For attorney Lisa Ramriez, taking on the case of Narciso Barranco, the Tustin father of three U.S. Marines who was detained by federal immigration authorities in June, was a bit of a wake-up call — one that led to her deciding to jump in to the race for California’s 40th Congressional District.
Ramirez was a lead attorney for Barranco, who gained national attention after a video of him being pinned to the ground and repeatedly punched by a federal immigration agent went viral. The landscape worker was released last month, after some bureaucratic delays.
“What happens to one can happen to more,” Ramirez said she learned from that case.
Barranco, she said, was a “poster child,” given that he is “an exceptional human being” whose three sons are U.S. citizens and Marines, two on active duty.
“But he’s one of thousands, and I wish there were more of my clients that could get the attention,” Ramirez said.
And it’s that mass immigration enforcement effort from the Trump administration that served as a catalyst for Ramirez, who has worked on campaigns but never run for office herself, to vie for the congressional seat in the 2026 midterms — even after state Democrats signaled they may change the district’s boundary lines for that election.
“Given the nature of my work, I think I see a lot more than perhaps even other lawyers … in terms of what’s happening in terms of our constitutional rights and our democracy,” Ramirez, a Democrat, said.
“In our community, we’ve seen families torn apart on a daily basis, the children that are left behind,” she added. “Even for me, as a lawyer, I just felt that there wasn’t enough that I could do to respond to these kinds of daily challenges. … It’s gotten to a point that I knew I had to do something, and the only thing I could think of doing was to enter this race.”
A North Tustin resident, Ramirez joins an already crowded field for the race, which includes Republican incumbent Rep. Young Kim and Democrats former Chino Valley Unified School District board member Christina Gagnier, retired firefighter and 2024 candidate Joe Kerr, art dealer Esther Kim Varet, labor organizer Perry Meade, nonprofit founder Nina Linh and community advocate Paula Swift.
She grew up in Rowland Heights in L.A. County and attended Loyola Law School, where she studied international human rights while working for the city of Chino. But after graduation, she wanted to stay local — and that led her to an Orange County nonprofit where she was needed in immigration law.
She’s centered in the 40th Congressional District, Ramirez, who is an avid cook, said — it’s where her kids have gone to school and where she’s volunteered. And when she was in high school, she traveled around northern parts of the district for athletics.
“I feel this district is really where I’ve grown up and lived my professional career,” Ramirez said.
Ramirez pointed to affordability issues as well as access to health care as two key components of her campaign. She’s already been endorsed by Rep. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana.
“It’s time that we bring accountability to our electeds and ensure they are putting the interests of the American people first,” said Ramirez.
The boundaries of California’s 40th Congressional District could change for 2026, if voters approve new maps in the upcoming special election.
The district now spans eastern Orange County along with small portions of western Riverside and San Bernardino counties. It includes communities in Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo, Orange, Tustin, Villa Park and Yorba Linda. Republicans account for 38.5% of registered voters as of the latest tally from the secretary of state, along with 33.1% who are registered Democrats and 22.1% who chose no party preference.
If voters OK the new, partisan maps in November, the 40th District would still be only one of our congressional districts in California with more registered Republican voters.
The district would then span more to the east into the Inland Empire, picking up Temescal Valley, Lake Elsinore, Menifee and Murrieta. Predictions for the new map estimated registered Republicans would account for 40% of voters in the area, while Democrats would make up 31% and those who chose no party preference or other parties 27%.
The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election analysis, scores California’s 40th Congressional District as leaning Republican at this point in the campaign.
Staff writer Mona Darwish contributed to this report.