Joaquin Arambula, M.D., a Fresno emergency room physician and member of the California Medical Association (CMA), won a special election on Tuesday to fill a seat vacated by Henry T. Perea in the 31^st district in the state Assembly.

Dr. Arambula, a Democrat, received 52 percent of the 29,000 votes counted, besting Republican Clint Olivier's 42 percent.

“Today, we congratulate Dr. Joaquin Arambula on a well run campaign and a well deserved victory,” said

Steve Larson, M.D., president of CMA.  “CMA diligently advocates on behalf of providers and patients to improve health care in the Central Valley and across the state. Last night was another step in the right direction to ensure all Californians have access to high quality care.”

Dr. Arambula practices medicine at Adventist Medical Center-Selma, where he has served in a senior position with California Emergency Physicians for the past eight years. The medical center’s emergency department has won two California Emergency Physician Distinguished Hospital of the Year awards during that time.

He will hold the assembly seat for eight months and then will have to stand for re-election in November.

Dr. Arambula said one of his long-term objectives is to bring a medical school to the Central Valley, where he can't recruit enough physicians to keep up with patient volumes that have tripled in the last decade.

"I am ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work - fighting for the issues important to the valley like more water, better schools and quality health care," Arambula said.