Sade Elhawary

YIMBY Action endorses Assemblymember Sade Elhawary because she has stood up for more homes in Los Angeles when it counted. As a member of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, she was one of eight members who voted to advance SB 79, the landmark bill legalizing more homes near transit, at a critical moment last year. She also authored AB 1275, signed into law in 2025, which better ties regional housing goals to where jobs and transit actually are, so more homes get planned near opportunity. Elhawary represents South Los Angeles, where families face some of the highest rent burdens in the state, and she understands that building more homes is key to keeping her community affordable.

Sade Elhawary is the California State Assemblymember for District 57, representing Exposition Park, South Los Angeles, and Downtown Los Angeles, and advanced from the June 2026 primary in her bid for re-election. An educator and organizer born and raised in Los Angeles, she spent more than 12 years at Community Coalition, where she worked as a youth organizer, helped establish the Fremont High School Wellness Center, and played a role in founding the Nelson Mandela School for Social Justice. She holds a bachelor's degree from UCLA and a master's degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.