Whoever is elected to represent Assembly District 65 will succeed Assemblymember Mike Gipson, whose term ends Dec. 7 as he runs for the California Board of Equalization.
The Carson Network will host an AD 65 candidate forum on March 14 at Veterans Park. Five candidates are vying for the seat: Dr. Vinson Eugene Allen, Fatima Iqbal-Zubair, Lamar Lyons, Dr. Ayanna Davis, and Magali Sanchez-Hall. Random Lenon gths asked each to respond to a brief questionnaire outlining their positions.
The California Assembly District 65 Candidate Forum is on March 14, from 1 to 3 p.m. Emailcarsonnetwork@gmail.comto RSVP for your seat. For more information, call 310-617-3886.
The district was reshaped and renumbered during the 2021–22 redistricting process following the 2020 Census. What was formerly AD 64 shifted south and west to become AD 65, consolidating Carson, Compton, Wilmington, Harbor City, Harbor Gateway, Watts and San Pedro. The district remains heavily Democratic and closely aligned with Harbor Area and port-adjacent communities.
Gipson, who previously represented AD 64, continued in office under the new AD 65 boundaries. During his tenure, he served as Assembly Democratic Caucus chair from 2015 to July 2023 — the longest-serving in state history. He chaired the Revenue and Taxation Committee and the Select Committee on Ports and Goods Movement, and held leadership roles on committees focused on domestic violence, workforce development, homelessness and restorative justice. He was also elected national vice chair of The Council of State Governments for 2024.
Among his legislative efforts, Gipson championed measures banning “ghost guns,” including Assembly Bill 1263, signed into law in 2025, which strengthened oversight of untraceable weapons and digital firearm instructions. He supported police reform legislation banning chokeholds and prohibiting the use of “excited delirium” as a cause of death in custody. He also sponsored bills expanding access to mobile stroke units and reducing employment barriers.
Gipson helped direct nearly $4 billion in state funding to district projects during the 2022–24 budget cycles. As chair of the Select Committee on Ports and Goods Movement, he secured $110 million for a Goods Movement Workforce Training Campus in the Los Angeles Harbor region to prepare workers for careers in port and logistics sectors, including emerging zero-emission technologies.
Critics on the left faulted Gipson for accepting energy sector donations, giving him a “C” grade from some advocacy groups. Gipson defended his record, saying he remained focused on delivering for his constituents.
Candidates Vying for AD 65 Seat
Dr. Vinson Eugene Allen is a physician, entrepreneur, and community advocate running for California’s 65th Assembly District. He founded Dusk to Dawn Urgent Care, serving underserved communities, and leads the Saint Vinson Eugene Allen Foundation, supporting scholarships and families in need. Allen’s campaign focuses on expanding affordable healthcare, creating jobs, strengthening small businesses, improving public safety, and addressing the housing crisis. Raised in the Mississippi Delta, he trained in emergency medicine at Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital in Los Angeles. Previously, he ran for California Insurance Commissioner in 2022, bringing healthcare and business experience to statewide policy debates.
Fatima Iqbal-Zubair has spent her life fighting to expand opportunity for working families. As an immigrant, educator, and mother to a son with special needs, she understands firsthand the challenges communities face, from underfunded schools and rising housing costs to wages that lag behind the cost of living. As a science teacher in Watts, she worked in overcrowded classrooms with outdated supplies while supporting students facing homelessness and food insecurity. Fatima has co-chaired an alliance supporting strong union jobs and has stood with striking workers at LAX, Starbucks and in public schools. In the Assembly, she will work to lower costs, protect and expand union jobs, prioritize affordable housing and guarantee healthcare as a human right. She is endorsed by the LA County Federation of Labor, the CA Teachers’ Association, and Congresswoman Nanette Barragan.
LaMar Lyons brings a lifetime of experience uplifting working people in both the public and private sectors. He understands the struggles and triumphs of being a single parent and business owner. An industry and community leader, Lyons says his dual perspective positions him to tackle the district’s economic and social challenges.
A San Pedro resident for more than 30 years, he combines local knowledge with policy expertise to address access to clean air and water, affordable housing, fair employment and community care. Lyons says he knows how to align capital with community needs and deliver results for everyday families.
Dr. Ayanna Davis, a lifelong Compton resident, has more than 30 years in education and community service. She is a legislative representative of the Compton Unified School District Board of Trustees and has served as a teacher, principal and union leader. Davis holds a bachelor’s degree from USC, two master’s degrees in educational administration and a doctorate in Organizational Change and Leadership. Her campaign focuses on inclusive economic opportunity, fully funded public education, affordable housing and stronger public safety.
