Former Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez endorsed former San Diego City Council President Georgette Gómez on Wednesday to succeed her in the 80th Assembly District seat.
Gonzalez resigned from her Assembly seat in January for a leadership position at the California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, where she will lead the 2.1 million-member state labor federation as its executive secretary-treasurer in July.
The special election primary to replace Gonzalez for the 80th District will be held on April 5th, with a runoff on June 7th.
RELATED: With Gonzalez resigning, two big names vie for her Assembly seat
"Georgette Gómez is brave, bold and big-hearted — and exactly who our community needs fighting for us in Sacramento," Gonzalez said.
"Gómez has been a lifelong advocate for the underserved. Her values have never wavered and special interests can't buy her off,” she said.
The San Diego Democrat represented the 80th Assembly District — which encompasses the southern part of San Diego and most of Chula Vista and National City — for eight years.
Since Gonzalez's resignation, Gómez has racked up major endorsements from area labor unions, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and County Supervisor Nora Vargas, among others.
"No one can truly replace Lorena Gonzalez, but her support means the world to me and will mean a lot to voters who know Lorena as a one-of-a-kind champion," Gomez said. "With working families struggling and worried, I'm ready to roll up my sleeves and fight to make life better and easier right now."
Prior to her Assembly run, Gómez was a community organizer for the Environmental Health Coalition before being elected to the San Diego City Council and serving as president of the council for two consecutive terms.
RELATED: Lorena Gonzalez resigns from Assembly, returns to labor roots
While Gonzalez has officially endorsed Gómez as her candidate of choice, there are others still vying for the position. That includes Republican Lincoln Pickard and the Democratic former San Diego City Councilman David Alvarez.
“I think the people in this district don't want to see Sacramento pick their next assemblyperson,” Alvarez said. “They want to be the one who decides who gets to represent them. And it matters to them that it's someone who has gotten things done and accomplished for them as I have done in the past and I will continue to do.”
