Brian Goldsmith has filed papers with the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission indicating his intent to run for California State Senate in the June 2026 Primary. Goldsmith, a lifelong Democrat, is running for the District 24 seat currently held by Sen. Ben Allen. Allen cannot run again due to term limits.
The 24th State Senatorial District stretches westward from West Hollywood to Agoura Hills and Malibu, and then down the coast to Rancho Palos Verdes. It includes Beverly Hills, where Goldsmith, his wife and two children have resided for the past nine years. Goldsmith, 42, was raised in Brentwood, but his family’s deep ties to Beverly Hills extend back for generations.
Goldsmith himself is an award-winning journalist, entrepreneur and Democratic consultant. Through his firm, Kona Media, he has advised candidates, nonprofits, and companies, and helped elect several Democratic members of Congress. He also founded Scriber, a text-based subscription service in Los Angeles. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Stanford Law School and was a member of the inaugural class of Presidential Leadership Scholars, a program co-founded by former Presidents Clinton and Bush.
In describing his motivation to enter politics, Goldsmith told the Courier, “I was born and raised in this district, and my family and I have called Beverly Hills home since 2016. This community is in our blood—my grandparents moved to Beverly Hills in 1952 and thought they arrived in heaven. I never expected to run for office but we’re at a critical moment: too many people believe California’s future won’t be as bright as our past. Politics as usual can’t get us out of this; we need new voices and fresh perspectives in Sacramento. My mission will be to listen to my neighbors, here and across the district, and work for better results from our state government.”
In addition to Goldsmith, announced candidates for Allen’s seat include Dr. Sion Roy, the vice-chair of the Santa Monica College Board of Trustees; West Hollywood City Councilman John Erickson; Ellen Evans, one of the founders of the Doheny Sunset Plaza Neighborhood Association; former Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor Eric Alegria; Vice President of the Los Angeles Planning Commission Mike Newhouse; Brittany McKinley, a Los Angeles City Commissioner; and Kristina Irwin, a Republican real estate agent and activist.
The two candidates with the most votes in the primary will then face each other in the November 2026 general election.
