Assemblymember John C. Harabedian, a Pasadena Democrat, is seeking reelection to California State Assembly District 41 in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.
He faces Republican Adam C. Vena.
Harabedian has represented District 41 since 2024. He was born and raised in Sierra Madre, in the heart of the district, according to his official Assembly biography. He lives in Pasadena with his wife, Young-Gi, and their three children.
Candidate information
- Party: Democratic
- Office sought: California State Assembly, District 41
- Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
- Residence: Pasadena
- Education: Loyola High School; bachelor's degree in political science, Yale University (2004); master's degree in comparative social policy, Oxford University (2006); juris doctor, Stanford University Law School (2010)
Experience and public service
Harabedian served as a councilmember in Sierra Madre beginning in 2012 and again in 2020, according to BallotReady. He chairs the Joint Legislative Audit Committee and the Select Committee on California and Armenia Mutual Trade, Art, and Cultural Exchange in the state Assembly.
His legal career includes a clerkship at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and work as an associate at Latham & Watkins. He also served as a deputy district attorney in the Los Angeles District Attorney's office. He worked as an attorney at Stanford's Immigrants' Rights Clinic and the Equality Pro Bono Project, according to his Assembly biography.
Harabedian served as a founding board member of the Clean Power Alliance, a regional renewable energy initiative. He also served on the board of the Immigration Resource Center of San Gabriel Valley, according to his campaign website.
On the issues
The following positions are drawn from Harabedian's responses on his campaign website and through BallotReady. They reflect the candidate's own stated views.
Housing and homelessness: Harabedian says he wants to increase the number of shelter beds available locally and encourage construction of more affordable and market-rate housing. He says he supports expanding programs for families at risk of homelessness and investing in mental health care infrastructure and supportive housing. He also says he supports families and homeowners recovering from wildfire loss.
Environment and energy: Harabedian says he supports investing in renewable energy and water infrastructure. He says he wants to protect open space, safeguard air quality, ban production of harmful chemicals near schools and neighborhoods, and fund renewable energy programs to reduce carbon emissions.
Government reform: Harabedian says he advocates for ending Citizens United and super PACs, strengthening conflict-of-interest rules for lawmakers, and requiring dark money groups to disclose funding sources, according to his campaign issues page. He also says he supports making voting more accessible and funding election security.
Gun safety: Harabedian says he supports red-flag laws, universal background checks, ammunition regulation, the assault weapons ban, gun insurance requirements, and training and storage regulations. He describes himself as a former prosecutor on this issue.
Reproductive rights: Harabedian says he opposes any effort to limit reproductive freedom and supports access to birth control and abortion health care.
Endorsements
Harabedian has received endorsements from the California Democratic Party, the Los Angeles County Democrats, the California Teachers' Association, AFL-CIO, AFSCME California, and AFSCME Local 3299, according to BallotReady.
Other endorsers include the American Nurses Association of California, Planned Parenthood of Pasadena, San Gabriel Valley, YIMBY Action, California Young Democrats, Stonewall Young Democrats of Los Angeles, and Democrats for Israel Los Angeles.
Candidate positions were drawn from Harabedian's campaign website and BallotReady questionnaire responses.
