Klein Lopez ready to join California Assembly

Simi Valley voters will soon have a new voice in Sacramento. Deborah Klein Lopez, the Democratic mayor pro tem of Agoura Hills, won election to the California Assembly's 42nd District last week, defeating Republican Ted Nordblum by an unofficial margin of about 12 percentage points, according to results reported by the Simi Valley Acorn.

Klein Lopez earned 81,717 votes — nearly 56% — to Nordblum's 64,387 votes, or 44%, a spread of 17,330 votes. The results remain unofficial until county election officials certify the vote, a step scheduled for Dec. 11.

The 42nd District spans the Conejo Valley and surrounding communities on both sides of the Ventura-Los Angeles county line, including Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark and parts of Camarillo in Ventura County, plus Calabasas, Agoura Hills, Malibu and Westlake Village in Los Angeles County. Klein Lopez carried both counties: in Ventura County, which includes Simi Valley, she took 53,679 votes (54.7%) to Nordblum's 44,457 (45.3%), a margin of 9,222 votes, the Acorn reported. In Los Angeles County, she led 28,038 to 19,930.

What the incoming assemblymember has said

Klein Lopez struck a tone of both gratitude and urgency in a statement to the Acorn after the Nov. 3 election.

"I'm thrilled by the strong early results and deeply honored by the opportunity to serve this community that means so much to me," she said. "There is important work ahead, from addressing the everyday pocketbook issues families are facing to strengthening our climate resilience."

Her campaign platform centered on disaster preparedness — a defining issue for the fire-prone district — along with public safety and housing and homelessness. She pledged to represent every resident of the district.

"I will work hard every single day to represent every member of this district," she said. "The real work is just beginning, and I couldn't be more honored to get started."

Klein Lopez brings local government experience to the job. She was first elected to the Agoura Hills City Council in 2018 and currently serves as mayor pro tem. She also sits on the board of the Clean Power Alliance, the joint powers authority that provides renewable electricity to communities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties, and on the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains.

Succeeding Jacqui Irwin

Klein Lopez will fill the seat vacated by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, a Democrat who has represented the 42nd District since 2014 and was barred from seeking reelection by state term limits. Irwin did not leave public life: she ran for California's 26th Congressional District and defeated Republican Sam Gallucci to win a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, according to the Acorn.

The transition marks the first change in representation for the district in over a decade. For Simi Valley residents, that means new staffing, new district offices and a new point of contact in the Assembly for issues ranging from state legislation to constituent services such as permits, benefits and veterans' affairs.

A race shaped by a ballot disqualification

Klein Lopez entered the general election as the front-runner after finishing first in the June primary, well ahead of Nordblum, a Newbury Park businessman.

The contest might have looked different but for an unusual procedural misstep by another candidate. Kelly Honig, a Westlake Village City Council member and fellow Democrat viewed as a serious rival to Klein Lopez, was disqualified after filing her declaration of candidacy in Ventura County rather than in Los Angeles County, where she resides, as state election law requires, the Acorn reported.

The disqualification left the November ballot without a contested Democratic primary rematch, clearing a clearer path for Klein Lopez in a district that has trended Democratic in recent cycles.

Why it matters in Simi Valley

Simi Valley is one of the largest communities in the 42nd District, and the issues Klein Lopez campaigned on resonate directly with local residents. Wildfire preparedness has long been a priority in a region bordered by open space and hillside brush, where residents have lived through repeated fire seasons and public safety power shutoffs. Her seat on the Clean Power Alliance board has given her a close-up view of how electricity providers serving Simi Valley and neighboring cities handle grid reliability and renewable energy procurement.

Housing affordability and homelessness — the other pillars of her campaign — are also front of mind for Simi Valley residents as rents and home prices across the 805 region remain among the steepest in the nation.

Nordblum's campaign, centered on his business background, drew substantial support in Ventura County, where he captured more than 45% of the vote, a reminder that the district — despite its recent Democratic lean — remains politically mixed.

What comes next

Klein Lopez is set to be sworn in when the new legislative session convenes in Sacramento, at which point she will begin assembling her Capitol and district staff. Residents can expect the certified election results on Dec. 11, and the incoming assemblymember's committee assignments and early bill proposals typically take shape in the first weeks of the new session.

For now, the message from the winner's Nov. 3 victory party in Agoura Hills was one of continuity of service across the district she has long represented at the city level.

"I couldn't be more honored to get started," Klein Lopez said.