Rick Chavez Zbur | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2022 | |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 51st district | |
| Assumed office December 5, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Bloom |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 2, 1957 New Mexico, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Residence(s) | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Education | Yale University (BA) Harvard University (JD) |
| Website | https://www.rickchavezzbur.com/ |
Rick Chavez Zbur (born March 2, 1957) is an American attorney currently serving in the California State Assembly representing the 51st district.
He is also a former United States House of Representatives candidate.[1] He is a well-known LGBT civil rights advocate and is active in the environmental movement. Zbur is also notable as the first openly gay non-incumbent U.S. congressional primary candidate to win an election.[2]
Personal life
[edit]Zbur grew up on a farm in the Rio Grande Valley of rural New Mexico with his mother, Erlinda Chavez Zbur. He currently lives in Los Angeles.[3] Zbur has distant Sephardi Jewish ancestry.[4]
Career
[edit]
Zbur practiced environmental law for about three decades before retiring from Latham & Watkins in 2014.[5] In 1996, Zbur ran for the United States House of Representatives in California's then Long Beach-based 38th congressional district against moderate GOP incumbent Steve Horn.[6] Zbur has also been a chair of the California League of Conservation Voters board of directors from 2011 to 2017.[7] Since 2014, Zbur has led Equality California, the largest LGBT civil rights organization in California.[3]
Activism
[edit]LGBT rights
[edit]Zbur is openly gay and has been a vocal leader in the LGBT civil rights movement for nearly four decades. In 2014, Zbur became the executive director of Equality California, the largest LGBT civil rights organization in California.[3]
HIV/AIDS
[edit]In the early 1980s, Zbur campaigned to fight against HIV/AIDS. He also helped found the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation. In 1992, together with the LGBT community in Los Angeles, Zbur organized fundraisers for Bill Clinton, then Governor of Arkansas, and Barbara Boxer, then a Congresswoman who was running for the U.S. Senate Both were elected.[8]
Environmental movement
[edit]As an environmental lawyer, Zbur has been active in the environmental movement in California. He served as president of the California League of Conservation Voters from 2011 to 2017.[9]
Political campaigns
[edit]1996 U.S. House of Representatives run
[edit]In 1996, Zbur ran for the United States House of Representatives in California's 38th congressional district against Republican incumbent Steve Horn, a two-term moderate. He became the first openly gay non-incumbent congressional primary candidate to win an election when he won the Democratic primary election on March 26, 1996. He then went on to lose the general election to Horn.[2]
During his congressional campaign, Zbur's key legislative priorities included environmental protection, Social Security, and Medicare.
2022 Los Angeles City Attorney election announcement
[edit]In April 2020, Zbur announced that he would be running in the 2022 Los Angeles City Attorney election.[10] He later decided not to compete in the election, instead running for the State Assembly.[11]
California State Assembly (2022–present)
[edit]Election
[edit]In 2021, Zbur announced a run for the California State in Assembly District 51, a newly re-drawn district which includes Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Westwood Village, and Santa Monica. He won the primary and then the general election in 2022.[12]
Zbur is a member of the California Legislative Progressive Caucus.[13]
Tenure
[edit]In 2025, Zbur led opposition in the California State Assembly against SB 79, bipartisan legislation to increase housing supply in California amid a housing shortage. The legislation, which passed, permitted dense housing near major public transit stations. Zbur gave a speech defending single-family exclusive zoning.[14]
Electoral history
[edit]U.S. House of Representatives
[edit]| Primary election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
| Democratic | Rick Zbur | 21,190 | 51.39 | ||
| Democratic | Peter Mathews | 20,041 | 48.61 | ||
| Total votes | 41,231 | 100.00 | |||
| General election | |||||
| Republican | Steve Horn (incumbent) | 88,136 | 52.57 | ||
| Democratic | Rick Zbur | 71,627 | 42.73 | ||
| Green | William Yeager | 4,610 | 2.75 | ||
| Libertarian | Paul Gautreau | 3,272 | 1.95 | ||
| Total votes | 167,645 | 100.00 | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
California State Assembly
[edit]| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Rick Zbur | 53,522 | 61.6 | |
| Democratic | Louis Abramson | 33,300 | 38.4 | |
| Total votes | 86,822 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Rick Zbur | 76,110 | 54.9 | |
| Democratic | Louis Abramson | 62,647 | 45.1 | |
| Total votes | 138,757 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Rick Zbur (incumbent) | 76,838 | 78.3 | |
| Republican | Stephen Hohil | 10,710 | 10.9 | |
| Republican | Shiva Bagheri | 10,610 | 10.8 | |
| Total votes | 98,158 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Rick Zbur (incumbent) | 154,114 | 75.0 | |
| Republican | Stephan Hohil | 51,365 | 25.0 | |
| Total votes | 205,479 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
References
[edit]- ^ California's 38th Congressional District. Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
- ^ a b "Statement of the Vote, March 26, 1996: United States Representative in Congress by District" (PDF). California Secretary of State. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
- ^ a b c "Rick Zbur takes helm of Equality California". The Desert Sun. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
- ^ "Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur Joins CA Legislative Jewish Caucus; California State Assembly Democratic Caucus" (Press release). February 1, 2023.
- ^ "Richard (Rick) S. Zbur". www.lw.com. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
- ^ Shuit, Douglas P. (1996-10-25). "Democrats Use All Their Weapons to Try to Unseat Horn". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
- ^ "Equality California's Rick Zbur honored as an environmentalist". Los Angeles Blade: LGBT News, Rights, Politics, Entertainment. 2018-11-28. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
- ^ "Rick Zbur to Take Helm as EQCA Executive Director[dead link]". Outword Magazine. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
- ^ "Rick Zbur". California League of Conservation Voters. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
- ^ Laird, Cynthia. (2020-04-07). "EQCA's Zbur to run for LA city attorney". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
- ^ "Statewide Direct Primary Election - June 7, 2022". Los Angeles County. July 1, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
- ^ "Biography | Official Website - Assembly Democratic Caucus Chair Rick Chavez Zbur Representing California's 51st Assembly District". a51.asmdc.org. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
- ^ "Legislative Progressive Caucus". assembly.ca.gov. California State Assembly. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ "SB 79 Passes Assembly, Still Needs Senate "Concurrence" Before the Governor's Desk". cal.streetsblog.org. 2025-09-12.
- ^ "March 26, 1996, Primary Election - United States Representative in Congress" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
- ^ "November 5, 1996, General Election - United States Representative in Congress" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
- ^ "June 7, 2022, Primary Election - State Assemblymember" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
- ^ "November 8, 2022, General Election - State Assemblymember" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
- ^ "March 5, 2024, Presidential Primary Election - State Assemblymember" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
- ^ "November 5, 2024, General Election - State Assemblymember" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
