The new 58th Assembly District, previously AD60 before California’s 2021 redistricting, is considered the birthplace of California’s citrus industry. 

In 1873, two Washington navel orange trees sent by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and planted by Riverside resident Eliza Tibbets proved that Southern California could grow fruit delicious and sweet enough to ship across the country. 

AD 58 includes the entire cities of Jurupa Valley and Grand Terrace, as well as portions of the cities of Corona, Eastvale, and Riverside. It includes the The Mission Inn, a grand hotel that has hosted ten presidents, and Mount Rubidoux Memorial Park.

According to the California Target Book, the district was redrawn as a Voting Rights Act-compliant seat anchored in northwest Riverside County.  

Once a safely Democratic seat, it has become one of the most competitive districts in Southern California, with independent voters now holding significant sway.

As of October 20, 2025, voter registration data show that nearly all of Assembly District 58’s voters — 97% — live in Riverside County, with the remaining 3% in San Bernardino County. 

The Press-Enterprise reported that Donald Trump became the first Republican presidential candidate in two decades to win both Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The paper noted that Trump's 2024 performance was driven by Latino voters who shifted toward the GOP, but that recent polling indicates that support has since cooled.

The 2023 U.S. Census American Community Survey reported a population of 498,471, with 62.6% Latino, 22.1% White, 7.5% Asian, and 4.9% Black residents. 

The median household income is $90,566, and the median home value is $541,500. 

Nearly sixty percent of the district's homes are owner-occupied, while 56,644 homes, or 40.4%, are renter-occupied. This is a region where rising housing costs continue to shape family stability and opportunity.

About 25.6% of residents are foreign-born, and 11.6% are non-citizens.

Voter registration data from October 2025 show 267,872 registered voters, including 111,076 Democrats (41.47%), 74,937 Republicans (27.97%), and 60,771 No Party Preference voters (22.69%), resulting in an overall Democratic advantage of 13.5 percentage points.

Historically, the region leans blue. In the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden carried the old district by 9.65 points, while Democrats held a 10.7-point registration edge. Yet, by 2024, Kamala Harris carried the district by only four points. In the U.S. Senate race, Democrat Adam Schiff edged Republican Steve Garvey 51.7% to 48.3%. 

In the 2022 governor's race, Gavin Newsom defeated Republican Brian Dahle by just 2.8%, down from a 14-point margin four years earlier. 

2024 Election: A Razor-Thin Republican Flip

Republican Leticia Castillo, a psychotherapist from Corona, narrowly defeated Democrat Clarissa Cervantes, a Riverside City Council member, by 596 votes to win the 58th Assembly District in November 2024. The Press-Enterprise described the race as California’s closest legislative contest that year.

During the March 2024 Top Two nonpartisan primary, Castillo led with 48.6% of the vote. Cervantes secured second place with 25.9%, narrowly edging fellow Democrat Ronaldo Fierro by just 199 votes. 

CalMatters and the Press-Enterprise reported that over $2 million was spent in the primary, much of it in independent expenditures attacking Clarissa Cervantes over her history of DUI arrests.

Despite being heavily outspent in the general election, the GOP’s Castillo prevailed. Financial disclosures showed Cervantes raising over $1 million compared with Castillo’s $78,000. 

After her victory, Castillo posted on X, “To the voters, thank you for placing your faith and trust in me. I will work tirelessly in Sacramento for the people, striving to improve the lives of my constituents and all Californians.” 

The Press-Enterprise editorial board, which endorsed Castillo in September 2024, praised her “back-to-basics approach” and willingness to “stand up to special interests in Sacramento and against the excesses of the supermajority.”

The 2026 Campaign is In Full Swing

The Press-Enterprise and California Target Book note that AD58 is one of several Inland Empire districts expected to be highly competitive in 2026. The paper cited Target Book publisher Marva Diaz saying, “Anything that had a very close margin in 2024 should be up for grabs right now.” 

The incumbent Castillo enters 2026 with strong GOP support and considerably more money than she had in 2024. Clarissa Cervantes is seeking a rematch, with significant backing from organized labor and progressive groups. Francis “Paco” Licea is running as an additional Democratic challenger in the Top 2 nonpartisan primary. 

According to mid-year filings, Castillo had raised $341,000 and held $279,616 cash on hand by June 30, 2025, while Cervantes and Licea reported $49,545 and $44,553, respectively.

The outcome may hinge on independent voters, who now make up nearly a quarter of the electorate. For both parties, their ability to appeal to those voters will determine whether AD58 remains the GOP’s only foothold in western Riverside County or reverts to Democratic control.

Assemblymember Leticia Castillo (R–Corona)

Incumbent Leticia Castillo (b. April 27, 1971) grew up in Home Gardens, the youngest of six children of Mexican immigrants. Her father worked as a farm laborer, and she says he instilled in her a belief in hard work, faith, and the American Dream.

After graduating from Buena Vista Vocational Educational High School and completing a cosmetology program at Corona College of Cosmetology, she worked at GTE/Verizon for 14 years. 

She later earned a bachelor’s degree in human services from the University of Phoenix and a master’s degree in counseling psychology from National University. 

Castillo worked for Riverside County’s Department of Mental Health before opening a private therapy practice.

CalMatters reported that Castillo introduced 18 bills in the 2025 session: four failed, and fourteen remain pending. Among them is California Assembly Joint Resolution 24, dealing with enhanced premium tax credits and health savings accounts. She also co-authored AB 1382, the Ethics Over Aesthetics Act, which she discussed during a January 2026 committee hearing.

Castillo currently serves as vice chair of the Assembly Human Services Committee and the Assembly Economic Development, Growth, and Household Impact Committee. She also serves on the Communications and Conveyance, Education, and Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committees.

