Environmental advocate Sarah Rascón seeks state Senate seat representing parts of Northeast LA

A third candidate has tossed her name in the ring to replace outgoing state Sen. María Elena Durazo in next year’s election.

Sarah Rascón, 35, most recently worked as the director of county and regional affairs for Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Before that, she was a field representative for then-Assemblymember Jimmy Gomez, and she also worked for several years for the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, where she became deputy executive director for environmental equity.

She has also served on the East Los Angeles Area Planning Commission for the city of L.A. and has been a delegate to the California Democratic Party.

Rascón announced her candidacy this week for California’s State Senate District 26 seat, which represents a part of Los Angeles County that stretches from L.A.’s Eagle Rock and Highland Park neighborhoods in the north, toward Los Feliz and Koreatown in the west, and Boyle Heights, East L.A. and the city of Vernon in the southeastern part of the district.

The Glassell Park resident, who was raised in nearby El Sereno by her immigrant grandmother, said running to represent the area she grew up in is deeply personal.

“I was born and raised in this community,” Rascón said in an interview.

“At an early age, I understood inequity,” she said. “For me, that was a motivating factor to be involved and engaged in government.”

Rascón remembers going to the courthouse when her grandmother became the legal guardian for her and her two brothers. That experience made her want to better understand how the social system works and made her realize that whether one votes or not, “government is running things around us,” said Rascón, who studied political science in college.

As for seeking to represent residents in the 26th District, Rascón said she decided to run because she felt the current field of candidates was “a bit dismal.”

“I was not excited, and I felt like what we had before us were people wanting to be career politicians,” said Rascón, who declined to say which candidate or candidates in particular she was referring to.

“I’m home-grown local leadership. I’m not here to be a career politician,” Rascón continued.

Besides Rascón, two others have officially announced their candidacy for Senate District 26: Los Angeles Community College District Trustee Sara Hernandez and former Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo.

Another person, Maebe Pudlo, who has also gone by the name Maebe A. Girl and serves on the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council, has filed a statement of intention to run for the seat with the California secretary of state but has yet to officially declare her candidacy.

Hernandez, Carrillo, Pudlo and Rascón are all Democrats, as is the person they hope to replace in the legislature.

Durazo, the current District 26 officeholder, has opted not to seek reelection but will run for L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis’ seat next year when Solis is termed out.

Rascón said she’s running on priorities to advance environmental and social justice, increase access to housing and address the state’s affordability crisis, and support the workforce, particularly the entertainment and gig industries.

A first-generation college graduate of UC Merced, Rascón also spoke of the importance of mentoring young people. She recalled a trip she took other students on to visit the UCLA campus.

“To see the light in their eyes that they belong, they can go to college, they can achieve careers and there is a world beyond their neighborhood in L.A., that’s what inspires me — when I see people being able to advocate for themselves,” Rascón said.

California’s primary election will take place on June 2, 2026.