Neva Parker seeks Assembly District 5 seat

Neva Parker, a Democrat, is running for California State Assembly District 5 in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. She faces Republican Joe Patterson.

Asked why she is seeking office, Parker said in our candidate questionnaire: "I am running for this office to restore focus on the needs of everyone in the district. What one believes politically does not negate their right to representation."

Candidate information

Party: "I am a registered Democrat," Parker said in our questionnaire.

Residence: Parker said she and her husband have made Roseville their home for over two decades, according to her campaign website. She said she was born and raised in Hercules, California.

Family: "I have been married for 23 years to my husband, Dennis," Parker said in our questionnaire. Asked whether anyone in her family works in politics or government, Parker said: "No one in my family works in politics or government."

Education: "I graduated from the University of California, Davis with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and from St. Mary's College of California with a Master of Arts degree in Leadership," Parker said in our questionnaire.

Experience and public service

Parker said in our questionnaire: "I started my career in public service working for the City of Hercules Parks and Recreation Department. After that, while I was in college at UC Davis, I started working for the legislature in the Office of the Chief Clerk as an intern."

She added: "As Journal Clerk, I was in charge of the official record of the Senate for several years, and helped run the Senate and the Assembly Desks. During those 26 years, I also worked on teams that helped build several of the computer systems used by the legislature, including the online California Legislative Information System."

According to BallotReady profile data, Parker served as a proofreader in the Assembly from 1998 to 1999, then as assistant clerk from 1999 to 2002. She later held roles as history clerk at the Senate Desk from 2005 to 2014, journal clerk from 2014 to 2019, and assistant consultant in the Senate Rules Committee from 2019 to 2023. She is also listed as former owner of Maximum Nutrition of Folsom from 2002 to 2018.

Asked about previous and current appointed offices, Parker said in our questionnaire: "I am an appointed member of the Roseville Grants Advisory Commission and the Placer County Older Adult Advisory Commission." Her campaign website also lists volunteer work with the Assistance League of Greater Placer and Feeding the Foothills.

Asked what accomplishments show she can handle the job, Parker said: "As someone who was in charge of the official record of the Senate and tracked bills through both houses of the legislature, I am well versed in the rules and processes of both houses. Once elected, I will have no learning curve."

On the issues

Asked about differences between herself and her opponent, Parker said in our questionnaire: "Although the race might be partisan, the job is not. This is the critical difference between me and my opponent and is in fact, what ultimately compelled me to run against him."

On the economy, Parker said on her campaign issues page that she would work to cut red tape and expand access to capital for entrepreneurs. She also said she opposes a mileage-based tax, calling it an unfair burden on working families.

On public safety, Parker said she would work to ensure funding for treatment programs and local courts tied to Proposition 36, which she said passed with strong support but without needed funding.

On education, Parker said on her campaign issues page that she would "challenge any effort that threatens a child's access to education, jeopardizes a student's safety, or that compromises education quality."