For the fourth time since 2020, Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) and real estate appraiser Joe Rubay (R-Alamo) are the two names on the ballot for Assembly District 16, the Pleasanton Weekly reported. The district covers Pleasanton, Livermore, San Ramon, Danville and Dublin plus Alamo, Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda and Walnut Creek. Ballot designations: Assemblymember/Mother for Bauer-Kahan, Businessman/Father for Rubay.

By the numbers

  • June 2026 primary: Bauer-Kahan 65.6% (101,017 votes), Rubay 30.6% (47,142), no-party-preference candidate Chirag Kathrani 3.8% (5,791), per Ballotpedia.
  • November 2024: Bauer-Kahan beat Rubay with 64.1%, or 161,029 votes.
  • Time in office: Bauer-Kahan was first elected in 2018.

Bauer-Kahan's pitch

"My message is simple: I am focused on getting results, not playing political games," she told the Weekly, adding that she has authored more than 80 bills that passed the Legislature. She listed work on gun safety and hate crime laws, money for police to respond to retail theft, the Valley Link rail project, and a law to stop utilities from charging customers for wildfires the utilities caused. She also said she required data centers to disclose their energy use, eliminated the "pink tax" on products marketed to women, and made sure forgiven student and medical debt isn't taxed as income.

Rubay's pitch

Rubay, who has run his own appraisal business for more than 30 years, said public safety is his top priority, pointing to the Heller's Jewelers robberies in San Ramon and smash-and-grab crimes in Danville and Pleasanton. "Our law enforcement is the best in the state, what we need is a state Legislature that holds the criminals accountable," he said. He wants to fund Proposition 36, the 2024 measure that increased penalties for some theft and drug crimes. He also opposes bills like AB 2047 on 3D printers and firearm-blocking technology, wants funding to bring back school buses, would stop minimum wage increases and wants to pull back state housing laws. "The state needs to regulate less," he said.

How to vote

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls and vote centers close at 8 p.m., and mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and arrive within seven days. You can check your registration and ballot status at sos.ca.gov/elections. California lets you register and vote the same day at a vote center.

More races and measures: our 2026 election hub.