one of Steyer’s chief rivals, warned her supporters this month.
Mail-in ballots are set to go out to voters next month. Steyer is among a crowd of candidates hoping to seize a spotlight after former Democratic U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell’s dramatic departure from the race following sexual assault allegations that he denies.
But while Steyer has ticked up in polling amid his spending splurge, he has not broken away from the field, leaving some wondering if he’s getting value for his dollars.
“If your first round of ads doesn’t move you dramatically (in the polls), the third, fourth, fifth, six, seventh and eighth rounds won’t either,” said veteran Democratic strategist Bill Carrick, who for years advised the late Democratic U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. “There is something inherently holding Steyer back.”
In recent prior campaigns for governor, at this stage a leading candidate was taking control of the race. This year, voters appear to be shrugging at a contest that lacks a star candidate among seven leading Democrats and two Republicans.
“Somehow the campaign is frozen,” Carrick added.
History shows that money doesn’t always translate into votes.
Billionaire developer Rick Caruso spent over $100 million in 2022 in his bid to become Los Angeles mayor, much of it his own money, but he was handily defeated by Mayor Karen Bass, who spent a fraction of Caruso’s total. Billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg spent more than $1 billion of his own money on his 2020 presidential bid before dropping out. And Steyer’s money was unable to lift him into contention in the 2020 presidential contest, when he dropped out early in the year after a poor finish in the South Carolina primary.
Steyer has never held elected office.
In a 2019 interview with The Associated Press, Steyer was asked what he would say to people who think he’s trying to buy the presidency.
“I don’t think that’s possible,” Steyer said at the time, before adding, “I’m never going to apologize for succeeding in business. That’s America, right?”
His campaign did not respond directly when asked about similar criticism facing his run for governor.
“Tom now stands as the only Democrat with the grassroots energy, institutional backing and resources to advance to the general election,” spokesperson Kevin Liao said in a statement.
The governor’s race was recently reordered by two developments: Swalwell, a leading Democrat, abruptly withdrew from the race then resigned from Congress, following sexual assault allegations. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump endorsed conservative commentator Steve Hilton.
Still, there is no clear leader.
Polling in late March and early April by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found a cluster of candidates in close competition: Democrats Steyer and Porter, Republicans Hilton and Chad Bianco, and Swalwell. Other candidates were trailing. The polling was conducted before Swalwell withdrew.
Democrats have feared the party’s large number of candidates could lead to them getting shut out of the general election in November. That’s because California has a primary system in which only the top two vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of party.
Leading Democrats are all claiming to have picked up support since Swalwell’s exit. Steyer nabbed one plum endorsement, when the influential California Teachers Association, which previously backed Swalwell, recommended him.
In his ads, Steyer promises to “abolish” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has been staging raids across California. In another, he laments the state’s punishing cost of housing, “Everybody needs an affordable place to live,” he says.
Rapper was stabbed 16 times by fellow inmate in May 2025 while 10-year sentence in Megan Thee Stallion shooting case
Tory Lanez has filed a $100 million lawsuit against the California Department of Corrections stemming from a May 2025 incident where the rapper was stabbed in prison.
Lanez — born Daystar Peterson and currently serving a 10-year sentence after being found guilty in the Megan Thee Stallion shooting case — also sued the warden and guards at the California Correctional Institute in Tehachapi, where the rapper was stabbed 16 times in an “unprovoked life-threatening attack” by another inmate, the lawsuit states.
Peterson was hospitalized following the May 2025 incident, suffering a collapsed lung among stab wounds to his back, torso, and head.
According to the Associated Press, the lawsuit criticized the Department of Corrections for housing Peterson with fellow inmate and alleged attacker Santino Casio, who was serving a life sentence for second-degree murder. “The choice to house Casio with Peterson was known or should have been a known danger,” the lawsuit said, adding that Tory Lanez’ “high-profile celebrity status” made him a target.
The lawsuit also said that prison guards were slow to respond to the shanking, and didn’t employ flash grenades or other measures to halt Casio’s attack.; Casio was not charged for stabbing Peterson, the Associated Press notes.
Lanez, who following his hospitalization was transferred to San Luis Obispo County’s California Men’s Colony, also alleges in the lawsuit that he never received his possessions from the California Correctional Institute in Tehachapi, including songbooks filled with lyrics to his unreleased music.
Lanez is serving a 10-year prison sentence for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot during a confrontation in the summer of 2020. He was eventually convicted on several firearms charges, including assault with a firearm, in December 2022. In November 2025, his appeal was denied by a three-judge panel, and the 10-year sentence was upheld.
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