Assembly Majority Ian Calderon Announces That He Will Not Seek Re-Election in 2020.

Calderon’s office did not respond to calls from the Globe regarding his departure, but additional factors, such as his uncles, former state Senator Ron Calderon and former Assemblyman Tom Calderon, being charged with bribery in 2016, may have played a part in this decision.

“‘Wanting to spend time with my family’, is almost always code for something”, explained ‘Dana’, who works at the state capitol building in Sacramento. “Sometimes it’s because they’re facing hot water for something and they leave under that reason like [former Congressman] Gary Condit did over the Chandra Levy affair in 2003. Other times it means they’re taking a year or two off before going for higher office. It’s what Mitt Romney said on not wanting to run for another office after being the Massachusetts governor in 2007, only to run for president the next year. And then in 2012. And then he became a Senator earlier this year.”

“Family is rarely the only factor, so if he wasn’t worried about his family name being tainted from his uncles, he may be taking his time off before running for a bigger office. He’s a young, 34-year-old Democrat in California who led the Assembly. His dad [Former Assembly Majority Leader Charles Calderon] was California political royalty. Others in his position, like [Congresswoman] Nanette Barragan moved ahead after leaving for a bit. Chances are we’ll see him again in 2022 or 2024. Politicians like him don’t walk away for too long.”

His pulling out of the 2020 election also frees up the 57th district, which covers Southeast LA County. While it has a history of being slightly more blue, it has proved to be a swing district when no long-term incumbent is running, much like the 2014 Assembly election when he barely won with 51% of the vote to Republican challenger Rita Topalian.