Five key Inland Empire races in the November 3, 2026 election could shape decisions on the issues that directly affect our communities, from clean air and water to the rising cost of living! In the State Assembly, Leila Namvar (District 47) and Clarissa Cervantes (District 58) are running to represent communities across Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Closer to home, Christian Shaughnessy (San Bernardino City Council, Ward 2), Luz Perez (Fontana City Council, District 4), and Aram Ayra (Riverside City Council, Ward 2) are running for seats where decisions about warehouses, truck traffic, and housing land right in residents’ neighborhoods. Together, these races will help decide whether the region’s growth brings cleaner air, affordable homes, and good jobs to the families who live here.
In this guide:
- Leila Namvar running for California State Assembly, District 47
- Clarissa Cervantes running for California State Assembly, District 58
- Christian Shaughnessy running for election in San Bernardino City Council, Ward 2
- Luz Perez running for election in Fontana City Council, District 4
- Aram Ayra running for election in Riverside City Council, Ward 2
Why the 2026 Election Matters for the Inland Empire
For residents of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, environmental issues are closely connected to everyday concerns like health, housing, transportation, water bills, and access to quality jobs. The Inland Empire continues to experience significant air quality issues: the American Lung Association’s 2026 State of the Air report ranked San Bernardino County first and Riverside County second among U.S. counties for the worst ozone pollution, based on 2022–2024 data.
Water reliability is another long-term concern in the region. Riverside draws a considerable amount of water from groundwater basins, while drought, climate change, and increasing demand are placing pressure on water supplies and making recycling, conservation, groundwater recharge, and long-term water planning incredibly important. Regional agencies are investing in groundwater storage and recharge to strengthen water reliability.
Affordability and jobs are also central to the region’s future. The Inland Empire economy includes healthcare, government, major logistics, and other employment sectors, but residents continue to face rising housing costs, tight rental markets, and significant commuting needs. The Southern California Association of Governments’ (SCAG) 2025 Riverside and San Bernardino Counties economic report found that rental vacancies remain low while rent has risen, and that a great share of the region’s workforce continues to commute to jobs in coastal counties.
For state legislators, these challenges intersect: how people get around, how water is managed, decisions about where housing is built, how goods move through the region, and how the clean energy economy develops can affect both environmental health and household finances.
California State Assembly District 47: Leila Namvar
| Covers | Parts of Riverside and San Bernardino counties, from the San Bernardino Valley through the San Gorgonio Pass to the Coachella Valley, including Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, La Quinta, and Desert Hot Springs |
|---|---|
| EnviroVoters endorses | Leila Namvar (D), City of Indio planner and labor leader |
| Also on the ballot | Greg Wallis (R), incumbent |
| Why it matters | A closely contested seat in a region with some of the nation's worst smog and extreme desert heat. |
Assembly District 47 spans communities from the San Bernardino Valley through the San Gorgonio Pass and into the Coachella Valley and surrounding desert communities, bringing together communities facing extreme heat, air pollution, long commutes, housing costs, and economic pressures. Leila Namvar brings more than two decades of local government experience in the City of Indio, along with experience as a labor leader and planner, giving her a background in both community development and advocating for working families. Since joining the City of Indio in 2005, she has worked on planning, strategic plans, city budgets, housing, infrastructure, economic development, and local job creation, while also serving as a union leader who negotiated contracts and advocated for better wages, working conditions, and healthcare.
Namvar has made climate resilience, environmental justice, pollution reduction, clean energy, and green jobs central to her vision for the district, while also focusing on affordable housing, healthcare, education, and the cost of living. Her experience is particularly relevant to a district where extreme heat, water pressures, air quality, public lands, housing affordability, and economic opportunity are deeply interconnected. In Sacramento, she plans to bring her local government and labor experience to policies that make housing more attainable, create good-paying jobs, expand access to healthcare and education, and strengthen climate resilience across the Inland Empire and desert communities.
