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By Brian Hews
Publisher | Follow X
Crypto billionaires, Airbnb, Uber, labor unions, casino operators and business groups battle for control of open Assembly seat.
May 29, 2026
The race to represent Cerritos, Artesia, Hawaiian Gardens, La Palma, Cypress, Buena Park and portions of Anaheim and Fullerton has become something few local voters likely imagined: a multi-million-dollar political battlefield fueled by Silicon Valley billionaires, labor unions, Airbnb, Uber, casino interests, apartment owners and some of California’s most powerful business organizations.
According to independent expenditure filings through May 29, outside groups have spent nearly $9 million attempting to influence the outcome of the June 2 primary for California’s 67th Assembly District, making it one of the most expensive open legislative contests in California this election cycle.
The spending has transformed what should be a community-focused Assembly race into a high-dollar proxy war between competing special interests seeking influence in Sacramento.
The biggest beneficiary has been former Cerritos Councilman Mark Pulido, who has received approximately $5 million in independent expenditure support. Labor leader Ada Briceño has been the target of nearly $3 million in opposition spending, while former Artesia Mayor Ali Taj has faced approximately $325,000 in opposition spending and virtually no major outside support.
The largest spender is Grow California, which has poured more than $3.2 million into the race. The committee is funded primarily by Ripple cryptocurrency billionaire Chris Larsen and Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper. Combined with California Leads, another technology-backed political committee that spent approximately $1.26 million supporting Pulido, the race has attracted a level of spending more commonly associated with statewide campaigns.
Airbnb has spent nearly $1 million through its sponsored committee, Citizens for an Affordable California Supporting Mark Pulido for Assembly. The California Hotel and Lodging Association has added nearly $900,000 through committees supporting Pulido and opposing Briceño.
The California Apartment Association and California Life Sciences interests have contributed more than $700,000 through Advance California, while the California Chamber of Commerce’s JOBSPAC committee spent more than $325,000 opposing Briceño.
Labor organizations have responded with spending of their own. UNITE HERE Local 11, where Briceño serves as co-president, spent more than $200,000 supporting her candidacy. Additional support came from labor-backed political organizations and the Democratic Party of Orange County.
Gaming interests have also entered the fight. A committee associated with Hawaiian Gardens casino interests spent approximately $287,000 supporting Briceño, while another committee tied to Commerce casino interests spent approximately $261,000 backing her campaign.
Uber contributed more than $264,000 through its Innovation PAC, primarily opposing Briceño.
The spending reveals an extraordinary lineup of interests seeking influence over a single Assembly district. Crypto investors want a voice. Airbnb wants a voice. Uber wants a voice. Apartment owners want a voice. Hotel operators want a voice. Labor unions want a voice. Casino operators want a voice.
The question for voters is whether their own voice is being drowned out.
For decades, Assembly races were largely contests between candidates. Increasingly, they are contests between outside organizations capable of spending millions of dollars with little direct accountability to local voters.
AD-67 may be the clearest example yet.
What began as a race to replace term-limited Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva has become a showcase of how modern California politics works: find a competitive seat, flood it with money, and hope the voters sort out the rest.
By Election Day, residents of Cerritos, Artesia, Hawaiian Gardens and neighboring communities will decide who advances. But campaign finance reports already reveal who believes the seat is worth buying into: nearly every major political and economic interest group in California.
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