California Democrats Laura Friedman, Luz Rivas and Gil Cisneros elected to Congress

Los Angeles County voters in deep blue counties elected three new Democrats to the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday.

The Associated Press has three congressional races called for Luz Rivas in the San Fernando Valley, Laura Friedman in downtown Los Angeles and Gil Cisneros in the San Gabriel Valley.

All three ran in districts where no incumbent was seeking re-election.

29th Congressional District: Luz Rivas

Luz Rivas will be the first Latina to represent 29th Congressional District in the San Fernando Valley, replacing Rep. Tony Cardenas, who last year decided not to seek re-election.

The safe Democratic district includes the city of San Fernando and nearly a dozen Los Angeles neighborhoods, including North Hollywood, Van Nuys, Sun Valley and Sylmar.

Rivas defeated Republican Benito “Benny” Bernal, a longtime Valley resident and public advocate who had previously run several times for Congress and the Los Angeles City Council.

Rivas previously served six years in the state Assembly, where she worked on environmental issues and ran a Pacoima-based nonprofit that encourages girls to pursue careers in science, math and engineering.

30th Congressional District: Laura Friedman

Glendale Democrat Laura Friedman will fill in central los angeles location released by Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank), who was elected Tuesday to the U.S. Senate.

The area covers much of downtown Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley and is home to several major Hollywood studios as well as some of the county’s most famous attractions, including the Rose Bowl, Griffith Observatory and the Los Angeles County Museum. Art.

Friedman defeated Republican Alex Balekian, a first-time candidate who is a physician. She previously worked as a film and television executive before entering politics when she was 40, winning a seat on the Glendale City Council and then the state Legislature in 2016.

31st Congressional District: Gil Cisneros

On Tuesday, San Gabriel Valley voters elected a new member of Congress for the first time in a generation to replace longtime Democratic Rep. Grace F. Napolitano, who retires.

Gil Cisneros defeated Republican Daniel Martinez in the race to represent a safe Democratic district that includes West Covina, El Monte, Baldwin Park and Glendora.

Cisernos won the $266 million Mega Millions jackpot in 2010, two weeks after he was fired from his job at Frito-Lay. He loaned his campaign $5.45 million this year and pulled away from a competitive primary, federal records show.

Although he is new to the 31st District, Cisneros is returning to Congress, having served one term representing a district that covered parts of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Orange counties before losing to Republican Rep. Young Kim in 2020.