Magali Sanchez-Hall is a longtime 65th District resident and community advocate. Her campaign emphasizes affordable housing, strong public schools, small business support and public safety through prevention and accountability. She promotes coalition-building with labor, parents and grassroots groups to ensure families have a voice in state policymaking.
Random Lengths asked each candidate to respond to two questions. Allen’s campaign did not return the questionnaire before press time.
Question: Since AD 65 is closely aligned with the Harbor Area and port-adjacent communities — tying it directly to Port of Los Angeles–related issues, logistics, environmental justice and goods movement — what is your vision for ensuring the benefits of the Twin Ports are spread more widely and equitably through the district in terms of jobs?
Fatima Iqbal-Zubair
With California Assembly District 65’s aligning more closely with the Harbor Area and port-adjacent communities, giving AD 65 a stronger connection to Port of Los Angeles–related issues, logistics, environmental justice, and goods movement, what is your vision of ensuring the benefits of the Twin Ports are spreading more widely and equitably through the district in terms of jobs?
As an Assemblymember, I will work to keep our Twin Ports a stable pillar of our local economy and ensure the money they generate benefits our local community, particularly by creating more high-quality, good-paying jobs.
Economic growth must provide more opportunities for people to secure stable, union jobs that allow working families to afford housing, health care, education, and save for retirement. As technology and AI expand, I will not allow corporate profits to come at the expense of union workers. Innovations in technology must include strong worker protections, labor standards, and a real voice for working people and I will stand strong against automation.
I will work to strengthen local pipelines from our high schools, community colleges, apprenticeship programs, and trade schools into union careers, as well as increase outreach to women, people of color, and other communities who have had less access to port careers. I will champion local hire incentives to ensure these jobs stay in our neighborhoods and build generational wealth locally.
We can modernize the port while protecting both workers and residents, and we must do both. Our communities have borne the burden of pollution for decades, with a lack of investment in providing clean air and water. I will work to ensure California continues to lead on infrastructure in a way that brings more union jobs to our communities and safeguards public health for generations to come.
By protecting workers, expanding access to opportunities, and investing in the infrastructure that provides these crucial careers, we can build a port economy that works for everyone and allows working families to thrive.
Lamar Lyons
As President of the San Pedro Central Neighborhood Council, I have taken on a role that mirrors many of the responsibilities of elected office. I’ve worked directly with residents and regional stakeholders to address complexcommunity issues, particularly those connected to the Port of Los Angeles and West Harbor — two of the most significant economic drivers in the district. In this leadership position, Lamar has helped shape conversations surrounding the redevelopment of the decommissioned Phillips 66 site, a once-in-a-generation opportunity for economic transformation.
As President, I have demonstrated the ability to balance competing interests and develop forward-looking solutions that prioritize both economic growth and environmental responsibility.
He proposes small-scale, clean-technology micro-factories focused on precision manufacturing and flexible production lines. His plan centers on creating high-wage, career-track jobs while building a strong local workforce and establishing reentry pipelines in partnership with educational and training institutions.
Dr. Ayanna Davis
The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are the economic backbones of our region, but too many surrounding communities are not seeing their fair share of the benefits. I believe we must work to build strong, direct pipelines from our local schools and community colleges into union careers in logistics, maritime operations, and the skilled trades. We have a real opportunity to connect residents of Carson, Compton, Wilmington, and nearby neighborhoods to these well-paying jobs so that economic growth in the region leads to lasting career opportunities for local families.
I am proud to be supported by the Inlandboatmen’s Union of the Pacific, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Southern California District Council, ILWU Local 13, ILWU Local 56, ILWU Local 63, ILWU Local 94, and the Los Angeles Port Police Association / ILWU Local 65. Their support reflects my commitment to protecting good union jobs and expanding equitable access to the opportunities created by our region’s ports for working families across Assembly District 65.
Magali Sanchez-Hall
My vision for Assembly District 65 is deeply connected to the Port of Los Angeles and port-adjacent communities. It is centered on equitable access, community wealth-building, and a just transition to clean goods movement.
Prioritize Frontline Communities in Hiring & Training
Communities closest to the ports often low-income communities of color have borne the brunt of diesel pollution, warehouse traffic, and cumulative environmental burdens. My vision ensures they are first in line for the green economic benefits.
- Establish 30% local hire mandates for port-funded and publicly subsidized projects.
- Expand pipelines in partnership with labor unions and community colleges.
- Target recruitment toward residents from high polluted areas.
Provide wraparound services (childcare, transportation stipends, language access) so working-class families can actually access these jobs.
