Labor Leader and Former Democratic Party of Orange County Chair Ada Briceño’s Campaign for Assembly Announces a Stunning $400,000+ Raised in Under Six Months
CYPRESS, CA – In an impressive demonstration of her powerful coalition building and organizational strength, Unite Here Local 11 Co-President and former Democratic Party of Orange County Chair Ada Briceño positioned herself as an undeniable fundraising frontrunner in the race to succeed Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva in District 67. Today, the campaign announced more than $400,000 raised in less than six months, with over $389,000 reported in her first fundraising period ending June 30.
Briceño’s substantial $400,000 total, paired with dozens of early endorsements from a diverse and broad coalition of federal, state, and local elected officials, labor unions, working families, educators, veterans, and community leaders illustrates her strong viability and wide-ranging appeal as a proven leader and fierce advocate for working people.
“Raising more than $400,000 in just six months is more than a milestone—it’s a movement,” said Ada Briceño, candidate for Assembly District 67. “I’m grateful to everyone who believes in our movement to bring the voices of working families to the state capitol. We’re coming together to tackle the housing crisis, lower the cost of living, create middle-class jobs, and invest in the future of every student through strong public schools. I’m inspired and ready to fight alongside my community to build a brighter future for all Californians.”
Ada Briceño has quickly built a diverse coalition of early support from local, state, and federal elected leaders and working family organizations, including:
* National Union of Healthcare Workers
* UNITE HERE California State Council
* UNITE HERE Local 2
* UNITE HERE Local 11
* UNITE HERE Local 19
* UNITE HERE Local 30
* United Auto Workers Region 6
* American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL–CIO Local 3299
* International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 13
* United Steelworkers Local 675
* United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE) Western Region
* United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP)
* Dolores Huerta Action Fund
* VALOR
* U.S. Representative Derek Tran
* U.S. Representative Ro Khanna
* U.S. Representative Jimmy Gomez
* Former U.S. Representative Katie Porter
* California State Treasurer Fiona Ma, CPA
* California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond
* California State Senator María Elena Durazo
* California State Senator Bob Archuleta
* California State Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas
* California State Senator Lena Gonzalez
* California State Senator Scott Wiener
* California State Assembly Democratic Caucus Chair Rick Chavez Zbur
* California State Assemblymember Avelino Valencia
* California State Assemblymember Liz Ortega
* California State Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo
* California State Assemblymember Matt Haney
* Former California State Assemblymember Chris Holden
* Former California State Senator Joe Dunn
* Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento
* Cypress City Mayor Pro Tem Leo Medrano
* Stanton Mayor Pro Tem Donald Torres
* Costa Mesa Mayor Pro Tem Manuel Chavez
* Santa Ana City Councilmember Jessie Lopez
* Santa Ana City Councilmember Jonathan Hernandez
* Irvine City Councilmember Kathleen Treseder
* Irvine City Councilmember Melinda Liu
* Garden Grove City Councilmember Arianna Arestegui
* Garden Grove City Councilmember Phillip Nguyen
* Garden Grove City Councilmember Yesenia Muñeton
* Former Garden Grove City Councilmember Diedre Nguyen
* La Habra City Councilmember Daren Nigsarian
* Tustin City Councilmember Lee Fink
* Fountain Valley City Councilmember Glen Grandis
* Former Stanton Mayor Sal Sapien
* Fullerton School District Trustee Aaruni Thakur
* Fullerton School District Trustee Vanesa Estrella
* Fullerton Joint High School District Trustee Vicki Calhoun
* South Orange County Community College District Board of Trustees Vice President Ryan Dack
* Fountain Valley School Board Trustee Steve Schultz
* Ocean View School District Trustee Gina Clayton-Tarvin
* La Habra City School District Trustee Minerva Siguenza Gomez
* Democratic Party of Orange County Chair Florice Hoffman
* Democratic Party of Orange County Vice Chair Lauren Johnson-Norris
* Democratic Party of Orange County Vice Chair Eugene Fields
* Democratic Party of Orange County Treasurer Luis Andres Perez
* Democratic Party of Orange County Secretary Lisa Fenning
* Democratic Party of Orange County Parliamentarian Alan Fenning
* California Democratic Party Regional Director Deborah Cunningham-Skurnik
* Los Angeles City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez
* Santa Clara County Supervisor Otto Lee
* North Orange County Community College District Trustee Stephen Blount
* West Hollywood Mayor John Erickson
* Lynwood City Councilmember Juan Muñoz-Guevara
* Riverside City Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes
*Titles listed for identification purposes only.
ABOUT ADA
Ada Briceño’s story is the embodiment of the California dream. Born in Nicaragua under a hostile dictatorship that threatened their lives, Ada and her family left when she was just seven years old to build a better life in California. Like so many other immigrants, they struggled to get by. Ada began working at just 14 years old, making $3 an hour to help support her family. At 18, she became a hotel desk clerk and joined the union, which would change the trajectory of her life.
Ada rose quickly to union leadership, and at age 26, she became the first Latina President of her union. Today, Ada serves as Co-President of UNITE HERE Local 11, representing more than 32,000 hotel workers in Los Angeles County, Orange County and Arizona where she has empowered thousands of hotel housekeepers and dishwashers to find their voice and helped lead the largest hotel strike in U.S. history. This historic strike set a new standard of living for all hospitality workers.
In cities across Southern California, Ada has driven groundbreaking policy campaigns to continue improving working people’s lives. In 2024, Ada led the passage of Measure RW, a minimum wage increase for hundreds of low-wage workers in Long Beach. She was also instrumental in passing laws to protect workers from sexual assault and human trafficking. Under Ada’s leadership, her union helped pass funding to build thousands of new affordable housing units and protect renters from being displaced while ensuring financial accountability and transparency throughout the project.
During the COVID pandemic, when up to 90% of hospitality workers lost their jobs, Ada was a driving force in passing state legislation sponsored by Local 11 to ensure a right for these workers to return to their jobs when the pandemic ended, saving jobs across California. Each of these legislative victories has become a model for state and local government leaders around the country in their efforts to make the American economy work for everyone.
In 2019, Ada was elected Chair of the Democratic Party of Orange County, where she’s led efforts to achieve dozens of landmark victories, secured a historic Democratic majority on the Orange County Board of Supervisors, led voter registration and voter protection efforts resulting in a Democratic voter registration advantage for the first time, and has built the most diverse and inclusive Democratic Party Orange County has ever seen. As Chair, she encouraged and supported women running for office and uplifted under-represented voices, including immigrants, the working poor, and communities of color. And in 2020, Ada was elected as a Democratic National Committee Member representing California.
Previously, Ada served as a board member of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund of Orange and San Bernardino Counties and currently serves as a member of the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s Environmental Justice Advisory Committee and County Commissioner on the OC Human Relations Commission.
Now, Ada is running for California State Assembly to put her experience and drive to work for our district—fighting for livable wages, lowering the cost of living, and expanding the middle class, while investing in education and job training programs to ensure all Californians have the opportunity to achieve their full potential. In the Assembly, she’ll defend access to abortion and other lifesaving reproductive healthcare services, advocate for universal healthcare for all, and enact innovative solutions to safeguard our residents, neighborhoods, and businesses against the devastating impacts of the climate crisis.
Ada has lived in Orange County for more than 30 years and calls Cypress home.
For more information, please visit adabriceno.com <http://adabriceno.com> .