California State Assembly 2020 Preview: A Case of Name ID in D78
Todd Gloria’s decision to run for Mayor of San Diego left the 78th Assembly District looking for a new legislator.
Comprised of coastal communities and center city neighborhoods, this is a solidly Blue district. It’s so Democratic leaning that Republicans haven’t even put up a candidate for 2020. Donald Trump won a mere 25.9% of the vote in 2016
So we have three Democrats on the primary ballot.
As Scott Lay at Around the Capital points out, …”[D78] it's now perhaps the epicenter for LGBTQ electoral politics, even surpassing San Francisco. Before Gloria, the area (district numbers have changed because of redistricting), previous trailblazers from this area include now-Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins and Christine Kehoe. In a 2019 interview, Atkins--originally from Virginia--talked about this with pride.”
Cruising through their campaign materials and social media content, the ideological differences between these candidates are relatively minor. They’re all claiming to be progressive on issues ranging from healthcare to climate change to housing.
Style and emphasis are where you’ll find the differences, and even those are largely subjective.
Candidate Sarah Davis is a California licensed midwife and lactation consultant whose activism in Sacramento for families and midwives served as a launching pad for her interest in running for office. She has been endorsed by the local chapter of Democratic Socialists of America.
From her campaign website:
As a queer single mom of an amazing young daughter, I will show up for women and girls to return the love and support women and girls have always given me. In the Assembly I will use the reproductive justice lens to analyze every bill that touches my desk. I will advocate for paid family leave, access to midwives, primary health care providers, and care for seniors. I'll fight for all care workers, ensuring that the care providers can make a dignified living wage and afford housing where in their communities. I will work to end mass incarceration, because families belong together and free.
One difference I see between Davis and Chris Ward is her outlook on localized responses to climate change. In an interview with the Uptown News she falls into the trap of poo-pooing changes with the “they’re taking away my stuff” argument.
...Davis is uninterested in these piecemeal changes, like taking out parking to add a bike lane on 30th Street, because she says systemic change is needed first.
There was a hinky bit of polling released by her campaign back in September. A whopping 80% of those surveyed said they’d never heard of or can’t rate Councilman Chris Ward; 84% said the same about Davis. But somehow she’s twice as likely as her opponent to garner the approval of 400 likely voters...24% to 12%.
Issues discussed on her website are: healthcare, climate crisis, affordable housing, preserving neighborhoods, along with protecting human rights in pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum
Sarah Davis
Website | Facebook |Twitter
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Micah Perlin is a climate change activist with a vision that encompasses criminal justice reform, affordable housing, and voting rights. He founded the “We The People” political action committee and Get-Out-The-Vote San Diego along with actively supporting the campaign of Genevieve Jones-Wright for District Attorney in 2018.
Twice a delegate to the California Democratic State Convention, Perlin describes himself as a political reformer. “Too many elected officials and candidates are talking about climate change as just a bullet point in their shtick,” he told San Diego Jewish World. “We are facing a climate emergency; there is no other way to understand what is happening right now.”
The issues emphasized on his website are: housing affordability, green the economy, universal preschool, public financing of elections, clean air/water, and universal healthcare.
Micah Perlin
Website | Facebook | Twitter
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The “legacy” candidate in the race has to be Chris Ward, who replaced Todd Gloria on the City Council. His predecessors have endorsed his candidacy, as have most of the big players in the local Democratic party.
Ward was also chief of staff for State Senator Marty Block, whose district has significant overlap with the 78th. He obviously picked a few tricks of the trade there, as his staff on the city council is top notch.
The top four issues mentioned on Ward’s campaign site are childcare/paid family leave, homelessness, climate change, and education.
Chris Ward
Website | Facebook | Twitter
So here's the deal in the 78th. This ought to be cakewalk for Chris Ward, given that he's already an elected official, has all the juicy endorsements, yadda, yadda.
But... the Davis name has a certain visibility. Her grandpop founded Al Davis furniture, a fixture in the Hillcrest community. And there appears to be a spillover in terms of name ID from Susan Davis, the retiring congress member, who also represents the much of the district.
My guess for the general election would be Ward vs. Davis.
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