In July 2025, the Colton Courier reported that Castillo joined Republican and Democratic lawmakers in signing a letter urging President Donald Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune to expedite work permits for undocumented essential workers, including farm laborers. That same month, she told the Orange County Register, “As a daughter of legal immigrants, I support humane and fair immigration practices, and public safety must remain a top priority.”

In January 2025, CalMatters reported that Castillo, speaking in Spanish, called for Governor Gavin Newsom’s resignation if he failed to call a special session on wildfires. She has since continued to emphasize affordability, housing, and economic issues affecting families.

Following Newsom’s 2026 State of the State Address, Castillo said, “All Californians are looking for real solutions to lower their cost of living, address homelessness, and make homeownership a possibility for working families.”

Castillo co-authored Assembly GOP Leader James Gallagher’s resolution calling for a 51st state. 

Clarissa Cervantes (D–Riverside)

Clarissa Cervantes (b. Oct. 12, 1990) represents Ward 2 on the Riverside City Council and is running again for the Assembly in 2026 after losing to Castillo in 2024. 

A lifelong Riverside County resident, she previously worked for Councilmember Andy Melendrez and for SEIU 121RN. She earned a bachelor’s in political science from CSU Northridge and a master’s in urban and regional planning from Cal Poly Pomona.

According to her official City of Riverside biography, Cervantes has focused on empowering working families, fighting for social justice, and promoting civic engagement. She became the first woman, second Latina, and second openly LGBTQ+ individual elected to represent Ward 2 when she was sworn in in 2021.

As reported by the Press-Enterprise, Cervantes has recently drawn attention for several high-profile City Council votes. She opposed an ordinance banning homeless encampments near schools and shelters, arguing, “We should do more, and that is our responsibility as public servants… to take care of each other.” 

She also voted against a 347-unit apartment project in 2024 and in favor of a $20 million state-funded motel conversion for homeless housing in 2025. 

The Press-Enterprise reported she supported new council meeting rules expanding oversight of debate time and public comment. 

The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin detailed her resolution requiring federal agents to identify themselves during operations, which she said was about “protecting our neighborhoods” and ensuring transparency.

Cervantes has faced repeated scrutiny over her personal record. CBS Los Angeles reported that she was arrested in July 2023 for driving under the influence, her second DUI in less than ten years. She pleaded guilty in August 2023, receiving three years of probation after being stopped while driving 101 mph with a blood alcohol content of 0.19. Forty-two days earlier, she had her 2014 DUI conviction dismissed after telling a judge she would never repeat the offense. Following her arrest, she completed rehab and said she was more than seven months sober, writing in a campaign mailer, “While we are not defined by our mistakes, I’ve come to terms with mine and am grateful they’ve led me to a path of personal recovery.”

Her past convictions were highlighted in campaign ads and mailers, including one from a Mothers Against Drunk Driving board member urging voters not to give her “a third chance.” 

CalMatters reported that Cervantes’ campaign was under investigation by the Fair Political Practices Commission in 2024.

The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin editorial board wrote in November 2023 that her campaign account included posts “suggesting Israel’s responses to Hamas terrorism is an act of genocide.”

Her endorsements include the California Federation of Teachers, SEIU, UA Local 250, the California LGBTQ+ Legislative Caucus, and state legislators such as Senators Eloise Gómez Reyes, Bob Archuleta, and Sabrina Cervantes. She has also received support from civil rights icon Dolores Huerta.

In March 2025, City News Service reported that Cervantes dropped a nearly three-year-old libel lawsuit against Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco. 

That same month, the Coachella Valley Independent profiled her participation in the International Women’s Day Rally, where she spoke about civil rights and her family’s activism. 

“People have always been at the core of moving and changing history,” she said. “History will repeat itself if we do not intervene to change its course.”

Francisco "Paco" Licea (D–Jurupa Valley)

Francisco “Paco” Licea Jr. (b. June 2, 1976) is a realtor, small business owner, and first-time candidate born and raised in the Inland Empire. 

Licea’s campaign bio says, “he learned about hard work at a young age, watching his father work in the Vineyards and as a restaurant chef to make ends meet for his family. Paco started working at a young age, picking grapes, painting homes, and flipping burgers at McDonald’s to help his family.”

He received Pell Grants and became the first in his family to attend college, working multiple jobs to pay his way.  He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Cal Poly Pomona.

He serves as a director for the Inland Valley Association of Realtors and sits on its housing committee.

In an interview with the San Bernardino Sun last April, Licea said he entered the race to confront the Inland Empire’s affordability crisis. 

“If you make $100,000 a year, you struggle to survive in our area, let alone buy a house,” he said. “We have a supply issue. We just don’t build enough.”

Licea, the son of Mexican immigrants, said he lost his home and business during the 2008 recession. “It taught me what it takes to run a business and what people deal with every day in our district,” he told the Sun. 

His campaign emphasizes deregulation, small business growth, and reducing barriers to homeownership.

Licea hosts a housing-focused podcast and YouTube channel under his professional moniker, Paco The Realtor.

He has been a member of the Riverside County D.A. fraud task force and a board member for the City of Riverside Library Foundation. 

He is a father, a volunteer coach for soccer and track and field, and the driver for his daughter and her mariachi band across Southern California.

According to his campaign website, “Paco is running for State Assembly because he believes that Inland Empire families today are being left behind due to California’s affordability crisis. In Sacramento, he’ll fight every day to build more affordable housing, address the homelessness crisis, improve public safety, and create better-paying jobs so that every family has a fair shot at success.”

Sources

Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA); San Bernardino Sun; Inland Valley Daily Bulletin; CalMatters; Orange County Register; Colton Courier; CBS Los Angeles; City News Service; Coachella Valley Independent; California Target Book; U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2023).