Los Angeles City Council-member Bob Blumenfield has confirmed to Valley News Group that he will run for the California State Senate’s 27th district in 2028. The seat will be open as Senator Henry Stern is in his final term.
There are nearly one million residents of the 27th Senate District, which includes Calabasas, Woodland Hills, Tarzana, Encino, Canoga Park, West Hills, Moorpark, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park, North Hills, Sylmar, Porter Ranch, Granada Hills, Chatsworth, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, North Hollywood, Valley Glen, part of Van Nuys, part of Northridge and part of Santa Clarita.
The main responsibilities of a state senator include creating and voting on state laws, adopting the state’s budget, representing the interests of their constituents, and confirming certain gubernatorial appointments.
Stern was first elected to the post in 2016, and his main priorities have been legislating sustainable practices and protecting California’s natural resources.
He currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies and Chair of Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management. He also serves as the Senate’s Ex Officio member to the California Air Resources Board (CARB). From 2018 to 2022, as Chair of the Senate Natural Resources & Water Committee, Senator Stern spearheaded building decarbonization efforts to reduce indoor air pollution caused by fossil fuels. He authored SB 1477, establishing the Technology and Equipment for Clean Heating initiative, which provided $200 million in incentives for low-emission space and water-heating technologies in existing buildings. Additionally, he authored SB 801, requiring Southern California Edison and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to deploy cost-effective, grid-connected energy storage solutions to reduce natural gas demand.
Senator Stern also currently serves as a member of three standing Senate Policy Committees: Judiciary; Natural Resources and Water; and Energy, Utilities, and Communications.
Bob Blumenfield served in the State Assembly from 2008-2013 and was elected three times to represent the West San Fernando Valley on the LA City Council for the third district, which covers Woodland Hills, Winnetka, Tarzana, Reseda and Canoga Park.
In September 2018, Blumenfield proposed an ordinance supported by animal rights organizations and activists to ban the sale and manufacture of new fur products in Los Angeles. The ordinance was approved by the City Council and Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2019, making Los Angeles at that point the largest city in the United States to have banned fur sales. The law went into effect in 2021. In December 2024, amid a housing shortage in Los Angeles, Blumenfield voted against a proposal to allow mid-sized mixed-income and affordable housing apartment buildings near public transit stations in some neighborhoods exclusively zoned for single-family houses. He said, “I worry about the solutions that are proposed as being a little bit too one-size-fits-all.” He opposed the construction of 220 affordable housing units in Reseda, arguing “large scale apartments should not be wedged in-between single family homes by right.” Before serving in public office, he worked for the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and was a longtime staffer to Congressman Howard Berman. For decades he also served on many non-profit boards including the Anti-Defamation League and the LA League of Conservation Voters.
Asked why he was running for the State Senate, Blumenfield said, “I think bringing a local approach to Sacramento will be invaluable as we continue to address affordability, homelessness and so many other critical issues.”