Environmental justice means those who have paid the highest health costs should receive priority access to the new clean green economy.
Given the current federal administration’s stance toward California, what challenges or blind spots must the 65th Assembly District address to ensure constituents thrive regardless of federal policy?
Fatima Iqbal
Given the current federal administration’s stance toward California, what challenges or blind spots must the 65th Assembly District address to ensure constituents thrive regardless of federal policy?
Economic instability and federal trade policies are driving up costs for working families in our communities. As Assemblymember, I will act to shield our communities from increased costs and ensure corporations pay their fair share, so that we can invest in workers, infrastructure, and basic needs like affordable housing and health care.
I will ensure California continues to lead in defending the right to unionize, protecting fair wages, and upholding workplace safety. Our workers are the backbone of our economy, and I will make sure their rights remain secure and that families have what they need to pay rent, afford health care, and send their kids to school.
Another urgent priority is protecting our communities from ICE raids in our neighborhoods. We must support policies that protect communities from ICE and get ICE out of California. California can and must do its part to end ICE’s ability to terrorize our neighbors in our state.
The current administration’s hostility toward California poses real challenges for our communities and we must have thoughtful, principled state leadership that prioritizes protecting our workers, reducing the economic strain that prevents families from getting ahead, and protecting our most vulnerable communities. As your Assemblymember, I will act to protect our communities and ensure our residents have the opportunities and resources they need to get ahead, regardless of what happens in the federal government.
Lamar Lyons
The 65th Assembly District’s biggest blind spot is concentration. It relies heavily on port trade, industrial jobs, federal funding, and communities that have long been underinvested. That concentration makes the district economically fragile. When federal trade, environmental, housing, or infrastructure policies shift, the consequences are immediate and local. The district’s dependence on the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach leaves it especially exposed to federal trade policy changes. Yet there is an ongoing assumption that port growth automatically benefits residents. It does not. Without economic diversification and serious workforce retraining, growth can bypass local workers, and downturns can hit hard. Environmental risk is inseparable from economic risk. Communities already shoulder intense pollution from ports, refineries, and freight corridors. If federal environmental protections weaken, health costs rise, and workforce stability declines. Clean air and climate resilience are not optional — they are economic necessities. Housing pressures deepen the vulnerability. Waterfront development and transit expansion are driving up costs. Building new units without protecting affordability accelerates displacement and weakens the district’s long-term stability.
The district’s economy rises or falls on federal decisions. Until it addresses its structural concentration, it remains exposed to forces beyond its control.
Dr. Ayanna Davis
In the face of the Trump Administration’s cruel immigration policies, one of my top priorities as a principal and school board member has been ensuring that our campuses are safe for our immigrant students and their families. In the Assembly, I will continue fighting to strengthen protections that keep ICE off our campuses and ensure schools remain places of stability and opportunity.
We need to stand up and fight back against the Trump Administration’s attempts to defund our local public schools. We also must safeguard access to healthcare. Many families in our district rely on Medi-Cal and other public programs, and federal threats to funding or coverage put real lives at risk. I will fight to protect and expand access to affordable care and ensure that no family in Assembly District 65 is forced to choose between getting medical treatment and paying rent or putting food on the table.
Magali Sanchez-Hall
AD 65 includes working-class, port-adjacent, and immigrant communities whose well-being is tightly connected to state-level protections. If federal policy weakens civil rights protections lacking US constitution enforcement, environmental standards, or immigrant protections, the district must proactively close those gaps.
Latino and immigrant communities often experience federal enforcement policies as economic and psychological destabilization through deportation threats, workplace raids, or benefit exclusions.
Some of the blind spots to address:
- Fear that prevents residents from accessing health care, job training, or environmental programs
- Worker exploitation in logistics, warehousing, and service sectors, among others
Retaliation against immigrant workers who report unsafe conditions
Actions:
- Strengthen state-level protections and legal defense funding
- Expand wage theft enforcement and workers’ protections
- Ensure access to state-funded benefits regardless of immigration status
- Support “know your rights” outreach in multiple languages
- Some of the challenges we face by current administration:
- Federal weakening of clean air or climate standards
- Delays in zero-emission freight mandates
- Reduced federal environmental enforcement
Action:
- Codify stronger state and regional emissions standards
- Expand community air monitoring and public reporting
- Direct state funds to accelerate electrification independent of federal support
The California Assembly District 65 Candidate Forum is on March 14, from 1 to 3 p.m. Emailcarsonnetwork@gmail.comto RSVP for your seat. For more information, call 310-617-3886.
Venue: Veterans Park & Sports Complex, Small Gym, 22400 Moneta Avenue, Carson