November 2022 Guide for CA State Assembly Races

California’s term limits are a factor in the coming turnover in the State assembly elections this fall. At least 22 members of the Assembly won’t be coming back next year, and that doesn’t include members who lose their reelection bids to non-incumbents or win a job elsewhere this November. 

This year is just the start of what will be a complete flush of incumbents, as the Legislature’s 12-year term limit law went into effect in 2012.  In the current legislative session, Democrats enjoy a three-fourths supermajority of 60 seats, while Republicans control a minority of 19 seats and Independents hold 1 seat. The GOP share of the assembly seats has declined steadily since 1996, when they had a tenuous one seat majority.

So it goes in the States “lower house,” which consists of 80 members, with each member representing at least 465,000 people. Due to a combination of the state's large population and a legislature that has not been expanded since the ratification of the 1879 Constitution, the Assembly has the largest population-per-representative ratio of any state lower house.

A majority of San Diego’s Assembly members are coming back as incumbents this year, with redistricting setting up a Republican vs Republican showdown in D75, and Lorena Gonzalez retirement in D80 setting the stage for a Dem vs Dem contest.

UPDATE: Georgette Gomez has formally ended her campaign in D80. Via the Union-Tribune:

• As her opponent David Alvarez gained support among San Diego’s Democratic establishment, progressive former San Diego City Councilmember Georgette Gómez has ended her stalled campaign for the 80th Assembly District, capping a sometimes-awkward intraparty battle between two former allies with similar backgrounds.

• “I really appreciate the support I’ve received from so many people in our community, but I am not actively campaigning for the general election,” she announced via Twitter Saturday.

You’ll notice I’ve added a new item to my thumbnail overviews, namely Right to Choose. It can, I think, be a deciding factor in elections, regardless of whether states are regarded as Red or Blue. Also, * indicates incumbent status.

San Diego Assembly Districts 

District 74: Redistricting has changed its partisan makeup from Democrat to Republican. The redrawn district begins in Oceanside and runs northward to Laguna Niguel. The general election is just a rerun of the primary, where Republican Laurie Davies bested Christ Duncan by eight points.

Chris Duncan - Democratic Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram
Media profile worth reading: 2022 Election Q&A With Chris Duncan, California Assembly District 74 Candidate
My two cents: Former Mayor Pro Tem of San Clemente gets it. From climate change to the looming crisis in mental health he’s aware of the nuances involved in creating solutions, avoiding simplistic proposals designed to cater to people's prejudices and fears. 
Right to choose: Supports, endorsed by Planned Parenthood 

Laurie Davies*  Republican Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook/ Twitter
Media profile worth reading: 2022 Election Q&A With Laurie Davies, California Assembly District 74 Candidate
My two cents: Laguna Niguel Mayor Davies is tough on crime and concerned about drug overdoses and human trafficking. Overall, she’s one of the more reasonable Republicans I’ve encountered while researching the legislature.
Right to choose: Ignores the topic in her list of issues on website.

District 75: Redistricting means two incumbent Republicans are vying to claim the right to represent the area. Although the San Diego chunk of Randy Voepel’s old D71 is in the newly redrawn district, Marie Waldron handily beat him in the primary by more than 25 points.

Randy Voepel* - unendorsed Republican
Website / Facebook/ Twitter
Media profile worth reading: 2022 Election Q&A With Randy Voepel, California Assembly District 75 Candidate
My two cents: Once upon a time Mayor of Santee Voepel is old. Not old in years (like I am), but old as in out of touch. If I had to hold my nose and vote in this district, Voepel wouldn’t be my choice.
Right to choose: Ignores the topic in his list of issues on website.

Marie Waldron* -  Republican Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook / Twitter
Media profile worth reading: 2022 Election Q&A With Marie Waldron, California Assembly District 75 Candidate
My two cents: Her fealty lies with the party of The Former Guy. Having said that, her campaign materials lack the meanness/revenge edginess so popular in those circles today. Even though I disagree with her on most - if not all - issues, I’ll give her credit for trying to get stuff done.
Right to choose: Ignores the topic in her list of issues on website.

District 76:-  Incumbent Maienschein committed the unforgivable sin in conservative circles of leaving the GOP. The two Republicans on the primary ballot garnered 50.1% of the vote, confirming the point of view holding this district to be one of the most flippable in the state.

Brian Maienschein* - Democratic Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook
Media profile worth reading: 2022 Election Q&A with Brian Maienschain, California Assembly District 76 Candidate 
My two cents: Since he changed party affiliation in 2019, Maienschein has become public enemy #2 (#1 will always be Nathan Fletcher) for the pit bulls of the local GOP.  He is, in fact, a moderate Democrat, who supports a women’s right to choose. 
Right to choose: Think “Roe,Roe,Roe Your Vote” come November.

