A special open primary election was held on June 1, 2001, of which Democratic AmbassadorDiane Watson won nearly a third of the vote in a field of sixteen candidates. She handily defeated her main challenger, Republican Noel Hentschel, in the general election. Watson was redistricted to 33rd district for the 2002 election, in which she was re-elected.
Julian Dixon was first elected in the 1978 election to represent the 28th district. He never faced serious competition during his tenure, and would serve eleven terms. Before starting his twelfth term, of which he was elected to with 83.5% of the vote, he died in Los Angeles of a heart attack.[2]