Rick Chavez Zbur | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2022 | |
| Member of theCalifornia State Assembly from the51st district | |
| Assumed office December 5, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Bloom |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1957-03-02)March 2, 1957 (age 68) New Mexico, U.S. |
| Political 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 theCalifornia State Assembly representing the51st district.
He is also a formerUnited States House of Representatives candidate.[1] He is a well-knownLGBT civil rights advocate and is active in theenvironmental movement. Zbur is also notable as the first openly gay non-incumbent U.S. congressional primary candidate to win an election.[2]
Zbur grew up on a farm in theRio Grande Valley of ruralNew Mexico with his mother, Erlinda Chavez Zbur. He currently lives inLos Angeles.[3] Zbur has distantSephardi Jewish ancestry.[4]
Zbur practicedenvironmental law for about three decades before retiring fromLatham & Watkins in 2014.[5] In 1996, Zbur ran for theUnited States House of Representatives in California's then Long Beach-based 38th congressional district against moderate GOP incumbentSteve Horn.[6] Zbur has also been a chair of theCalifornia League of Conservation Voters board of directors from 2011 to 2017.[7] Since 2014, Zbur has ledEquality California, the largestLGBT civil rights organization in California.[3]
Zbur is gay and has been a vocal leader in theLGBT civil rights movement for nearly four decades. In 2014, Zbur became the executive director ofEquality California, the largest LGBT civil rights organization in California.[3]
In the early 1980s, Zbur campaigned to fight against HIV/AIDS. He also helped found theChildren Affected by AIDS Foundation. In 1992, together with the LGBT community in Los Angeles, Zbur organized fundraisers forBill Clinton, thenGovernor of Arkansas, andBarbara Boxer, then aCongresswoman who was running for theU.S. Senate Both were elected.[8]
As an environmental lawyer, Zbur has been active in theenvironmental movement in California. He served as president of theCalifornia League of Conservation Voters from 2011 to 2017.[9]
In 1996, Zbur ran for theUnited States House of Representatives inCalifornia's 38th congressional district against Republican incumbentSteve 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, andMedicare.
In April 2020, Zbur announced that he would be running in the 2022Los Angeles City Attorney election.[10] He later decided not to compete in the election, instead running for the State Assembly.[11]
In 2021, Zbur announced a run for the California State in Assembly District 51, a newly re-drawn district which includesHollywood,Beverly Hills,Westwood Village, andSanta Monica. He won the primary and then the general election in 2022.[12]
Zbur is a member of theCalifornia Legislative Progressive Caucus.[13]
In 2025, Zbur led opposition in the California State Assembly against SB 79, bipartisan legislation to increase housing supply in California amid ahousing shortage. The legislation, which passed, permitted dense housing near major public transit stations. Zbur gave a speech defending single-family exclusive zoning.[14]
| 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 | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| 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 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| 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 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