California State Assembly District 58: Clarissa Cervantes
| Covers | Grand Terrace, Jurupa Valley, and parts of Corona, Eastvale, and Riverside |
|---|---|
| EnviroVoters endorses | Clarissa Cervantes (D), Riverside City Councilmember, Ward 2 |
| Also on the ballot | Leticia Castillo (R), incumbent |
| Why it matters | Decided by 596 votes in 2024, in the heart of the Inland Empire's warehouse and goods-movement corridor. |
Assembly District 58 encompasses communities in the Inland Empire where housing, transportation, warehouse development, goods movement, air quality, water, and economic opportunity are closely connected. Clarissa Cervantes brings experience as a Riverside City Councilmember, businesswoman, community organizer, and urban planner, with a background that includes transportation advocacy and work helping residents navigate local government. She currently represents Riverside’s Ward 2 and serves on regional bodies including the Riverside Transit Agency and Southern California Association of Governments, connecting her local experience to broader regional transportation and planning decisions.
Cervantes has made clean air, responsible land use, affordable housing, water, public transportation, and good-paying jobs central to her vision for the Inland Empire. Her record on the Riverside City Council includes supporting environmental and open-space protections, affordable housing, small businesses, infrastructure improvements, and efforts to address utility costs; she has also advocated for expanded public transit, including better routes, bus shelters, and solutions to the “last mile” barriers that can keep residents from using transit. Her Assembly priorities would build on that local experience by addressing warehouse and goods-movement impacts, expanding clean transportation, protecting water resources, supporting affordable housing and childcare, and creating pathways to good-paying jobs and workforce development.
Christian Shaughnessy for San Bernardino City Council, Ward 2
| Covers | San Bernardino's 2nd Ward |
|---|---|
| IEJV endorses | Christian Shaughnessy, housing specialist and member of the city's General Plan Advisory Committee |
| Also on the ballot | Benito Barrios, former Ward 2 councilmember |
| Why it matters | Ward 2 residents face high housing costs, air pollution, extreme heat, and the health impacts of industrial development. |
San Bernardino’s 2nd Ward has significant challenges around housing affordability, air pollution, extreme heat, and the impacts of industrial development, making local leadership critical to protecting residents’ health and quality of life. Christian Shaughnessy brings hands-on experience addressing some of San Bernardino’s most pressing challenges, including housing instability, environmental racism, and the health impacts of industrial development. As a housing specialist and advocate for young people experiencing homelessness, Christian understands how housing, good jobs, public health, and neighborhood conditions intersect. His commitment to working families is reflected in his support for living wages, stronger protections for warehouse and logistics workers, and community-centered economic development.
As a member of the city’s General Plan Advisory Committee, Christian has experience helping shape San Bernardino’s future. He supports stronger environmental protections in land-use planning, community benefits agreements, expanded green space and tree canopy, and development that prioritizes residents’ health rather than simply maximizing profits. Ward 2 deserves a representative that brings environmental justice into local decision-making and works to create healthier, safer, and more equitable neighborhoods, which is why Christian Shaughnessy is endorsed by EnviroVoters’ Inland Empire local league, the Inland Environmental Justice Voters (IEJV) PAC.
Luz Perez for Fontana City Council, District 4
| Covers | Southern Fontana |
|---|---|
| IEJV endorses | Luz Perez, Fontana-raised community advocate and former chief of staff and policy director in the Fontana Mayor's Office |
| Also on the ballot | John B. Roberts and Ben Vasquez |
| Why it matters | Fontana is growing fast, and decisions about warehouse expansion and truck traffic directly affect the air in residential neighborhoods. |
The city of Fontana’s 4th District sits within a rapidly developing city where residents are navigating concerns about warehouse expansion, truck pollution, neighborhood health, and ensuring that economic growth benefits the community. Luz Perez is a Fontana-raised community advocate who brings experience in local government policy and a personal understanding of how development decisions affect residents. Having served in Fontana’s Mayor’s Office, including as chief of staff and director of policy, Luz understands how city decisions are made and how residents can be better represented in the process. Her campaign emphasizes affordability, clean air, and ensuring that Fontana’s growth benefits the families who call the city home.
