OAKLAND, Calif. — The California Donor Table has completed its endorsement slate for the June 2026 primaries, adding congressional and state legislative candidates to its list of supported campaigns. The organization said it has built “a progressive infrastructure and ecosystem in California since 2006.”
In its 20 years of existence, the California Donor Table said it has “raised over $70 million … to help elect more than 100 progressive candidates, including 23 state legislators, as well as flipping or holding 11 U.S. House seats.”
The selections for the June primaries were “made by CDT’s Endorsement Committee, composed of community-driven political groups, donors, and members of its political strategy teams, and approved by its Board of Directors,” according to the organization.
One of the new endorsements includes Lauren Babb Tomlinson, who is running for Congress in the 6th Congressional District. According to Women’s Foundation California, Tomlinson is a “fierce advocate for social and reproductive justice with over a decade of experience in nonprofit leadership, public policy, political campaigns, 501(c)(4) advocacy, and state government.”
She is currently serving as chief public affairs officer for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, the nation’s largest affiliate, where she also leads its political advocacy arm, Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte.
Another endorsement went to Oscar Ortiz, who is running for State Assembly. Ortiz “made history as the youngest person ever elected to the Indio City Council.”
As outlined by Oscar Ortiz for State Assembly, “as both Councilmember and Mayor, he led with compassion and competence—guiding the city through unprecedented challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic and Tropical Storm Hilary, while championing affordable housing, bilingual outreach, and support for small businesses.” Ortiz now wants to “ensure the voices of District 36 are heard and respected at the state level.”
Esmeralda Soria, a first-generation American, is another endorsed candidate who is currently running for State Senate. According to Esmeralda Soria for State Senate, Soria has “dedicated her career to public service, first as an educator and community advocate, then as a Fresno City Councilmember, and now as a State Assemblymember fighting for working families, affordable housing, healthcare access, and economic opportunity in the Central Valley.”
She is running for State Senate “to continue fighting for working families, bring home more resources to the region, and ensure our voices are heard in Sacramento.”
One of the previously announced endorsements went to Shirley Weber, who has served as California secretary of state since January 2021. According to the California Secretary of State’s office, Weber is the “first Black Secretary of State [in California] and only the fifth African American to serve as a state constitutional officer in California’s 175-year history.”
Weber’s “genuine passion and tireless quest for equality and fairness in all sectors of life have resulted in her pursuit of reforms in education and criminal justice. Her equity-oriented legislation includes: school finance and accountability, classroom safety, ethnic studies, early learners, attendance and dropout rates, quality instruction, law enforcement’s use-of-force and body camera practices, reparations, the CalGangs database, Affirmative Action, inclusive jury selection and instruction, predatory lending, resources for exonerees, restorative justice, racial profiling, among others.”
The California Donor Table said its mission is to build “a progressive infrastructure and ecosystem in California by providing funding, staff technical assistance, and networking to robust, aligned, and strategic organizations rooted in communities of color.”
Its work “expands opportunities for elected leaders, voting practices, and political advocacy to embody the values and needs of communities of color.” The organization added that, as a “network of donors, [they] are collaborating to achieve long-term, transformational success by engaging with power building groups and candidates up and down the state, making strategic and early investments throughout election cycles, and being disciplined in our approach to giving.”
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