2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

California Assembly District 5

2 candidates, listed alphabetically.

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California uses a top-two primary: the two candidates with the most votes in the June 2 primary advanced, regardless of party, so both finalists can be from the same party.

California uses a top-two primary for congressional, statewide and legislative offices: the two candidates with the most primary votes advance regardless of party, so both general-election candidates can be from the same party. Write-in candidates for these offices can run only in the primary. California Secretary of State

Candidates

Neva Parker

Democratic

Work: Podcast co-host; former California Senate rules committee consultant and legislative clerk

Ballot designation filed with the California Secretary of State: Community Advocate.

Neva Parker worked for the California Legislature for many years, including as a history and journal clerk for the Secretary of the Senate and as an assistant consultant in the Senate Rules Committee appointments unit. She co-hosts the Our Own Heroes podcast; her ballot designation is "Community Advocate."

Sources for Parker

Certified List of Candidates for the November 3, 2026, General Election (California Secretary of State, Public record)
Neva Parker: candidate profile (BallotReady, Facts summarized from a public page (not copied))

Joe Patterson

RepublicanIncumbent

In office now: State Assembly Member, District 5
Work: State Assemblymember, 5th District; principal, Provident Strategies; former Rocklin mayor

Joe Patterson is the sitting State Assembly Member for District 5 in the California State Legislature, a district that includes all or part of Website Contact Authored Bills County.

Joe Patterson has served in the California Assembly since 2022 and served on the Rocklin City Council from 2016 to 2022, including as mayor in 2019. He is principal of Provident Strategies, and was executive director of the California Gaming Association and the Lincoln Club of Northern California and a legislative aide and director in the Assembly.

Patterson's committees

Rules
Rules
Joint Committee on Rules

Sources for Patterson

Joe Patterson: official member information (California State Legislature (California State Senate; California State Assembly), Public record)
California State Legislature: current member roster (California State Legislature (California State Senate; California State Assembly), Public record)
Certified List of Candidates for the November 3, 2026, General Election (California Secretary of State, Public record)
Joe Patterson: candidate profile (BallotReady, Facts summarized from a public page (not copied))
Joe Patterson (California politician) (Wikipedia, Facts summarized from a public page (not copied))

Sources

Candidate list and race details

Certified List of Candidates for the November 3, 2026, General Election (California Secretary of State, Public record)

What's included: U.S. Senate and House, statewide offices, every state legislative district on the ballot and statewide ballot measures.
Everything else: Local races (county, city, school board, judges) and anything else on your ballot are on your official sample ballot: voterstatus.sos.ca.gov.
Candidate lists: As of Wednesday, October 14, 2026.

This is not an official ballot. Confirm your registration, polling place and ballot with your election office through vote.gov.