Republican Houston Brignano is running for the U.S. House seat in California's 36th Congressional District in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. He faces Ted W. Lieu, a Democrat.
Brignano said he is running to bring "radical transparency to every dollar spent," according to his Ballotpedia questionnaire response.
The candidate's policy responses below are drawn from his Ballotpedia questionnaire and campaign website. Positions are presented as the candidate stated them and do not reflect the views of the Santa Monica Wave.
Candidate information
- Party: Republican
- Residence: South Bay, Southern California
- Family: Married with three daughters
- Military service: U.S. Marine Corps, data network specialist (2003–2007), according to BallotReady
- Education: Not provided
- Community involvement: Board member at a homeschool co-op in Redondo Beach and a church in Old Torrance, according to his campaign website
Experience and public service
Brignano said he joined the Marine Corps after high school, according to his campaign website. He said he then spent fifteen years working at venues and arenas across the country that bring communities together through sports, music and live entertainment. He worked as a manager and architect at AEG from 2008 to 2021, according to BallotReady. Brignano said he helped transform a dirt parking lot in downtown Los Angeles into what is now LA Live.
He has served as vice president and manager of infrastructure architecture at City National Bank since 2021, according to BallotReady.
Brignano has been endorsed by the California Republican Assembly and the California GOP, according to BallotReady.
On the issues
Government transparency: Brignano said federal spending reached $6.75 trillion last year while interest payments cost $882 billion annually. He said he would publish every meeting, every donor and every vote explanation online. "No backroom deals. No corporate PAC money. Just results you can verify," Brignano said in his Ballotpedia response.
Housing and economic development: Brignano called the housing crisis "a political failure" rather than a market failure. He said he would create innovation zones for technology, manufacturing and energy to generate jobs. He said he would streamline regulations he described as artificially constraining California's opportunity and driving up costs.
Healthcare: Brignano said insurance companies and hospital monopolies built the current system to maximize profit. He said he supports portable health savings accounts, cross-state insurance competition and pricing transparency. He said he wants to expand consumer choice beyond employer- or state-selected networks.
Economy: Brignano said he would cut government waste and curb executive regulatory overreach through the REINS Act. He said he supports job training programs, fixing the student loan crisis and tax breaks for homebuyers and new businesses.
Immigration: Brignano said he supports prioritizing native-born citizens for jobs and opportunities, a legal immigration system without "back door deals or secret amnesty," and strong vetting. He said keeping Americans safe requires "strong borders and thorough vetting."
Members of the U.S. House represent their districts in Congress, voting on federal legislation, setting spending priorities and conducting oversight of federal agencies.
