State Assembly races explainer

💡 Background

The Assembly experienced a “Great Resignation” in 2022 with 25 members taking other jobs or announcing their retirement. And there was more turnover in the 2022 election.

Duties can depend on party affiliation. Democrats — who control 62 of the 80 seats now and want to keep a supermajority — should be prepared to craft important legislation. Republicans should be prepared to spend a lot of time criticizing Democrats and complaining about being frozen out of decisions.

But not all Democrats are alike. They often disagree — about health care, housing, environmental regulation, taxes and labor law. In Democratic-leaning districts, expect unions, left-leaning activists and deep-pocketed business interests to aggressively push the Democrat of their choice.

Rank-and-file Assemblymembers are paid $128,215 a year, plus $214 a day for expenses when the Legislature is in session. Party leaders get higher pay.

The top two finishers in March, regardless of party, moved on to the November general election. There are eight Democrat vs. Democrat races and four Republican vs. Republican. Two American Independent Party candidates also advanced. And six Assemblymembers are uncontested, barring write-in challengers.

Source: CalMatters

Closer look

After moving to Southern California from the Midwest, Laurie Davies spent 10 years running her wedding planning business. She was elected to the Laguna Niguel City Council in 2012 and became the appointed mayor in 2015. Davies has served in the Assembly since 2020. In 2022, she defeated Chris Duncan in the 74th District.

On the subject of housing, she says California needs to bring down the cost of building a house by eliminating some developer fees, which she says are passed on to the consumer. Davies is also in favor of "streamlining" California’s environmental regulations, under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

On homelessness, Davies says she supports an audit of how California state government has spent money to reduce homelessness, saying it’s not clear that the billions of dollars the state has spent to reduce homelessness has done much good.

Closer look

Chris Duncan is a former federal prosecutor for Customs and Border Enforcement. He’s now an attorney for an L.A.-based law firm. He’s a San Clemente city councilman and former appointed mayor.

The California Legislature has a Democratic supermajority in both houses, and Duncan believes his Republican opponent is not being heard.

One solution to California’s housing crisis, he says, is to build more housing communities for seniors, adding that the 74th District has an aging population. If seniors can downsize to senior housing communities, it would free up single family homes for families to live in.

He says we need to focus on underlying problems and disabilities to solve California’s homeless problem. Beyond that there needs to be a law enforcement solution to prevent people from camping in public places.

Read more at: CalMatters 2024 Voter Guide

Closer look

DeMaio is a familiar figure in the San Diego political scene. He previously served on San Diego’s City Council, and has since run unsuccessful campaigns for San Diego mayor and two Congressional seats.

He casts himself as a political maverick who isn’t afraid to ruffle feathers on the right and the left.

"I think that what we need is more transparency on what's going on behind closed doors in the state Capitol. Our state Legislature does not operate in an open manner with transparency. And the special interests dominate all the decisions. The voice of the people is rarely heard,” DeMaio said.

DeMaio said his top issues include addressing the high cost of living in the region, reducing crime and passing laws that support small businesses.

Closer look

Hayes previously served as district director for state Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones.

He said his experience taught him how to get things done, even when he’s in the minority.

"I want to find you issues that have common ground. that's going to take me working the pavement when I first get elected and going and introducing myself to all of my colleague who are not Republican and saying, ‘Hey, where do we agree?’ And that'll help my district on numerous issues,” Hayes said.

He said his top issues include addressing the high cost of living in the region, improving fire insurance options for homeowners and reducing the placement of sexually violent predators in east San Diego County after they’re released from prison.

Read more at: CalMatters 2024 Voter Guide

Closer look

Housing and homelessness
Citing the state's high cost of living, Bruce-Lane said she will work to lower the tax burden. She also criticized the state's housing-first policy to solve the homelessness crisis. She said it has failed.

She said her work with children experiencing homelessness allows her to understand the complexity and root causes of homelessness. She supports "enforcement of our laws and will work to address and treat addiction/substance abuse, mental health, and poverty in our communities."

