Campaign to Hold Rally and Voter Registration Drive

Tustin, CA –  Esther Kim Varet, a business leader and mother of two who is running for Congress as a Democrat in California’s 40th Congressional District (CA-40), officially announced today that she will be opening the newest branch of her art gallery business. This will be the fourth branch location for her gallery, Various Small Fires (VSF) since its founding in 2012. In 2024 The New York Times published a profile of Kim Varet and her business, noting the gallery’s reputation for “bold art and vision.” This gallery makes Kim Varet the only Congressional candidate to be a business owner and employer within the 40th District.

The gallery grand opening will be held from 6-8pm on April 26th. At the same time, the campaign will hold a rally and a voter registration drive outside. Neighbors, businesses, and community members are warmly invited. The event is child and animal friendly. 

“I’m proud to be creating new jobs, with healthcare and 401k matching benefits, in our community. In contrast, my opponent Young Kim is a career politician offering cynical complicity with the job-killing economic crash currently being perpetrated by the Trump administration,” said Esther Kim Varet. “There couldn’t be a bigger difference between our positions: Young Kim and Donald Trump are responsible for the largest tax increase in American history, kneecapping our businesses, our workers, and our families with inexplicable tariffs, while I am investing in our neighborhood, creating jobs for members of our community, and generating sales tax revenue right here in Orange County.”

VSF OC’s inaugural exhibition “The Orange Curtain” debuts three contemporary artists: Edwin Arzeta, Jackie Castillo, and Marcel Alcalá, each of whom share ties to both Orange County and Los Angeles County. “Orange Curtain” is a term referencing the perceived cultural and political divide between historically conservative Orange County and the neighboring liberal bastion of Los Angeles County. Since the 2018 midterm elections, in which Democrats were elected to all seven Congressional seats in Orange County, the divide of the Orange Curtain appears to be dissipating. This exhibition is a continuation of VSF’s longstanding commitment to amplifying the voices of under-represented artists and celebrating the dynamic cultural landscape of Southern California.

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California’s 40th is a Congressional District representing portions of Orange County, Riverside County, and San Bernardino County in Southern California. CA-40’s constituents voted for Joe Biden over Donald Trump in 2020. House Majority PAC lists CA-40 as a top target in the 2026 cycle, and the Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index (PVI) ranks the district as one of the 10 most vulnerable House seats with a Republican incumbent in the nation.

Incumbent Republican Young Kim’s support for MAGA policies, including a federal ban on abortion even in cases of rape and incest, support of the GOP budget bill that would strip 40,000+ of her constituents from Medicaid, blocking legislation to lower the cost of prescription drugs, and rejection of common sense gun safety, have made Kim extremely vulnerable. In contrast, Esther Kim Varet will always vote to protect women’s right to choose, provide access to healthcare, lower prescription drug costs, and support responsible gun safety.

CA-40 includes the cities of Yorba Linda, Anaheim Hills, Orange, Chino Hills, Tustin, Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Laguna Hills, Laguna Woods, Villa Park, Lake Forest, the unincorporated communities of North Tustin and Coto de Caza, and parts of Brea and Corona.