A Proposition 50 shakeup is having an impact on a California Legislature race: Paula Swift has abandoned her congressional race to instead vie for an Assembly seat in 2026.
Swift, who owns a consulting business, is now vying for California’s 70th Assembly District, an Orange County district that includes communities in Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Los Alamitos and Westminster. It’s represented now by Assemblymember Tri Ta, R-Westminster, who is running for reelection next year.
“Nothing would make me happier than to be able to serve in my own community,” said Swift, noting she’s lived in the area for more than 20 years.
Swift is a longtime advocate for foster youth and domestic violence victims, and she said that would be her focus in the legislature as well. She used to work for a nonprofit that advocated for children in foster care, particularly those who were aging out of the system, before pandemic-related budget cuts eliminated her position.
And Swift said she is herself a survivor of domestic violence in her past, crediting the Westminster Police Department with providing help when she needed it.
The Rossmoor resident had earlier launched a bid for a congressional district that included communities in eastern Orange County as well as some in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, represented now by Rep. Young Kim, R-Anaheim Hills.
But the redistricting ballot measure California voters passed last month redrew the district boundaries a bit, setting up a battle between Kim and fellow Republican incumbent Rep. Ken Calvert, as well as a few other Democratic and independent candidates.
Swift said she supported Proposition 50, but the shifting of California’s 40th Congressional District put her home too far outside of the district for her to feel she could truly represent the community.
“I believe the people in the new 40th (District), they need someone who is there,” Swift said of her decision to focus on a legislative seat closer to home.
Swift’s Los Angeles-based firm offers consulting services and keynote presentations that “inspire resilience, self-determination and confidence, empowering workgroups, sales teams and executive leaders alike to excel in dynamic environments,” according to its website.
She said she views herself more as a public servant than a politician, should she be elected to the Assembly.
“I plan to and will be completely present in listening to the concerns of the community,” said Swift. “I want people to know that my goal has always been throughout my life of service to be that voice to the voiceless and providing access and resources to people who are often unheard and unseen.”
In the Assembly, Ta serves on the lower chamber’s Appropriations Committee and is vice chair of the Local Government Committee as well as the Revenue and Taxation Committee. A former Westminster Council member, Ta was first elected to represent the district that includes Little Saigon in 2022.
Registered Democrats make up 35.73% of voters in the 70th Assembly District, according to the latest tally from the secretary of state’s office, while Republicans account for 33.78% and 24.58% are no party preference.
Ta beat Democrat Jimmy Pham in his reelection bid last year by nearly 10 percentage points.