Pini Herman
Pini Herman (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent California's 30th Congressional District. He lost in the primary on June 2, 2026.
Herman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Pini Herman graduated from Fairfax High School. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California in 1990. His career experience includes working as a community organizer.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: California's 30th Congressional District election, 2026
California's 30th Congressional District election, 2026 (June 2 top-two primary)
General election
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for U.S. House California District 30
Incumbent Laura Friedman and Scott Meyers are running in the general election for U.S. House California District 30 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Laura Friedman (D) | |
 | Scott Meyers (R)  | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House California District 30
The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. House California District 30 on June 2, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Laura Friedman (D) | 52.7 | 102,384 |
| ✔ | | Scott Meyers (R) | 16.6 | 32,216 |
 | Cameron Tennyson (D) | 13.8 | 26,756 | |
 | John Armenian (No party preference) | 5.3 | 10,341 | |
 | Dennis Feitosa (R) | 4.7 | 9,084 | |
 | Joel Lava (D) | 4.2 | 8,210 | |
 | Pini Herman (D) | 2.8 | 5,360 | |
| Total votes: 194,351 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Darrell Reeves (D)
- Alan Starzinski (D)
Endorsements
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Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Pini Herman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Herman's responses.
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I have collected and analyzed hundreds of survey responses across many neighborhoods. What I found is that people are not dealing with one problemâthey face overlapping pressures from housing, food, healthcare, and transportation.
Housing is central. Costs are too high, and homes are quietly leaving the long-term rental market. As units disappear, rents rise, forcing people to move. Seniors on fixed incomes must choose between rent, medicine, or food.
By reviewing city housing records, I found thousands of homes meant for low- and moderate-income residents are not being used as required, while illegal short-term rentals remove housing from the market.
This is also a representation problem. Congress has been capped at 435 members since 1911 while the population has more than tripled, diluting each voterâs voice.
I am running to bring real data, accountability, and stronger representation, and to fight for affordable homes for working families and seniors.- 1. I go where others donât and listen directly to residents. I have personally visited communities across the districtâplaces many candidates have not set foot inâand collected and analyzed hundreds of survey responses across more than two dozen neighborhoods. This work shows that families are facing overlapping pressures from housing, food, healthcare, and transportation. My campaign is grounded in what people are actually experiencing, not what policymakers assume.
- 2. Housing costs are rising because supply is being lost and misused. Homes are quietly leaving the long-term rental market, driving rents higher and forcing people to move. Seniors on fixed incomes and working families are being priced out. My research found thousands of units meant for low- and moderate-income residents are not being used as required, while illegal short-term rentals are removing housing from the market.
- 3. Representation has not kept up with population growth. Congress has been capped at 435 members since 1911, even as the population has more than tripled. As districts have grown larger, each voterâs voice carries less weight. I am running to bring stronger representation, accountability, and a closer connection between people and their government.
Through my survey work, I have found that housing, food, healthcare, and transportation costs overlap and compound, creating real strain on households.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- â Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on April 21, 2026
