The convention at the Long Beach Arena gathers the state's 3,000 delegates. They will be focused on endorsing congressional and legislative races across the state during the four-day event.
A televised forum Saturday featuring the presidential candidates will focus on issues important to California and the Latino community.
The presidential forum includes New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker; California Sen. Kamala Harris; Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar; Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders; Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana; entrepreneur Andrew Yang of New York; former Obama administration housing chief Julian Castro; and billionaire activist Tom Steyer of California.
The event is expected to provide an economic boost for the restaurant and hotel industry in the city.