Pasadena-Based Planned Parenthood Advocates Endorses Harabedian, Fong for June Primary

The political arm of one of the nation’s oldest Planned Parenthood affiliates has endorsed two state legislators whose districts cover Pasadena and surrounding communities, adding their names to a June primary ballot that will also include a county healthcare funding measure the organization is backing.

Planned Parenthood Advocates Pasadena & San Gabriel Valley, a nonprofit advocacy organization, announced its endorsement of Assemblymember John Harabedian of the 41st District and Assemblymember Mike Fong of the 49th District, both Democrats.

The group also endorsed the Restore Healthcare for Angelenos county ballot measure. The endorsements come during the first major election cycle since Planned Parenthood was defunded under federal law last year, a move that cost California’s affiliates more than $300 million in Medicaid reimbursements, according to the California Assembly Speaker’s office.

Harabedian, who lives in Pasadena, represents a district that includes the city along with Sierra Madre, Monrovia, La Cañada Flintridge, Claremont and several other communities. He serves on the Assembly’s Select Committee on Reproductive Health. Fong represents the 49th District, which covers South Pasadena, Alhambra, Arcadia, San Gabriel, and unincorporated areas of Pasadena, among other cities. He chairs the Assembly Higher Education Committee and the Asian American and Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus.

“PP Advocates is proud to once again endorse Assemblymembers John Harabedian and Mike Fong,” said Juliana Serrano, the organization’s executive director, in a statement. “They share Planned Parenthood’s values and priorities and have continually voted to protect the healthcare of the communities they were elected to serve.”

Serrano added that during a period of uncertainty about the future of reproductive health care, “representatives in Sacramento must do everything in their power to keep local San Gabriel Valley communities safe and healthy.”

The endorsements arrive against a backdrop of significant federal disruption to Planned Parenthood’s funding. President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on July 4, 2025, which included a provision blocking Planned Parenthood health centers from receiving federal Medicaid reimbursements. A federal court temporarily halted that provision later that month, but the block was lifted in September 2025. At least five Planned Parenthood clinics in California have since closed, and others have reduced services.

California has responded with state funding. Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 106 on February 11, 2026, providing $90 million in emergency funds for Planned Parenthood affiliates. The state has directed a total of $235 million to the organizations since last fall, according to Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties.

Planned Parenthood Pasadena & San Gabriel Valley, the health care affiliate whose political arm issued the endorsements, was founded in 1933 by Pasadena residents. It now provides more than 60,000 patient visits a year and delivers over 15,000 sex and relationship education sessions, according to the organization. Statewide, Planned Parenthood’s more than 100 California health centers see over a million patient visits annually, with approximately 80% of patients relying on Medi-Cal.

PP Advocates also endorsed the Restore Healthcare for Angelenos county ballot measure, which the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 on February 10 to place on the June ballot. The measure, formally called the Essential Services Restoration Act, would temporarily raise the county sales tax by a half cent for five years. County supervisors have said the county’s most impacted departments face projected losses of $2.4 billion over the next three years due to federal and state funding reductions. The Restore Healthcare for Angelenos coalition has estimated that roughly 3.3 million county residents could be affected by cuts to Medi-Cal, according to media reports. About 1% of the measure’s revenue would directly support Pasadena and Long Beach, which operate their own public health departments.

PP Advocates is a 501(c)(4) organization that endorses candidates who support policies on reproductive and preventive health care, family planning, abortion access, and sex education. The organization encourages voters to support Harabedian and Fong in the June 2, 2026, Primary Election.

For more information about the endorsements, contact Norma Rodriguez at nrodriguez@pppsgv.org. Information about the Restore Healthcare ballot measure is available at restorehealthcarela.com.