Upcoming special election in the 63rd Assembly District set to pick Essayli’s successor

Voters across the 63rd Assembly District will go to the polls on Aug. 26 to select which candidate they wish to represent them in the state assembly in Sacramento.

This election will determine who will fill the remainder of the term of former assemblyman Bill Essayli. It was declared vacant by California Secretary of State Shirley Weber on April 1 after Essayli was appointed by the Attorney General of the United States Pam Bondi as the acting U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California.

The special election was declared on April 14 with a proclamation that was signed by Gov. Newsom and California Secretary of State Shirley Weber.

This election comes just two months after the district saw the primary election for the seat on June 24, where no candidate had secured the necessary 50% of the vote required to win the seat.

The results of that election were as follows:

Natasha Johnson (GOP): 26,735 votes (46.15%)
Chris Scholts (D): 25,557 votes (44.12%)
Vincent Romo (GOP): 4,881 votes (8.43%)
Zachary T. Consalvo (LIB): 756 votes (1.31%)

 

Johnson and Scholts will be competing against each other in the general election to see who the people of the 63rd District will elect as Essayli’s successor.

Before the primary election, Viewpoints had the opportunity to speak with Johnson and Scholts. We asked them a few questions on issues such as education, the Community College system and their plans for what they would do if elected to the assembly. 

QUESTIONS:

If you are elected to the State Assembly, what are your plans to help the California Community College System?
Johnson: We must lower the cost of higher education to make it attainable which includes tuition relief, textbook relief and increased grant assistance.

Scholts: As part-time Community College faculty and as a dual-enrollment instructor myself, I understand the importance of the system in getting a quality, affordable education. One of my own sons is a California Community College graduate and experienced both dual-enrollment and the transfer process. I will be an advocate for funding amidst state budget challenges and declining enrollment, will stump for (affordable) Community College housing options, will work to keep California Community Colleges an affordable post-secondary education option and will work to support an even smoother transfer process.

 

Why are you running for state assembly to succeed Bill Essayli?
Johnson: I am running for the state assembly because I want to continue to serve our region. I have served 12 years on the Lake Elsinore City Council, including four times as mayor. Our region is growing and we must ensure we bring jobs to our region to keep our graduating students close to home or bring them back home after they go to college.

Scholts: Because the people of Assembly District 63 deserve results. Not ugly, unproductive culture wars. As a legislator I will build coalitions, craft and effect meaningful policies and bring state resources to local communities to tackle the affordability crisis. As a father, educator, small-business owner, local union leader and first-generation college graduate from a blue-collar background, I am accessible and relatable to a broad swath of constituents. As a Democrat, I also have the best chance of any candidate in this race at getting things done.

 

What would be one of the first things you do in the Assembly, if elected?

Johnson: I would look to address California’s crushing cost of living by eliminating the gas tax that hurts young people and working families as well as eliminate red tape and onerous regulations that make home ownership so expensive.

Scholts: My first order of business is to pen and support legislation around affordability that Californians can actually feel in their day-to-day lives.

 

Who are some of the notable endorsements that you hold?

Johnson: There’s a great list of my colleagues that have endorsed me. Sheriff Chad Bianco, Congressman Ken Calvert, our District Attorney Mike Hestrin and even up in Sacramento, I would say Assemblyman James Gallagher. Having the endorsements of a lot of my colleagues, up and down the corridor and all the cities, that’s really important to me because those are the relationships I’m gonna need to work hard for and with. I (also) have some independents (as well as) also having Supervisor Chuck Washington.

Scholts: I’ve got a lot of local recognizable folks, so you know Congressman Mark Takano, Senator Sabrina Cervantes, county supervisor Jose Medina, got Jacque Casillas on the city council there in Corona. (I have) Morgan Singleton II on the Menifee School Board and of course there are a number of labor organizations representing education, the building trades and every section in between. 

 

If elected, what is your plan to do to handle the ongoing homeless and mental health issues in the district

Johnson: I think that California has taken the approach that throwing money at cleaning up encampments or opening, you know, different shelters or crisis stabilization places and that’s not the answer.

The answer is really a three prong approach. It’s about mental health services, addiction services as well as the enforcement and clean up of the encampments, making it more about being uncomfortable to be homeless and knowing that there are options in connecting them to services, something we worked on here locally. Since 2017, we’ve had really great success making people aware that there is services and truly being uncomfortable so they don’t stay comfortable and that really becomes the motivator, so I think a similar approach however at the state level. We need to put more funding into mental health services and provide more options. 

What I see at the local level is (that) we don’t have enough of that and it becomes somewhat of a stopgap when someone finally says yes to help and we can’t get them help because there’s, you know, a two month wait. They’re not gonna want help in two months, it’s a crisis situation so I think we need to relocate the way we spend our money on homelessness and continue to meet people where they are. I think a handup and not a handout is the strategy that we need to give.

