Colin D. Hernandez, a Democrat from Los Angeles, is running for California State Assembly District 51 in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. The Assembly is the lower house of the California Legislature, where members introduce and vote on state laws, set the state budget and oversee state agencies.

Hernandez faces fellow Democrat Rick Chavez Zbur in the race. Hernandez said he works as a digital communications strategist and described himself as LA born and raised, according to his responses to an Orange County Register candidate questionnaire.

Candidate information

  • Party: Democratic
  • Residence: Los Angeles, California
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in political science, University of Colorado Boulder (2014)
  • Current role: Digital supervisor at Vantage Public Affairs (2024–present)

Experience

Hernandez's career has centered on digital communications and public affairs. He worked as a digital communications specialist at Americans for Tax Fairness from 2017 to 2019, then as a digital community manager at the Vera Institute of Justice from 2019 to 2021. He served as a digital account executive at RALLY from 2021 to 2023 and as a senior digital ads manager at M+R from 2023 to 2024. His experience and employment history are drawn from BallotReady profile data.

On the issues

The following positions are drawn from Hernandez's responses to the Orange County Register questionnaire and his campaign website. All statements reflect the candidate's own claims.

Housing and homelessness

Hernandez said he would propose a vacancy tax on private equity firms, corporate landlords and other corporate investment entities to push more rental units onto the market at lower prices. He said he would fight to repeal the Ellis Act and support statewide rent stabilization. He also said he would push legislation to create social housing and provide services such as mental health evaluations and substance rehabilitation for unhoused residents. Hernandez said nearly 187,000 people sleep on California's streets each night and called the lack of affordable housing the top contributor to homelessness.

Artificial intelligence

Hernandez said he would seek to "massively regulate AI so that it doesn't replace workers, cause people to have psychosis, or ruin the arts." He said AI data centers are driving up energy costs and accelerating climate change. He pointed to Hollywood, which he said falls within District 51, and said AI threatens what remains of the entertainment industry.

Healthcare

Hernandez said California needs CalCare, a proposed universal healthcare system. He called healthcare a right. He said he would fight for its passage. He also said behavioral health treatments are underfunded and that increasing that funding would help combat homelessness.

Taxes and budget

Hernandez said he supports a billionaire wealth tax and higher taxes on the largest corporations. He said he would never vote for austerity measures that cut social safety nets, including funding for housing, libraries, education, infrastructure and healthcare. He said those services have been cut to pay for tax breaks benefiting the wealthy and large corporations.

Immigration

Hernandez said he supports increasing funds for legal counsel for people facing deportation. He said any officer who actively collaborates with ICE or the National Guard should be relieved from duty.

Candidate responses referenced in this profile were submitted to the Orange County Register's 2026 primary election questionnaire and to BallotReady via the candidate's campaign website. The Santa Monica Wave presents these positions as stated by the candidate.