Kristie Bruce-Lane Republican Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram
Media profile worth reading: Working on Issues: Interview With Kristie Bruce-Lane, 76 District Candidate 
My two cents: She does a decent job of hiding her ties to the extremist elements in the GOP until her social media entries on SB 1100** come to light. Bruce-Lane thinks it’s a big deal that her opponent voted for legislation that clarified “willful interruption” of a legislative body. She calls it a “direct attack on parents who are passionate about what is happening in our schools and to our voiceless children.” Malarkey! (**SB 1100 is a reasonable piece of legislation requiring disruptors to be warned when their comments devolve into personal attacks prior to issuing orders clearing the room, which often preceded harassment and threats during hearings on COVID 19.)
Right to choose: Ignores the topic.

District 77: A (north) coastal district, which historically (even when it was numbered otherwise) is a blue stronghold. The general election is a repeat of the primary, where Boerner-Horvath whomped Downey by 30 points.

Tasha Boerner Horvath* - Democratic Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook/ Twitter
Media profile worth reading: 2022 Election Q&A With Tasha Boerner-Horvath California State Assembly District 77 Candidate  
My two cents: She has shown herself to be a steward for the environment, recognizing that infrastructure is needed to make alternatives to fossil fuel dependence possible. 
Right to choose: Not included in the website; has been supportive on social media.

Dan Downey - Republican Party Endorsed Candidate
Website/ Facebook/ Twitter
Media profile worth reading: 2022 Election Q&A With Dan Downey California State Assembly District 77 Candidate  
My two cents: His “sound fiscal management” ideas haven’t gained traction with voters, so he’s resorted to name calling and fear mongering. This guy wouldn’t know a “far-left radical” if one bit him on the ass. Oh, and he’s totally into car supremacy. 
Right to choose: Crickets…

District 78:  What was once a coastal district is now a blob covering central-north San Diego from Golden Heights to Sorrento Valley. The general election is a rerun of the primary, with incumbent Ward racking up a two to one advantage.

Chris Ward*- Democratic Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook/ Twitter
Media profile worth reading: 2022 Election Q&A With Chris Ward, California State Assembly District 78 Candidate  
My two cents: He’s a “bold progressive” who’s not too bold as he’s a Dem team player. Ward can articulate what the big challenges Californians are facing, while understanding that the foundation for many of our social problems is economic inequality. 
Right to choose: Endorsed by Planned Parenthood

Eric E. Gonzales - Republican Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Twitter / Instagram
Media profile worth reading: Assembly District 78 race pits Democratic incumbent against far-right conservative (the ONLY article I could find on Google that even mentions him)
My two cents: He’s a full-on nutter, pro life, never met a gun he didn’t love, hates ‘perverts,’ and reposts every stupid far-right meme that shows up on his phone. A fine example of what the GOP has to offer these days.
Right to choose: He doesn’t think so. 

District 79 - Redistricting kinda scrunched up this district, which now includes Lemon Grove, El Cajon, and La Mesa. Dr. Akilah Weber won handily against two Republican challengers in the primary, and I suspect her margin of victory will grow in the general election.

Akilah Weber*- Democratic Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram
Media profile worth reading: 2022 Election Q&A With Akilah Weber, California State Assembly District 79 Candidate
My two cents: Born and raised in her district and the daughter of long-time activist Dr. Shirley Weber. Her training as a physician informs her work, and mama made sure she was sensitive to the needs of marginalized people.
Right to choose: Featured issue on Website.

Corbin Sabol - Republican Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram
Media profile worth reading: 2022 Election Q&A With Corbin Sabol California State Assembly District 79 Candidate
My two cents: Leads with anti-vaxx propaganda, spreads hate against trans people, and public education = “government schools.”
Right to choose: Nope.

District 80:  Lorena Gonzalez moved on to run the CA Labor Federation and her advocacy will be missed. She took advantage of being from a very Blue district to push the limits on progressive advocacy. So the question is: who will replace her?  Although this is a Dem vs Dem contest, that hasn’t stopped GOP-aligned forces from putting their thumb on the scale.

Georgette Gómez -Democratic Party Endorsed Candidate
Website / Facebook/ Twitter
Media profile worth reading: 2022 Election Q&A With Georgette Gomez California State Assembly District 80 Candidate
My two cents: She snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in the contest to fill the remainder of Gonzalez’ term. With a boatload of endorsements in hand, she bested David Alvarez in the primary special election only to lose in the follow up top-two contest.  She won the primary for the regular term (starting in 2023), and is generally considered the more progressive of the two candidates.
Right to choose: A solid advocate, endorsed by Planned Parenthood.

David Alvarez* - Democrat
Website / Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram
Media profile worth reading: 2022 Election Q&A With David Alvarez California State Assembly District 80 Candidate
My two cents: He’s a short-term incumbent, having won the special election, and is capitalizing on that victory. My very informal polling says he’s going to have enough momentum to win in November. Although he has a liberal track record, Alvarez marketed his candidacy around the state capital as the “moderate” Democrat. What this means in terms of voting is that he’ll likely be less of a thorn in the side for Chamber of Commerce “job killer” bills than Lorena Gonzalez was.
Right to choose: Denounced Supreme Court decision overturning Roe. 

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Previous voter guides:
(More coming soon)
California State Officials
California’s DC Delegation
State Senate races