Cerritos Councilmember Mark Pulido is running for California’s 67th Assembly District, aiming to succeed Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva, who will be termed out in 2026.
With around two decades in public service, Pulido, 53, has been a city councilmember, two-time mayor and president of the ABC Unified School District Board of Education.
“The time is now to put my seasoned leadership to work for the 67th Assembly District,” Pulido said in a campaign email this week. “Our state and communities are facing serious issues. We need experienced, results-oriented legislators in Sacramento.”
Pulido, who is serving his 20th year in elected public office, according to his website, pointed to a list of local accomplishments as part of his track record, including helping reduce residential crime. In 2018, the burglary rate in Cerritos was 34.7% lower than in 2017 and had dropped by 54.7% compared to 1994.
During his time on the City Council, Pulido supported public safety measures, including leasing police vehicles equipped with automatic license plate reader technology, which alerts deputies to stolen vehicles or people of interest. In 2016, he also opposed budget cuts that would have closed the Cerritos Sheriff’s Station.
Pulido said he has helped boost business development; invest in local infrastructure, including repairing streets and sidewalks; and improve public services like libraries and parks — experiences he said position him well to continue serving his community at the state level.
Pulido was termed out of the Cerritos City Council in 2020 but became eligible to run again after a break. Cerritos limits councilmembers to two consecutive four-year terms, after which they must wait at least two years before running for office again. Pulido was elected to return to the City Council on March 4.
The Cerritos resident has also worked across multiple levels of government, most recently as district chief of staff to former Rep. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach. He previously held roles in the state legislature and served on several state commissions, including appointments by former Gov. Jerry Brown to the California Volunteers Commission and the California Science Center Board of Directors.
Pulido has early backing from a slate of fellow Democrats, including Attorney General Rob Bonta and Assemblymembers Josh Lowenthal, Mia Bonta, Al Muratsuchi and former Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon.
The 67th Assembly District seat covers a wide swath of northwest Orange County and parts of southeast Los Angeles County, including the cities of Artesia, Cerritos and Hawaiian Gardens in LA County and Buena Park, Cypress, La Palma and portions of Anaheim, Fullerton and Orange in Orange County.
The race for the 67th Assembly District is becoming increasingly crowded.
Ada Briceño, a labor leader and former chair of the Orange County Democratic Party, announced her candidacy in January. Briceño has racked up a long list of endorsements, including from a dozen labor unions and advocacy groups, as well as Rep. Derek Tran, former Rep. Katie Porter, Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento and Democratic Party of Orange County Chair Florice Hoffman.
Artesia Mayor Ali Sajjad Taj, who has served more than a decade on the City Council, is running as well. Taj has the backing of Quirk-Silva, D-Fullerton.
Voter registration in the district favors Democrats.
According to the latest report from the secretary of state, 41.88% of registered voters in the district are Democrats, 27.99% are Republicans and 24.52% have no party preference.
In the 2024 general election, Quirk-Silva won reelection with 56.8% of the vote against Republican challenger Beth Culver, who received 43.2%.