Fil-Am candidate declares victory in California Senate primary
SAN FRANCISCO – Former West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon is gearing up to become the first Filipino American to serve in the California Senate as he advances to the November runoff for the 3rd District seat.
Cabaldon, a Democrat, and Republican candidate Thom Bogue have emerged as front-runners in the primary election. They will compete in November to represent the 3rd District, which includes all of Napa and Solano counties, along with parts of Yolo, Sonoma, Sacramento and Contra Costa counties.
Christopher Cabaldon traces his Filipino roots to Vigan, Ilocos Sur and Legaspi, Albay. Photo from Twitter/FOX40 News
Although the vote will be finalized April 12, Cabaldon has declared victory, as he leads two other Democratic opponents with 26.6 percent of the vote.
Republican challenger Thom Bogue is ahead with a narrow lead at 27.8 percent.
In a press release declaring his victory, Cabaldon also announced that his main competitor – fellow Fil-Am Rozzana Verder-Aliga, who currently serves as vice mayor of Vallejo – had conceded to him for the second slot.
Cabaldon said Verder-Aliga had one request, to “please take care of Vallejo.”
“I gave her my word that I will fight for the community she calls home,” he said.
“Now we move forward to the November general election, facing a pro-Trump Republican who is out of step with our district’s values and made clear during the primary that he will stand in the way of bold climate action, civil and reproductive rights, housing affordability and getting results to reduce homelessness.”
Cabaldon said that if he wins in November, “we’ll be adding seats to the table. I’ll be the first Filipino-American to serve in the California Senate.”
“Given the historic prominence of the Filipino American community in Vallejo, Fairfield-Suisun, Yolo and the Sacramento Delta, it just makes sense that the 3rd District would be the place where history gets made and from where more of our stories will be told,” he added.
He has vowed to support the Fil-Am community by addressing anti-Asian hate and the challenges faced by Filipino entrepreneurs, and promoting Fil-Am culture and heritage.
Cabaldon traces his Filipino roots to Vigan, Ilocos Sur and Legaspi, Albay.
Cabaldon served as West Sacramento’s mayor for 22 years, worked in the Assembly for eight years as chief of staff to the Appropriations Committee chairperson and staff director for the Committee on Higher Education.
As mayor, Cabaldon transformed West Sacramento into “America’s most Livable City” and one of the world’s “21 Smart Cities to Watch.”
Cabaldon helped lead the groundbreaking White House celebration of Filipino American Heritage Month and mobilized an unprecedented nationwide bipartisan coalition of mayors to fight for the passage of the Filipino Veterans Fairness Act.
For these efforts, the Filipino American National Historical Society honored him with its award for Outstanding Historical Contribution.
