Avelino Valencia

Assemblymember Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim) represents California's 68th Assembly District, encompassing the Orange County cities of Anaheim, Santa Ana, and Orange ^[1,2]. A first-generation college graduate raised by immigrant parents who built a small business, Valencia brings a background in education, athletics, and local government to Sacramento, where he chairs the Assembly Banking and Finance Committee ^[2,3]. While his policy positions often diverge from CFC priorities, his deep roots in family life, community service, and dedication to education present genuine shared values worth recognizing ^[3,4]. With a 13% CFC Biblical Values Scorecard rating, Valencia's voting record has consistently placed him at considerable distance from the California Family Council's worldview framework on the sanctity of life (Chapter 6), parental authority in education (Chapter 8), and religious liberty (Chapter 9).

Avelino Valencia was born on November 12, 1988, in Anaheim, California, to parents of Mexican descent who immigrated to the United States and built a successful small business ^[1,2,3]. Growing up in Orange County, Valencia attended local public schools and graduated from Katella High School before earning an associate degree from Fullerton College, a bachelor's degree in political science from San Jose State University in 2011, and a Master of Public Administration in government and policy from Johns Hopkins University in 2020 ^[1,2,3]. His educational journey from community college to an Ivy League-caliber graduate program exemplifies the kind of upward mobility and personal discipline that families can admire.

When Assemblymember Daly announced his retirement in 2022, Valencia launched his campaign for the newly drawn 68th Assembly District. He won the June 2022 primary with approximately 48.3 percent of the vote in a four-candidate field, then defeated Republican Mike Tardif in the November general election ^[1,4]. He was reelected in 2024, again defeating Tardif ^[1]. Since taking office in December 2022, Valencia has served as Chair of the Assembly Banking and Finance Committee, been appointed Commissioner to the California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission, and served on several committees including Budget, Insurance, Military and Veterans Affairs, and Governmental Organization ^[1,2,3]. His legislative portfolio has focused on government accountability and transparency, workforce support, and consumer protection.

His 17.6% Biblical Values Scorecard rating across 74 scored floor votes reflects consistent divergence from CFC's worldview framework. His voting record has supported abortion access expansion over the sanctity of human life, government-directed education over parental authority and school choice, and progressive social mandates over religious liberty protections.

Valencia is married to his high school sweetheart, Dr. Monica Valencia, who serves as a local elementary school principal ^[2,3]. Their shared commitment to education and deep roots in the Anaheim community reflect the kind of stable, family-centered life that CFC champions. In December 2024, Valencia announced his candidacy for the California State Senate in 2026, seeking to represent the 34th Senate District and replace termed-out Senator Tom Umberg ^[1,4]. He continues to describe his motivation as rooted in the values his immigrant parents instilled in him and his desire to deliver results for the communities where he was born and raised ^[3,4].