Scholts: There’s quite a bit of, I want to say driving by each other in the night if we talk about resources that are available and what we do with from the state, whether that (is) from Prop 1 or from Prop 36 and Prop 47 savings. 

The question becomes how do we most effectively fund programs that work. So I wanna make sure that resources are getting to the local level and to the county and help them find their ways to organizations that are best equipped to handle that. So you know, you’ll look up Prop 36 and it’s an unfunded mandate at the moment but it’s not just about looking at crime, it is also about making sure we are able to provide organizations who can handle this treatment. So we need to get a global look at what our resources are and make sure they get into the hands of folks who are closest to the problem and can best address it. 

I know there are a lot of different concerns for business entities and for citizens and about encampments but this is not a problem that we obviously solve directly at a state level. 

 

What is your stance on the ongoing redistricting effort in the state legislature (AKA Prop 50)?
Johnson: Assemblyman Carl DeMaio reached out to me asking me about needing to co-author a response in response to what is happening. I’ll just say to you what I said to him was (that) I wasn’t in an official position to stand with the legislators as of yet. However, I strongly oppose the Governor’s attempt to hijack California’s independent redistricting commission and I believe that fair representation must be in the hands of the people, not the politicians.

Scholts: You know, this is one of those things where, and I’ve said this outloud in public spaces, I wish Texas wouldn’t have kicked this whole thing off. We have far bigger problems to solve that need solving and now we got this in the works. So, I would say we didn’t start this but probably (does) deserve some kind of response and I would rather that we be other things with our time and our resources at the moment. 

As much as I rather (that are) we (are) not (to) be involved in the whole redistricting thing, we kind of have to answer other states if they are gonna gerrymander. And ultimately, the voters get to say whether or not they want to do it, Prop 50, it’s at least hitting the ballot so that the people of California have a say, rather than the way of going about it in Texas. 

 

What advice do you have for students currently in/set to graduate from college or a university?
Johnson: Take advantage of the opportunities that come your way without fear. When considering opportunities, there is no such thing as a bad decision. If you take an opportunity and you later find it wasn’t what you had hoped for, there’s still time to seize another opportunity.

Scholts: Stay civically engaged, stay active in your community and stay strong. As students or graduates, there are some pretty tall challenges facing you as I see it, but you are the next generation of expert problem solvers whose charge it will be to shape California’s future for the betterment of all. Trust yourselves, take chances, and take charge.

CANDIDATE ENDORSEMENTS:

In addition to the endorsements that the candidate provided in the Q&A, here are some other public endorsements that the candidates have received.

Natasha Johnson (R):

Norco City Councilman Kevin Bash (2009-)
Riverside County Auditor-Controller Ben Benoit (2023-)
Assemblywoman Leticia Castillo of California’s 58th Assembly District (2024-)
U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California (2025-) and former Assemblyman Bill Essayli (2022-2025)
Assemblyman Carl DeMaio of California’s 34th Assembly District (2024-)
Assemblywoman Heath Flora of California’s 9th Assembly District (2016-)
Assemblyman Tom Lackey of California’s 34th Assembly District (2014-)
District 2 Lake Elsinore City Councilman Steve Manos (2012-)
California Republican Party Secretary Sayrs Morris (2025-)
Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez of California’s 71st Assembly District (2022-)
State Senator Kelly Seyarto of California’s 32nd Senatorial District (2022-)
Mayor of Lake Elsinore Brian Tisdale (2010-)
District 2 Riverside County Board Supervisor Karen Spiegel (2019-)
District 4 Riverside County Board Supervisor Chuck Washington (2015-)
Assemblyman Greg Wallis of California’s 47th Assembly District (2022-)
California Republican Party
Republican Party of Riverside County
California Young Republican Federation (CYRF)
California Republican Assembly
Western States Regional Council of Carpenters
Riverside Sheriffs’ Association

Chris Shoults (D)

Ward 2 Riverside City Councilwoman Clarissa Cervantes (2021-)
California Democratic Party
Riverside County Democratic Party
Democrats of Greater Riverside
Democrats of Southwest Riverside County
Democrats of Corona-Norco
Riverside County Young Democrats
California School Employees Association
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
California School Employees Association (CSEA)
SEIU California
Teamsters Joint Council 42
Teamsters Local 986
Teamsters Local 1932
UA Local 250
UA Local 364
UA Local 398

CANDIDATE CONTACT INFO:
Here is where you can study the candidates and receive more information on their policies as well as where you can contact the candidates directly on any questions you may have on their stances.

Chris Scholts (D):
(951) 606-1330
[email protected]
www.shoults4assembly.com
Natasha Johnson (GOP):
(951) 245-8848 (Business)
(951) 218-1459 (Personal)
[email protected]
www.natashajohnsonforassembly.com