The coastline that defines California’s mythology begins here. From Malibu’s winding cliffs to the leafy streets of Brentwood and Bel Air, through Topanga Canyon and into the valleys of Calabasas, Agoura Hills, and Thousand Oaks, the 42nd Assembly District holds some of the most photographed, most coveted, and most challenged terrain in the state. 

It is home to entertainment executives and teachers, firefighters and software engineers, and families who have watched costs rise even as they face the fear and reality of devastating fires. 

The Palisades Fire, which tore through parts of the coastal Los Angeles County side of the district last January, remains one of its defining events. It forced evacuations from Malibu to Topanga to Pacific Palisades, destroyed homes that had stood for generations, and left residents facing a tangle of insurance disputes and rebuilding delays.

For many, it changed the meaning of affordability. The price of recovery has climbed alongside the price of living, leaving homeowners and renters alike wondering how long they can sustain life in one of the most beautiful regions on earth.

The 42nd District is a study in contrasts when it comes to politics. The same hills and beaches that attract celebrities and filmmakers are also home to the workers who support them. Malibu and Pacific Palisades glow blue on the electoral map. 

At the same time, Simi Valley has remained a Republican stronghold since the Reagan era, voting about 53 percent for Donald Trump in 2020. 

The district stretches north through the Conejo Valley and as far as Camarillo, covering a blend of coastal affluence, suburban calm, and middle-class resilience. 

Out of roughly 355,000 registered voters, about 40 percent are Democrats, 32 percent are Republicans, and 21 percent are independents. 

The total population is approximately 510,000, spread across 186,000 households. Roughly 30 percent of residents rent their homes, 20 percent of voters are Latino, and about 18,000 veterans live in the district.

After more than a decade in office, Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin is retiring. An engineer by training and a centrist by instinct, Irwin built a record focused on cybersecurity, veterans’ services, and public safety. Her departure creates an open race, and it has already drawn a field of candidates who reflect the district’s political diversity.

Deborah Klein Lopez, a member of the Agoura Hills City Council, was the first to announce her candidacy. She grew up in Agoura Hills and has lived there for more than four decades. Before entering politics, she worked as a project manager and financial analyst. 

A graduate of Northwestern University with degrees in mathematical methods in the social sciences and economics, she has a long history of community service, including two decades volunteering with local schools and homeless outreach programs. 

Klein Lopez was elected to the Agoura Hills City Council in 2018, just two days before the Woolsey Fire devastated the region. Her platform centers on wildfire preparedness, environmental protection, and education funding. 

She has the backing of Assemblymember Irwin, Congresswoman Julia Brownley, and much of the Democratic establishment.

Kelly Honig, the Mayor of Westlake Village, is a lawyer and educator. She earned her law degree from the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law and her bachelor’s degree in economics and international relations from UC Davis. She practiced law for thirteen years before teaching business law and criminal law at Oxnard College. 

Honig has served three terms on the Westlake Village City Council and is now in her second term as mayor. 

Blanca Rubio, California State Assemblymember, ​Assembly Speaker Emeritus & Senate Majority Leader Bob Hertzberg (Ret.), and Mike Gatto, Former California State Assemblymember, have all endorsed her candidacy.

Honig is also endorsed by Ventura County Deputy Sheriffs' Association, Ventura County Professional Peace Officers Association, Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association,  Los Angeles Police Protective League, Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC), California Association of Highway Patrolmen, California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA), State Coalition of Probation Organizations, ILWU Local 65/Los Angeles Port Police Association, UA Local 250 and Democrats for Israel.

Her work extends beyond city boundaries. She has represented her community on the Las Virgenes Malibu Council of Governments since 2019 and has served on several regional policy committees dealing with transportation, public works, and liability oversight. 

Honig has also spent decades volunteering on school boards and with local nonprofits, including the Rotary Club of Westlake Village and Art Trek, a Ventura County arts organization. 

She has made housing affordability, wildfire recovery, and public safety the central issues of her campaign, arguing for practical governance that avoids partisan extremes.

Ted Nordblum, a Republican small business owner from the Conejo Valley, is seeking the seat for the second time after challenging Irwin in 2022 and 2024. He is also an actor and martial artist who has lived in the region for many years. 

Nordblum has positioned himself as a government reform advocate, calling for more transparency and fiscal responsibility in Sacramento. In an opinion column earlier this year, he criticized state leaders for weakening California’s independent redistricting process. 

He argues that political insiders have lost touch with local communities and that the state’s rising costs, homelessness, and slow wildfire recovery demand stronger oversight and accountability.

Dan Weikel, a small business owner and lifelong Conejo Valley resident, is a Republican from Thousand Oaks. In his announcement, Weikel emphasized a commitment to “restoring the California dream through common-sense, people-first leadership.” 

The 47-year-old currently serves on the Thousand Oaks Traffic Commission and the Ventura County Transportation Advisory Committee. A graduate of Agoura High School, Moorpark College, and Pepperdine University, Weikel has called the area home since 1980.

In the 2024 general election, Irwin defeated Nordblum with 54 percent of the vote to his 46 percent. She won nearly 60 percent in the Los Angeles County portion of the district, but Ventura County was far closer at 52 percent to 48 percent. Those results suggest that this open race could go either way, especially with so many independent voters in play.

Beyond the electoral math, AD 42 embodies the central tensions of modern California. It is a region of extraordinary beauty and wealth, but also of displacement and strain. Insurance cancellations, delayed rebuilding, and soaring housing costs have reshaped the daily lives of its residents. 

For families still recovering from fires, and for young people trying to afford rent in places their parents once owned, the question of who represents them in Sacramento feels less abstract and more personal.

One in five voters in AD 42 are registered with no party preference, and their choices will almost certainly determine the outcome of this closely watched race in 2026.

Source note: This article draws on publicly available information from the California Secretary of State’s voter registration database, CalMatters, California Target Book, Ballotpedia, California FPPC campaign finance filings, candidate websites, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and reporting from local news outlets, including Thousand Oaks Acorn, Agoura Hills Acorn, Simi Valley Acorn, Ventura County Star, and The Malibu Times.