Public safety
Bruce-Lane said violent crime has been rising across the country. She supports "prevention programs for our at-risk youth as well rehabilitation programs for those re-entering our communities." Recent data from the FBI shows that violent crime has been decreasing nationwide.

She also said San Diego is "less safe because of soft-on-crime policies." The county's data shows that crime is decreasing in San Diego.

Education
Bruce-Lane said a high percentage of third-grade San Diego students are not meeting the reading and writing requirements, and she criticized the state's "educational bureaucracy and Sacramento politicians focus on placing blame and not educating our children." Bruce-Lane said she supports vocational education programs to give students trade career options besides college.

Environment
A former director of the Olivenhain Municipal Water District, Bruce-Lane said she is committed to addressing worsening drought and wildfires in the region. She emphasizes innovation, conservation, and policies for renewable energy, sustainable infrastructure and water management.

Closer look

Housing and homelessness
Patel said housing and homelessness go hand-in-hand.

"We need to deliver a strong housing stock to meet the rising demands for our working families and to support small businesses. As we know, our working families are the core of a thriving economy, and we need to make sure that we have housing available for them."

She said would like to work with community groups to address homelessness and look into a housing-first model.

"We're facing a statewide crisis in housing and the housing availability. So we will need to work closely together with community groups, environmental groups, and developers to make sure we're meeting the rising demand so that our working families and our small businesses can thrive in our community because that is how our economy gets stronger."

Education
As a child of immigrants and as a mother and a school board president, Patel said she understands the importance of education and will work to make sure that California has a high-quality public education system.

"Public education is the backbone to a stable democracy. So, I'm fully in support of public education and want to make sure that despite declining budget shortfalls, that we're able to fully fund public education. And this ties back to the housing issue. We need to make sure that we have enough housing for our working families, for our educators, so that they can continue to educate our children."

LGBTQ+ rights
Patel said the issue of students' pronouns and parental rights are very divisive, but making school safe for students is her top priority.

"My policies would lean towards making sure that we create a safe, stable learning environment for our children. If our children aren't safe, they aren't learning."

As for parental rights, she said it's important that parents talk to their children.

"It's definitely important for parents to have good, open communication with their children."

Climate Change
"As a research scientist, I can understand at a very deep level the issues surrounding climate change. I'm the only candidate endorsed by the Sierra Club, so I know that I'll be able to work collaboratively with the experts in the field and build those effective policies."

Patel said we need to update our water management policy at reservoirs to ensure that they are running at maximum efficiency.

"So that they can discharge water when appropriate and not based on average cycles, which is how they're currently discharging water. We need to look at putting in our electric charging stations in our higher density housing developments when we have apartments and condos that will also help bridge and reach our climate change goals that we have in California with electrification."

Closer look

If re-elected, the top three issues Boerner will continue to work on:

Homelessness: "Last year, both San Diego County and the state saw increases in the number of people experiencing homelessness. In the state Assembly, I have authored and supported measures to fund efforts to address this ongoing issue … ”

Boerner said she’ll focus on:

• Building needed affordable housing
• Easing the housing crisis while retaining local control in small communities

Rising costs: "Inflation and the rising costs of housing, utilities, health care, higher education, and transportation are straining family budgets and jeopardizing our state’s future.”

Boerner said she’ll focus on:

• Continuing to hold utilities accountable and work to lower costs so that San Diego remains a desirable place to live, work, and visit
• Helping local businesses grow and reduce high supply chain costs that have been passed on to consumers

Climate crisis: "We are experiencing more frequent and severe disasters, including wildfires, droughts, mudslides, bluff failures and storms.”

Boerner said she’ll focus on:

• Crafting smart, effective legislation that combats the climate crisis and protects Californians
• Continuing to be an environmental champion for San Diego and the coast

Closer look

James Browne did not respond to our requests for interviews. On his campaign website, Browne states, “Our community is at a crossroads, and now more than ever, we need leadership that not only understands the challenges we face but has the vision and the drive to address them head-on. From improving our education system and ensuring public safety to fostering economic growth and protecting our beautiful environment, our community deserves a leader who listens, collaborates, and takes decisive action.”

