Challengers and familiar names in three San Diego state Assembly races

Democratic incumbents so far have dominated two of the three San Diego coastal and South Bay Assembly District races this year. Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher and Shirley Weber earned large majorities of votes in the 79th and 80th Districts March primaries, respectively.

But in the 78th District, Assembly member Todd Gloria is giving up his seat to run for San Diego mayor. Democratic San Diego City Councilman Chris Ward is battling newcomer and fellow Democrat Sarah Davis.

Ward received more than half the total votes in the district during the March primary. Davis, a midwife with a small business and activist background and activist experience won almost 28 percent of the vote.

In California’s top-two primary system, first- and second-place primary finishers face off in the general election regardless of political party.

Ward, who in 2016 was elected to what was Todd Gloria’s seat on the City Council, now seeks to take Gloria’s seat in the Assembly.

He said his more than 20 years of community involvement make him an ideal candidate to jump from city to state government.

“I think that what I offer is a significant degree of experience and proven leadership on issues that matter to San Diego voters,” Ward said recently.

He said his experience in government makes him better suited for the job than his opponent. He noted that during the Great Recession he worked as chief-of-staff for then-State Sen. Marty Block.

“I understand how to get legislation through the committees and to the governor’s desk,” Ward said.

Davis said her status as a political outsider makes her a more relatable candidate than her opponent.

She has spent time during the pandemic dealing with the same issues many people have, such as distance learning and filing for unemployment, she said, in addition to campaigning.

“I have three elementary schoolers at home,” Davis said, adding she has “a background on what life is really like for real people, as opposed to a career politician. My opponent was hand-picked to inherit this seat.”

Both candidates espouse progressive values, such as confronting climate change and expanding access to health care. Davis, who says she is running to the left of Ward, is an advocate of single-payer health care while Ward’s platform emphasizes access to “affordable” care.

Davis counts among her endorsers former Assemblywoman Lori Saldaña, Imperial Beach City Councilwoman Paloma Aguirre and the San Diego Democratic Socialists.

Ward was endorsed by all current San Diego Democratic Assembly members, State Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins and a long list of labor unions.

The district includes the mid-city area of San Diego and coastal communities from the U.S.-Mexico border to Solana Beach.

The 79th Assembly District

In the 79th District — which covers Mission Valley to La Mesa and southeastern San Diego, Bonita and eastern Chula Vista — incumbent Democrat Shirley Weber is battling her third consecutive challenge from Republican John Moore. Weber was first elected to her seat in 2012.

Over the last three election cycles, Moore has received about half as many votes as Weber.

Registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans in the 79th District two to one, according to the county Registrar of Voters.

One of Weber’s signature legislative achievements came last year when Gov. Gavin Newsome signed AB 392 into law. The bill, written by Weber, increased the standards for law enforcement‘s use of deadly force in California. Civil rights, education and voting rights are among Weber’s legislative priorities, according to her website.

Moore is an Air Force veteran who worked in the technology and real estate, according to his campaign website.

The 80th Assembly District

In the 80th District, Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, the Democratic incumbent, is challenged by Republican John Vogel.

The 80th District includes such central and southeastern San Diego neighborhoods as City Heights, Barrio Logan, Otay Mesa and San Ysidro, as well as parts of National City and Chula Vista.

Gonzalez Fletcher, first elected in 2013, has won with 74 percent or more of the vote in every general election since. She received more than 72 percent of the vote in the March primary.

One of her recent yet controversial victories was passage of AB5, which reclassifies certain contract workers as employees. Gonzalez Fletcher previously wrote legislation guaranteeing paid sick leave for California workers and chairs the Assembly Appropriations Committee and the Select Committee on Women in the Workplace.

Her opponent, John Vogel, works in local government in information technology. In 2016 he made an unsuccessful run for a seat on the South Bay Irrigation District.

His campaign priorities listed on his website include school choice, vaccine choice for parents, parental review of any new sex education standards and the repeal of AB5.