State of California California State Assembly Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua

Carlos Villapudua, a 55-year-old Democrat from Stockton, was elected to the State Assembly in 2020 after his predecessor and fellow Democrat Susan Eggman ran for State Senate. Villapudua won a tight race in the November 2020 general election, prevailing 51.6 percent to 48.4 percent over another fellow Democrat, Katherine Miller.

Now in his third term, Villapudua oversees a district that essentially comprises the western half of San Joaquin County.

Background

If there’s been a recurring theme to Villapudua’s political career, it’s to keep going after setbacks.

Two years prior to his election to the Assembly, Villapudua had run an unsuccessful primary campaign for Eggman’s seat, with Villapudua receiving 16.9 percent of the vote, Eggman receiving 52.6 percent and Republican challenger Antonio Garcia drawing 30.5 percent. And two years before that, Villapudua fell short in his run for mayor of Stockton to Michael Tubbs, who would capture national attention as the youngest mayor in city history.

But Villapudua had won before with voters, though, getting elected to the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors in 2008 after serving as legislative aide for a previous supervisor. Villapudua also pursued a business career prior to serving in the Assembly.

A 1997 graduate of California State University, Sacramento, Villapudua was born in and lives in Stockton. He has a wife and blended family of four daughters, according to the biography page on his Assembly website.

In 2022, Villapudua was one of two Assembly members to disclose, in speaking out against a bill to create safe drug injection sites, that they’d had a brother die related to complications from drug abuse.

Committees

Agriculture
Governmental Organization
Health
Job, Economic Development, and the Economy (chair)
Water, Parks, and Wildlife

Select Legislation

Legislation that Villapudua has worked on during his time in the Assembly includes the following:

• A.B. 701: Villapudua introduced a bill along with Democratic Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris to increase penalties for people who possess fentanyl for sale, ranging from an additional term of three years for one kilogram to 25 years for 80 kilos. “While we continue to provide resources for drug treatment and education, we cannot neglect the trafficking that spreads this poison throughout our community,” Villapudua said in a statement, according to the Associated Press. “One pill does kill; it only takes one time.”


• A.B 748: It’s not uncommon in California to see abandoned boats in various waterways. In February 2023, Villapudua introduced a bill that would form the California Abandoned and Derelict Commercial Vessel Program through the state’s natural resources agency. As of July 2023, the bill had passed the Assembly by an 80-0 vote and been referred to the Senate, where it’s currently awaiting a hearing in the Appropriations Committee.

District Boundaries and Office Locations

California’s 13th Assembly District includes the cities of Tracy and Stockton and doesn’t appear to have any land beyond the border of San Joaquin County. As such, Villapudua maintains the following offices:

• Capitol office: State Capitol, P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento, CA 94249 | Ph: (916) 319-2013 | F: (916) 319-2113


• District office: 4643 Quail Lakes Dr, Suite 200, Stockton, CA 95207 | Ph: (209) 948-7479 | F: (209) 465-5058

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