Juan Camacho

Why Thrive LA endorses Juan

Juan Camacho is a first-generation immigrant from Mexico who built a career at the intersection of government, entertainment, and community advocacy. He currently serves as President of the Equality California Institute and previously led government and community affairs at Fox Studios, where he helped triple California's film and TV tax credit and shepherded the $1.5 billion Fox Future studio modernization project through approval. Before that, he worked for Senator Barbara Boxer, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez, and the Southern California Association of Governments. He holds a degree from UC Davis and lives in Echo Park. State Senate District 26 needs a representative who understands how policy affects the industries that actually employ people in Los Angeles. Camacho's work at Fox Studios is the strongest proof point in this race: he fought to expand a tax credit that kept film and television production in California rather than letting it flee to Georgia, New Mexico, or overseas. That is the right instinct. When government makes it cheaper to do business here, businesses stay. When it doesn't, they leave. Camacho demonstrated that he understands this dynamic in practice, not just in theory. His record includes tangible, large-scale outcomes. The tripling of California's film and TV tax credit preserved tens of thousands of production jobs in the state. The $1.5 billion Fox Future studio modernization project brought major private investment into Los Angeles. His earlier work at the Southern California Association of Governments gave him regional planning experience, and his time on the LA Tourism Commission connected him to one of the city's core economic engines. These are not theoretical credentials. We endorse Camacho because his professional instincts are pro-investment and pro-retention, and because the practical experience of navigating a $1.5 billion development through government approvals tends to produce legislators who understand what red tape actually costs. But we expect him to bring that same pragmatism to Sacramento across every policy area, not just entertainment. Juan Camacho has the real-world experience to fight for the jobs and investment Los Angeles needs.