Luz has also been involved in efforts to challenge industrial development that threatens residential neighborhoods, including opposing a proposed residential-to-industrial rezoning. Her engagement with environmental justice organizations and community-based efforts to address local air pollution reflects a commitment to listening to residents and advancing practical solutions. EnviroVoters’ Inland Empire local league, the IEJV PAC, endorses Luz Perez because District 4 needs leadership that will take community concerns seriously, strengthen public participation in land-use decisions, and help build a healthier future for Fontana.
Aram Ayra for Riverside City Council, Ward 2
| Covers | Riverside's University neighborhood, Hunter Park, Canyon Crest, Sycamore Canyon, and Mission Grove |
|---|---|
| IEJV endorses | Aram Ayra, educator, nonprofit director, and city budget engagement commissioner |
| Also on the ballot | Gracie Torres, Western Municipal Water District board member |
| Why it matters | An open seat (Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes is running for State Assembly), with about two points separating the candidates in June. |
The city of Riverside’s 2nd Ward faces decisions about housing affordability, neighborhood infrastructure, and the impacts of warehouse development and truck traffic, creating an opportunity for city leadership to prioritize residents’ well-being alongside responsible growth. Aram Ayra is a longtime Ward 2 resident, educator, nonprofit director, and city commissioner who brings experience in community service and local government. His priorities include making housing more affordable, protecting renters, investing in neighborhood infrastructure, and keeping utility costs manageable for working families. He also recognizes that Riverside’s development decisions must account for their long-term effects on residents’ health, the environment, and the city’s economic future.
Aram has spoken out against Riverside’s overreliance on warehouse development, emphasizing that developers and logistics companies should be held accountable for pollution, road damage, and infrastructure costs. He has also called for stronger community benefits agreements and investment in more durable, higher-quality jobs in sectors such as education, healthcare, and clean technology. EnviroVoters’ Inland Empire local league, the IEJV PAC, endorses Aram because Riverside would be well served by someone who protects neighborhoods from harmful industrial impacts while advancing affordability, environmental accountability, and acts as a stronger voice for residents in city decisions.
How to Vote in the Inland Empire in 2026
Voting in California is easier than you might think, and you have more time and more options than you probably realize. Here’s how to make your voice heard in the November 3, 2026 general election.
Every active registered voter in California is automatically mailed a ballot, so you can vote from your kitchen table, drop it in a box on your way to work, or vote in person.
- Check that you’re registered. Confirm your registration and make sure your address is current at the California Secretary of State’s voter status page. The deadline to register online or by mail is October 19, 2026. But even if you miss that date, you can still register same-day: from October 20 through Election Day, you can register and vote at your county elections office or any vote center.
- Get your ballot. County elections offices begin mailing ballots to every active registered voter by October 5. Fill yours out at home, on your own time. Do your research to make sure you’re picking the best candidates—resources like EnviroVoters’ voter guide can be a great place to start! We recommend talking to friends and family about their voting plans and researching together.
- Return it your way. Mail it back (it must be postmarked by November 3, and the state recommends mailing it at least seven days early, so we suggest getting it in the mail by October 27 to be safe), drop it at an official ballot drop box (open starting October 6), or hand it in at any voting location. Prefer to vote in person? Many counties offer early in-person voting before Election Day, and polls are open 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3. Find your polling place or early voting location here.
However you choose to vote, your ballot is your power to protect clean air, safe water, and an affordable future for the Inland Empire.
What else is on your ballot?
We’ve spotlighted two key races in the Inland Empire above, but your ballot will have plenty more on it—statewide offices, local seats, and ballot measures that all shape the climate future of your community. To see every candidate we’ve endorsed statewide and in your area, check out our EnviroVoters Endorsements page.