Carlos Villapudua (born March 10, 1968) is an American politician who is currently serving in the California State Assembly. A Democrat, he represents the 13th Assembly District, which encompasses western San Joaquin County, including the city of Stockton.

Carlos Villapudua
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 13th district
Assumed office
December 7, 2020
Preceded bySusan Eggman
Member of the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors
for District 1
In office
2008–2016
Preceded bySteve Guttierez
Succeeded byMiguel Villapudua
Personal details
Born (1968-03-10) March 10, 1968 (age 56)
Stockton, California
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseEdith
ResidenceStockton, California
EducationCalifornia State University, Sacramento (BA)

Early life and education

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Villapudua was born in Stockton, California. He received a Bachelor of Arts in social services from the California State University, Sacramento in 1997.[1]

Career

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Villapudua worked as a legislative assistant for Supervisor Steve Guttierez, then served two terms as a member of the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors and was CEO of the San Joaquin County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.[2][3]

2016 Stockton mayoral election

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Villapudua ran for Mayor of Stockton in 2016. He placed third in the first round election with 24.10% of the vote, behind eventual winner Michael Tubbs and incumbent Anthony Silva respectively.

California State Assembly

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Campaigns

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Villapudua first ran for California State Assembly in 2018, challenging incumbent Democrat Susan Eggman in the 13th Assembly District. He placed third in the primary election with 16.9% of the vote, behind Eggman and Republican Antonio Garcia respectively.

In 2020, Eggman retired to successfully run for California State Senate. Villapudua ran for Assembly again and won, defeating County Supervisor Kathy Miller with 53% of the vote.

In 2022, he was re-elected and defeated Tracy City Council member Veronica Vargas with 60.6% of the vote.

Tenure

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Villapudua introduced legislation that would allow certain prisoners to engage in job training and other activities in a community campus on prison grounds.[4] In The Georgetown Law Journal, Shirin Bakhshay writes "While Villapudua's bill is commendable, his comments [on rehabilitating prisoners] reflect the type of thinking about criminal actors that continues to impede wide-spread reform efforts..."[5]

2024 California State Senate campaign

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Villapudua's wife, Edith, was a candidate for California State Senate in the 5th district, the seat Eggman is vacating due to term-limits. The couple switched races on the day before California's candidate filing deadline, with Carlos running for Senate and Edith running for his Assembly seat.[6] The move was characterized as a ploy to better each of their electoral prospects; however it drove former U.S. Representative Jerry McNerney to join the Senate race and Edith's original opponent, Rhodesia Ransom, to also switch into the Assembly election. Despite the last-minute switch, both he and his wife lost their respective races.[7][8]

Personal life

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Villapudua lives in Stockton with his wife, Edith. His brother, Brando, is a member of the Stockton City Council and his cousin, Miguel, is a member of the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors.[9][10]

Electoral history

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2016

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2016 Stockton mayoral election[11]
Candidate First-round Runoff
Votes % Votes %
Michael Tubbs 15,847 33.42 56,165 70.57
Anthony Silva (incumbent) 12,499 26.36 23,426 29.43
Carlos Villapudua 11,425 24.10
Tony Mannor 2,309 4.87
Jimmie M. Rishwain 1,905 4.02
Gary Malloy 1,889 3.98
Sean Murray 1,118 2.36
Emiliano B. Adams 319 0.67
Write-ins 101 0.21
Total 47,412 100 79,591 100

2018

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2018 California State Assembly election[12]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Susan Eggman (incumbent) 30,826 52.6
Republican Antonio M. Garcia 17,885 30.5
Democratic Carlos Villapudua 9,888 16.9
Total votes 58,599 100.0

2020

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2020 California State Assembly election[13][14]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Carlos Villapudua 27,068 35.9
Democratic Kathy Miller 24,091 31.9
Democratic Christina Fugazi 24,061 31.9
Republican Khalid Jeffrey Jafri (write in) 210 0.3
Total votes 75,430 100.0
General election
Democratic Carlos Villapudua 83,746 51.6
Democratic Kathy Miller 78,609 48.4
Total votes 162,355 100.0
Democratic hold

2022

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2022 California State Assembly election[15][16]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Carlos Villapudua (incumbent) 28,099 59.1
Democratic Veronica Vargas 12,598 26.5
Democratic Mateo Morelos Bedolla 6,643 14.0
Republican Jessica Wagner (write in) 222 0.5
Total votes 47,562 100.0
General election
Democratic Carlos Villapudua (incumbent) 51,891 60.6
Democratic Veronica Vargas 33,673 39.4
Total votes 65,287 100.0
Democratic hold

References

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  1. ^ "California Legislator Tracker: Carlos Villapudua". CalMatters. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  2. ^ Farrow, Ross (January 5, 2010). "Carlos Villapudua becomes Board of Supervisors chairman". Lodi News-Sentinel. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  3. ^ Gligich, Daniel (May 30, 2019). "Villapudua, former San Joaquin Supervisor, launches 13th Assembly bid". The San Joaquin Valley Sun. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  4. ^ Duara, Nigel (June 2, 2022). "Prison rehab: Can California learn anything from Norway?". CalMatters. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  5. ^ Bakhshay, Shirin (June 2023). "The Dissociative Theory of Punishment". Georgetown Law Journal. 111 (6): 1280.
  6. ^ Workman, Hannah (December 11, 2023). "Democrat Jerry McNerney announces bid for Stockton-area Senate seat as Villapuduas swap races". Stockton Record. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  7. ^ White, Jeremy (December 8, 2023). "Former Rep. Jerry McNerney jumps into fast-shifting California state Senate race". Politico. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  8. ^ Gligich, Daniel (December 11, 2023). "Villapuduas switch races for Senate, Assembly. Now they both face tougher races". The San Joaquin Valley Sun. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  9. ^ Irwin, Ben (July 1, 2022). "Here's who's been elected to Stockton City Council, and who will face off in November". Stockton Record. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  10. ^ Esparza Loera, Juan (December 19, 2022). "What do you know about the 54 Latinos elected to statewide office in California? Find out". The Fresno Bee. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  11. ^ "California County, City, and School District Election Outcomes: 2016 Elections" (PDF). California Secretary of State Office. pp. 116–117. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  12. ^ "Statewide Direct Primary Election - Statement of the Vote, June 5, 2018" (PDF). California Secretary of State Office. p. 110. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  13. ^ "2020 Primary Statement of Vote. State Assemblymember by District" (PDF). California Secretary of State Office. p. 151. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  14. ^ "2020 California General Election Results" (PDF). California Secretary of State Office. p. 11. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  15. ^ "2022 Primary Election Statement of Vote" (PDF). California Secretary of State Office. p. 107. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  16. ^ "2022 General Election Statement of Vote" (PDF). California Secretary of State Office. p. 9. Retrieved January 18, 2024.