On Facebook, Browne talks about his political breakthrough:

“I am not a politician. In fact, I wasn’t even supposed to get this far. If you are one of my followers that knew me for 10+ years then you would know that this is a complete miracle. Where I grew up, no one is doing this. I am not rich and famous, I’m just an ordinary person with extraordinary ambition. I’m running for office because I’m looking to be the solution. I cannot sit by and complain about what is happening without trying to help. We need leadership now more than ever. Leaders who put people over profits.”

On X, formerly Twitter, he writes: “I’m running to represent our military and veterans, regular Californians and fight for a better education system. Our current representative fails to act as a powerhouse on these issues, let alone to serve as an additional voice on major issues in political landscape facing many Americans today. We need an Assemblyman who will fight for the future, who’s in touch with the sentiments of citizens, and not bought out by the party machine.”

Closer look

Parent said the top issues in the district are homelessness and the lack of affordable housing. He points to his work on the La Mesa City Council addressing the issue, including the fact that the city doubled the number of homeless outreach workers in its most recent budget.

In terms of infrastructure, Parent said the roads in District 79 are in bad shape. He also stated that some roads in the district are in critical need of repair. He points to the January 2022 floods, when storm drains in the district overflowed and flooded some neighborhoods.

If elected, Parent said he would hold local governments in San Diego County and across the state more accountable for how they spend the money the state gives them. However, he also said the needs of District 79 must be considered equitably, something he said hasn’t happened in the past.

Closer look

Sharp-Collins says she’s the best person to represent District 79 partly because she was born and raised there. She states she is more familiar with the issues facing the district than her opponent because she has served as district director for Dr. Akilah Weber, who currently holds the seat, and her mother, Dr. Shirley Weber, who held it before her daughter.

Sharp-Collins would focus on issues, such as homelessness and the high cost of housing. She says she will work to improve access to high-quality health care, end gun violence and ensure reproductive freedom is preserved.

Sharp-Collins says District 79 is also facing various environmental challenges that negatively affect the health of residents. She points to what she says are several cancer cluster cases in the district.

Closer look

Alvarez is seeking reelection to his first term in the State Assembly. He won a special election to replace Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher’s seat after she vacated it in 2022.

During his first term, Alvarez prioritized policies aimed at addressing the state’s housing crisis. Among them, AB 1449, which exempts affordable housing developments from certain environmental requirements. With a second term, Alvarez would like to prioritize home ownership programs for first-time home buyers. 

“I really believe strongly that homeownership opportunities are something we should focus on more,” he said.

Alvarez views homelessness primarily as a housing affordability issue. He also supports the state’s CARE Courts program, which aims to address homelessness by facilitating court-ordered mental health treatment. Critics call that treatment involuntary.

He also wants cities and counties that receive state funding for homelessness to be more accountable with how they spend that money.

Alvarez plans to continue efforts to bring higher education to the South Bay. However, instead of the long-touted plan for a single four-year university, Alvarez believes the most realistic plan is a, “multi-institution campus,” with different universities bringing specific programs that are in high demand.

Closer look

Williams was encouraged to run for office by the local Republican Party. This is his first time running for public office, but not his first experience with public service.

During the 1990s, the retired Naval officer and FBI intelligence analyst served as a consultant on a committee on fiscal efficiency reform under former San Diego Mayor Susan Golding.

Williams supports the idea of court-ordered detention and treatment for homeless individuals experiencing substance abuse problems or mental health issues.

On housing, Williams supports building more housing in rural parts of California and creating economic development zones to encourage more businesses in rural areas. He believes that would encourage Californians to revitalize parts of the state with declining populations.

Williams criticized Gov. Gavin Newsom for failing to declare a state of emergency over the cross-border sewage crisis.

“His political base is not here, it’s up in San Francisco and Los Angeles,” he said. “Meanwhile here, we have to suffer from the lack of leadership.”