Politics in California usually gets painted with a broad brush. Blue. Deep blue. But if you actually spend time in California's 36th Congressional District, you realize it isn't just a monolith of liberal votes. It’s a massive economic engine.
The 36th is fascinating. It’s wealthy. It’s tech-heavy. It covers some of the most expensive real estate on the planet. We’re talking about a stretch of Los Angeles County that includes Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Culver City, and a huge chunk of the Westside. If you’ve ever walked down the Third Street Promenade or grabbed a coffee in Venice, you’ve been in the heart of this district.
Who Actually Represents the 36th?
Right now, Ted Lieu holds the seat. He’s been a fixture in California politics for a long time. Lieu is a former member of the California State Assembly and the State Senate, and he’s a Colonel in the Air Force Reserves. That military background is something people often overlook when they see him sparring with folks on social media.
Lieu took over after the 2022 redistricting. Before that, the lines were drawn differently. Redistricting is a messy, bureaucratic process that happens every ten years, and it completely shifted the 36th. It used to be centered further south and east. Now, it is the quintessential coastal L.A. seat.
The Redistricting Shakeup
In 2022, the California Citizens Redistricting Commission basically redrew the map. The "old" 36th was represented by Raul Ruiz and covered the desert areas like Palm Springs. If you're looking for information on the Coachella Valley, you're actually looking for the old maps. Today, the 36th is the Westside. This shift is vital to understand. When you look up historical data, you’ll see a massive "jump" in demographics and voting patterns because the district literally moved across the map.
Silicon Beach and the Economic Pulse
This district isn't just about celebrities and beach sunsets. It's the home of "Silicon Beach."
Think about the companies based here or with massive footprints in the 36th. Google has that huge "Binoculars" building in Venice. Snap Inc. (Snapchat) started here. You have a massive cluster of aerospace and defense contractors near El Segundo and the L.A. International Airport borders.
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- Tech and Innovation: Thousands of startups are headquartered in the district.
- The Entertainment Factor: Sony Pictures is in Culver City. That’s a massive employer and a cultural cornerstone.
- Tourism: From the Santa Monica Pier to the high-end shops on Rodeo Drive, the tax revenue generated here is staggering.
The 36th is one of the wealthiest districts in the United States. That brings a specific kind of political pressure. Voters here care deeply about climate change—because they live on the coast—but they also care about tax policy, homelessness, and the cost of living. It’s a weird tension. You have some of the most progressive voters in the country living right next to billionaires who are concerned about their capital gains.
The Homelessness Crisis on the Westside
You can't talk about California's 36th Congressional District without talking about homelessness. It is the defining local issue.
Venice Beach became a national flashpoint for the debate over encampments. You had residents who were fed up and felt unsafe, and you had advocates pointing out the systemic failure of the housing market. In the 36th, the contrast is jarring. You can see a $15 million modern architectural masterpiece and, two blocks away, a row of tents.
Ted Lieu has had to navigate this carefully. Federal policy on housing and Veterans Affairs (VA) land is a big deal here. The West LA VA Medical Center is a massive property in the district. For years, there has been a legal and political battle to get more veteran housing built on that land. It’s a slow-moving ship, but it represents how federal power actually touches the local ground in the 36th.
Why the 36th Matters Nationally
It’s easy to dismiss a safe Democratic seat as "unimportant" for national elections. That is a mistake.
The 36th is an ATM for the Democratic Party. Because of the wealth in places like Beverly Hills and the Pacific Palisades, the Representative for this district is often one of the most prolific fundraisers in Congress. When the DCCC (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee) needs to fund a tight race in a "purple" state like Pennsylvania or Arizona, a lot of that money starts in the 36th.
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Also, Ted Lieu holds a leadership position as the Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus. This gives the district a seat at the very top of the table. Decisions made about the national platform often have a "Westside" flavor because of this influence.
The Environmental Stakes
Coastal erosion isn't a theoretical concept here. It’s a property value killer.
In the 36th, the Pacific Ocean is the backyard. Residents are hyper-aware of sea-level rise and the health of the Santa Monica Bay. This is why you see such strong support for the Green New Deal or similar climate legislation in this specific corner of L.A.
There's also the issue of the Ballona Wetlands. It’s one of the last remaining wetlands in Los Angeles. There’s a constant tug-of-war between developers, environmentalists who want "active" restoration (which involves bulldozers and moving dirt), and "passive" environmentalists who want the land left alone. It’s a microcosm of the larger California environmental debate: How much should humans intervene to save nature from humans?
Nuance in the Vote
While the 36th is reliably blue, it’s not a monolith. The northern parts of the district, like the areas around the Santa Monica Mountains, have different concerns than the tech workers in Playa Vista. You have a significant Jewish population in the district that is very active in foreign policy discussions, particularly regarding U.S.-Israel relations. You have a growing Asian American community that is becoming a powerhouse in local school board and city council races.
If you look at the 2024 election cycles, the margins are huge, but the internal debates within the Democratic primary are where the real "war" happens. It’s a fight between the "establishment" liberals and the more "progressive" wing.
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Realities of Living in the 36th
Let’s be honest. Living here is a grind despite the palm trees.
Traffic on the 405 and the 10 is legendary for all the wrong reasons. The 36th is a victim of its own success. It’s a place where everyone wants to be, but almost nobody can afford to move into. The median home price in many of these zip codes is well over $2 million.
This creates a "missing middle" problem. Teachers, firefighters, and nurses who work in the 36th often have to commute from an hour away because they can't afford a condo in Culver City or an apartment in Santa Monica. This isn't just a "lifestyle" complaint; it’s an existential threat to how the district functions. If the people who make the city run can’t live in the city, the system eventually breaks.
Actionable Steps for Staying Informed
If you live in or are interested in the politics of California's 36th Congressional District, don't just look at the national news. National news is too broad.
- Follow the West LA VA Master Plan: If you want to see how federal land is used, track the progress of the veteran housing projects. This is a direct indicator of federal effectiveness.
- Check the Redistricting Maps Regularly: California’s boundaries change based on independent commissions. Stay updated on the California Citizens Redistricting Commission website to see if your neighborhood is still in the 36th.
- Engage with Town Halls: Ted Lieu is known for being active on social media, but his staff holds localized town halls. These are the best places to bring up specific issues like mail delivery problems or local infrastructure.
- Monitor Environmental Reports: Keep an eye on "Heal the Bay" beach report cards. For a coastal district, water quality is a primary economic and health metric.
- Look at the Local City Councils: Because the 36th includes several independent cities (like Santa Monica and Beverly Hills), federal policy often clashes with local zoning. Understanding your city council’s stance on housing is just as important as knowing your Congressman’s vote.
The 36th isn't just a spot on a map. It’s a massive, complicated, wealthy, and troubled slice of the American dream. It’s where the future of tech, the reality of the climate crisis, and the struggle for housing affordability all collide at once. Understanding it requires looking past the "Hollywood" stereotypes and seeing the actual people and policies that keep the Westside moving.