November 2022 Guide for CA State Senate Races

California’s State Legislature is so heavily weighted toward Democrats that elections are easily overlooked. It’s better to look at your local representation through the lens of what their interests are legislatively and what voting block they’re associated with. Add redistricting to the mix and you’ve got an upcoming election that’s bound to be confusing as heck.

Democrats are Democrats until it comes time to vote on bills impacting assorted interest groups. Dirty energy, chambers of commerce, tribes, and labor are just a few examples. This is where it gets tricky, and a Democrat who campaigned on clean energy, for example, ends up voting for a not-so-clean project because it would impact organized labor in their district.

This little dance dilutes the importance of the legislative chambers most of the time.  Until a powerhouse politician from a “safe” district comes along who’s willing to gamble on supporting something visionary. San Diego’s delegation has been strong in recent years, with State Senator Toni Atkins using her power as President Pro Tem to advance impactful legislation.

Here’s a good overview of the relationship between the two houses of California’s Legislature, via CalMatters:

• Shortly after her election to the Assembly in 2010, Democrat Toni Atkins of San Diego came to Sacramento for a new lawmakers’ orientation. She’s never forgotten the adage imparted by a veteran lawmaker: “The Republicans are our opponents. But the Senate is our enemy.”

• Those words reflect a reality that is entrenched for Capitol insiders, yet almost invisible to the outside world: The two houses of the Legislature are long-standing rivals.

• Yes, the Senate and Assembly are both ruled by Democrats. And yes, the two chambers must cooperate to pass any new laws. But that hasn’t stopped a culture of one-upmanship for decades. The result can be substantive—feuding houses kill each other’s bills—or petty—the Assembly and Senate once broke for summer recess on different weeks because their leaders couldn’t even agree on the calendar.

Members of the State Senate serve four-year terms, and are staggered so that half the membership is elected every two years. The senators representing odd-numbered districts are elected in years evenly divisible by four. Those from even-numbered districts are elected in the intervening even-numbered years. As of the 2020 Census, California state senators represent an average of 988,455 residents.

California’s redistricting for this decade means there are effectively no incumbents in the four districts whose boundaries include San Diego County. Only Republican Brian Jones is a veteran legislator, and he’s running in a redrawn district where voters are unfamiliar with him. 

​State Senate

District 18: For the last decade the 18th was north of Los Angeles, including parts of the San Fernando Valley.  Now it’s a strip in San Diego running along the Mexican border, and Imperial County, plus the part of Riverside county in easternmost California past the Mohave Valley. .

The November election is a rematch of the June primary, where Democrat Steve Padilla trounced Republican Alejandro Galicia 61%/39%.

Steve Padilla - Democratic Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook / Twitter
Media profile worth reading: Commentary: I spent 11 days on a ventilator and survived COVID-19. Here’s what I believe matters most now.
My two cents:  He’s been a groundbreaker all his life; being the first person of color ever to serve in Chula Vista city offices, starting with the city council and moving up to be the city’s first Latino and first LGBTQ Mayor. As Chairman of California’s Coastal Commission, Padilla has had the opportunity to look at the big picture when it comes to policy in California.

Alejandro Galicia - Republican Party Endorsed Candidate
Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram
Media profile worth reading: 2022 election: Q&A with Alejandro Galicia, California State Senate District 18 candidate
My two cents: He’s a LA Dodgers fan and a Republican hack. 

District 32: Here’s another district that’s migrated. Last redistricting placed it east of Los Angeles, centered on Downey.  For 2022, it covers an area starting at Mt Laguna in the south, moving northwest to China Hills. It is now a very red district, and the general election is just a rematch of the primary, where Republican Kelly Seyarto handily beat Democrat Brian Nash, 62.8% to 37.2%

Brian Nash - Democrat
Website / Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram
Media profile worth reading: 2022 election: Q&A with Brian Nash, California State Senate District 32 candidate
My two cents: I admit to being confused here, since the SD Dems don’t show  an endorsement for the guy. However the Democrats of Southwest Riverside County have blessed his candidacy. It looks to me like he’s an okay candidate.

Kelly Seyarto - Republican Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram
Media profile worth reading:2022 election: Q&A with Kelly Seyarto, California State Senate District 32 candidate
My two cents: Seyarto has a long pedigree when it comes to public service. He was a city councilman in Murrieta, Mayor of the city, and has been in the Assembly since 2020. His prescriptions for what ails California reveal a deficiency in math skills (can’t count legislative votes). And his assertion that homelessness is primarily caused by drug and alcohol abuse tells me that he’s a lock ‘em up and throw away the key kind of guy.

District 38: Hoo, boy. What a change of scenery for D38. It used to be east San Diego county, beyond the invisible boundary keeping Democrats at bay. Now it’s Point Loma to Mission Viejo including the coast, where liberals are allowed, and UCSD, where God-knows-what is going on.
The primary was a three-way affair, with two Democrats pulling in 54% of the votes. The general election is going to be the traditional Democrat vs Republican kind of affair. 

Catherine Blakespear - Democratic Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Media profile worth reading: 2022 election: Q&A with Catherine Blakespear, California State Senate District 38 candidate
My two cents: Encinitas Mayor Blakespear has more than made her case as an effective leader, willing to build compromise while holding on to her values. Yeah, I kinda like her.

Matt Gunderson - Republican Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook/ Twitter
Media profile worth reading: 2022 election: Q&A with Matt Gunderson, California State Senate District 38 candidate
My two cents: He’s not your frothing at the mouth MAGA-nut. But he’s woefully ignorant to the point where he thinks that homelessness is caused by addiction. I’m guessing Republican repeat this as truth because they’re unwilling to admit the adverse impact of their economic and social policies over the past 40 years. 

District 40: Used to be a corridor running along the border in San Diego County plus all of Imperial County, not unlike what District 18 has become. Now it’s a blob in central and east San Diego county, running from Mt. Laguna to Fallbrook. Sort-of-incumbent Republican Brian Jones beat Democrat Joseph Rocha by nine points in the primary, and I can only hope that changes.

Joseph Rocha - Democratic Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook/ Twitter / Instagram
Media profile worth reading: 2022 election: Q&A with Joseph Rocha, California State Senate District 40 candidate
My two cents: Navy veteran and fighter for LGBTQ rights Rocha is on the better side of the issues, and in an election where climate change and abortion rights (should) have cast a shadow over every voting decision, he’s the right guy.

Brian Jones* - Republican Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook / Twitter/ Instagram
Media profile worth reading: 2022 election: Q&A with Brian Jones, California State Senate District 40 candidate
My two cents: Holy moly! This guy doesn’t even think climate change is caused by humans.

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Previous voter guides:
(More coming soon)

California State Officials
California’s DC Delegation

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