Rivas, 50, has been in the state Assembly for six years, where she has focused on climate and environmental concerns, including plastic pollution, resilience to extreme heat and climate change education in schools. The North Hollywood Democrat has also introduced bills related to worker safety, education and homelessness.
She studied electrical engineering at MIT and earned a master’s degree in education from Harvard. Before entering politics, Rivas ran a Pacoima-based nonprofit organization called DIY Girls, which encourages girls to pursue educations and careers in science, math, engineering, art and technology.
She has been endorsed by many key Los Angeles-area Democrats, including Cárdenas, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, as well as by major labor unions, including the California Labor Federation and the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor.
Rivas finished first in the March congressional primary, with 49.3% of the vote. If elected, she will be the first Latina to represent the district in Congress.
Bernal, 60, a longtime Valley resident and community advocate, has run for Congress and the Los Angeles City Council several times before.
A leader in the Valley’s secession movement, the Republican served on the board of the nonprofit that pushed a failed 2002 ballot measure that would have carved out the Valley from the city of Los Angeles.
Bernal worked for the Los Angeles Unified School District as a school bus driver and supervisor. He said he retired early in 2021 after the district mandated that employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 and refused to honor his request for a religious exemption.
He was previously an elected vice president with SEIU Local 99, the union that represents service employees including public school bus drivers and teachers’ assistants.
The California GOP and the Los Angeles County Republican Party have endorsed Bernal, who finished second to Rivas in this year’s all-party primary with 26.4% of the vote.