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Big Oil Backing: Assemblymember Chris Holden Emerges as Challenger to LA Supervisor Kathryn Barger's Nonpartisan Seat.
Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), who is challenging Los Angeles Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s nonpartisan seat in the county’s Fifth District in the 2024 election, has been historically backed by big oil companies.
According to financial records, Holden—who has been in the assembly since 2012—received nearly $172,000 in contributions from oil and gas companies for his 2022 re-election bid. His term ends next year.
Pacific Gas & Electric, Chevron, Sempra Energy, Edison International, and the California Independent Petroleum Association were among the largest donations to Holden in 2021.
Meanwhile, Barger has received several endorsements from high-profile labor unions, including the Los Angeles County Firefighters, Local 1014; the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs; the Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association; the Los Angeles / Orange County Building and Construction Trades Council; the Electrical Workers IBEW Local 11; and the SEIU Local 721.
“I always tell people labor is the heart and soul of LA County,” Barger said in a statement. “Each and every one of those unions that endorse me are the working class that are waking up every day doing a job … sheriff’s deputies, firefighters and social workers now putting their lives on the line, doing their passion. And it’s an honor to have their support.”
LA’s fifth district makes up Antelope, Crescenta, and Santa Clarita Valleys, and parts of the San Gabriel and San Fernando Valleys.
The election is next year on March 5.