RICK CHAVEZ ZBUR

Why Thrive LA endorses RICK

Rick Chavez Zbur represents California's 51st Assembly District, covering Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Westwood, and Santa Monica. A Yale and Harvard Law graduate, Zbur practiced environmental law at Latham & Watkins for nearly 30 years before leading Equality California as Executive Director from 2014 to 2021. He has served in the Assembly since December 2022 and currently chairs the Assembly Democratic Caucus. Zbur has demonstrated real leadership on public safety and combating antisemitism at a time when both issues demand serious attention. As Chair of the Select Committee on Retail Theft, he championed a bill package that increased criminal penalties for shoplifting, pushing back against the permissive status quo that has gutted accountability in California retail corridors. He has been a consistent and vocal champion for the Jewish community, standing firmly against rising antisemitism when too many Sacramento legislators have been silent or worse. In a district home to one of the largest Jewish populations in California, this is not symbolic; it is essential representation. His opponent represents a sharp turn toward the activist fringe. A race that elevates ideological extremism over constituent safety and economic stability would be a disaster for a district that depends on tourism, entertainment, and small business. The 51st District cannot afford a representative beholden to an agenda that treats law enforcement as the enemy, housing providers as villains, and every tax increase as a solution. Zbur's retail theft legislation is a meaningful course correction: he recognized that reducing penalties for theft was destroying businesses and took concrete legislative action to reverse it. He has also worked to build affordable housing near transit and expand transition shelters, balancing the district's acute homelessness crisis with practical steps rather than sloganeering. His nearly three decades of complex legal practice at one of the world's top law firms gives him a command of regulatory and fiscal detail that most legislators simply lack. Contributions from law enforcement PACs, including the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, signal that he takes public safety seriously enough for the people who do the work to invest in his reelection. Rick Chavez Zbur is the experienced, serious legislator the 51st District needs.