The Democratic Alliance for Action of Santa Clarita (DAA) will host a forum for six Democrats who have announced that they are challenging the 25th Congressional district incumbent, U.S. Rep. Steve Knight.

The DAA’s CD25 Candidate Forum will take place at a special 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. session preceding their regular membership meeting Thursday, at Vincenzo’s Pizza, 24504 Lyons Ave, Newhall.

The Democratic candidates at the forum include Bryan Caforio, a Santa Clarita resident, UCLA and Yale Law School graduate, and Southern California attorney who has taken on big banks, insurance companies and corporations on behalf of victims of the financial collapse. Caforio was incumbent Steve Knight’s Democratic challenger in 2016.

Also attending the CD25 Forum is Diedra Greenaway, an Antelope Valley resident, who earned a BA in sociology from CSUN and a MS and MBA from University of Maryland. Greenaway is active in Northridge East Neighborhood Council and serves as a Budget Advocate for the City of Los Angeles Department of Aging.

Democratic candidate for Congress, Katie Hill, was the Executive Director and Deputy Director of PATH, a not-for-profit corporation with the mission to end homelessness for individuals, families, and communities across California. Hill lives in Agua Dulce, attended COC, and obtained a Master’s in Public Administration from CSUN.

Another candidate, Michael Masterman-Smith is a cancer scientist, pharmacologist and a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) researcher. Masterman-Smith received his PhD in Molecular & Medical Pharmacology from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and completed postdoctoral training in Biomedical Engineering in the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Santa Clarita resident Scott Daniel McVarish is the founder of one of the top three best rated immigration law firms in Los Angeles as well as an employment law office representing workers. McVarish is the attorney for Ciudad en lo Alto, Santa Clarita’s largest Latino church. He has a B.A., M.A. and J.D. from UCLA, is fluent in Spanish, and spent one year at a Liberation Theology Seminary in Central America.

Acton resident Jess Phoenix is the sixth Democratic candidate on the agenda of Thursday’s CD25 Candidate Forum. Phoenix is Executive Director, Principal Investigator, and co-founder of revolutionary environmental scientific research organization Blueprint Earth. She is a volcanologist, an accomplished extreme explorer, and a professional field scientist. Jess taught geology and oceanography for over two years at California State University, Los Angeles, and currently, she teaches hands-on science to L.A. County elementary school students through her nonprofit, Blueprint

Each candidate will answer a series of questions that have been submitted through the DAA’s social media outreach. The DAA’s CD25 Candidate Forum is open to the public, but space is limited, so guests are encouraged to arrive early to get the best seating.

The Democratic Alliance for Action of Santa Clarita is the oldest, largest and most active Democratic club in the Santa Clarita Valley. People interested in the club may find out more at DAA.org.