The 79th Assembly District Special Election Is Set: Here Are the Declared Candidates
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced dates for the special election for Assembly District 79. The primary will be held on Tuesday, April 6. If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote (likely) the top two will face off in a June 8th general election.
The vacancy exists because Dr Shirley Weber was appointed by Newsom to be Secretary of State following the appointment of Alex Padilla to the United States Senate seat vacated by Vice President Kamala Harris.
Dr. Weber was confirmed by both houses of the Legislature without a no vote, although it should be noted that all nine Republicans in the State Senate abstained.
Dr. Weber is California's first Black secretary of state. Born in Jim Crow-era Arkansas, her family fled to California after being threatened by a lynch mob.
"How ironic it is that a girl whose father could not vote, whose grandparents never had a chance to vote, is now responsible for 40 million Californians and their right to vote," Weber said after the Assembly approved her nomination on a 70-0 vote.
Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins characterized Dr. Weber as a “principled leader whose morality, determination, and empathy make her the perfect leader for the constitutional office.”
Her clear moral compass --whether or not you agreed with her-- should serve as a standard for the next Assembly member representing communities encompassing southeastern San Diego and parts of Chula Vista, Bonita, La Mesa, Lemon Grove and National City.
The 79th Assembly District is a Democratic stronghold. Dr Weber won reelection last year with 66%of the vote. So it’s no surprise that four of the five candidates who have announced for the seat are of the liberal/progressive persuasion.
Two-time congressional candidate and Obama Administration alum Ammar Campa-Najjar filed a statement of intent, raised $100,000, came in second (at 22% behind the sole Republican in the race) in a poll, and then withdrew, saying:
"Moved by the weight of history and this moment of reckoning in our country, I strongly believe the 79th district should continue to be represented by a woman of color who will follow Dr. Weber's legacy of fighting for equity and justice."
"Only three black women are in the Assembly, and only 17 Latinas. Equity in representation matters."
Let’s take a quick look at who I know is vying for the 79th seat in this special election.
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La Mesa councilmember, and obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Akilah Weber has been endorsed by State Senator Toni Atkins, whose district overlaps AD79. She is the daughter of Dr. Weber, and has the edge by virtue of name recognition.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Endorsements
What she says:
Many have asked why would I, a physician, want to change my professional path and go into the political arena full time. I always smile when asked, and respond by saying “Why wouldn’t I”? One of the reasons that I became a physician and focused on the healthcare of women and girls, is because of the ability to impact the health outcomes of an entire family by just working with that one patient. I have also seen how much external factors impact a person’s health and the health of a community. Because of this I know first-hand that we must address the external factors if we truly want healthy communities.
The COVID-19 pandemic has not only placed a spotlight on many of those external factors, but it has also worsened many of them. Factors such as the inability for all to access quality healthcare, the continuing racial injustices, pervasive economic disparities, and the widening academic achievement gap in our youth. I am running so that we can start eliminating these inequities, which will improve the health of our families, the health of our communities and the health of our democracy.
As a member of the La Mesa City Council, I have been able to positively impact the health of our residents, businesses and community through various efforts such as updating our Public Smoking Ordinance, facilitating the implementation of the City’s Climate Action Plan, redirecting the City’s efforts to focus on homelessness, creating grants for our small businesses, and championing public transparency with passage of the Citizens Police Oversight Committee. I am proud of the accomplishments that we have achieved to make La Mesa a better and healthier City for all residents. I am ready to do the same with all of the residents of the 79th Assembly District.
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Worker’s rights advocate Leticia Mungui is the daughter of Mexican immigrants whose career as a community organizer spans decades. She’s currently working as a business representative for the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, District 36.
From Voice of San Diego:
She may have some powerful allies in the race. Newly elected Supervisor Nora Vargas and Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez both cheered Munguia’s announcement she was running.
“She’s a woman who went to law school and committed her life to serving workers! I love that!
I’m supportive of her running. The Latino Caucus will weigh in soon and then I will endorse officially. There may be other candidates running still. But she is smart, hard working and a badass,” Gonzalez told me.
More about the candidate
After completing law school, Leticia worked at the San Diego County Alternate Public Defender’s Office ensuring representation in the justice system for everyone. She was the first Latina investigator hired by the San Diego Alternate Public Defender.
The daughter of immigrant parents from Mexico, Leticia was born in San Diego and grew up in southeast San Diego County. Leticia attended local public schools, City College and graduated from San Diego State University.
While attending law school at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan, Leticia managed the Department of Justice Domestic Violence Program and developed a Spanish speaking outreach and communications campaign.
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Activist Aeiramique Glass Blake is a director of Generation Justice, a youth-led activism, organizing and advocacy organization
Declaration of candidacy:
Today I am humbled to announce my run for California State Assembly. I have approached all that I do in my community, San Diego County, and throughout California as a servant leader and I will continue to lead with a heart of service. We need an independent and strong voice who will highlight and pursue Justice, Equity, and Accountability by providing the resources and policies needed to build healthy communities.
I’m unafraid, I’m unapologetic, Unbought and Unbossed, and I hope I’ve earned your support. LET’S GO!
From an Op-Ed at the Union-Tribune on reparations:
My grandparents Ernestine and John Lewis came to San Diego from Arkansas. As a child, my grandmother would teach me how to pick wild greens, and as we would work up a sweat, she would tell me how she only received a sixth-grade education with her having to work in cotton fields as a child.
My grandfather’s grandfather was White, but my grandfather knew nothing about the White experience or the privileges that automatically come with being White. Although my grandfather served in the military, retired from the United States Post Office and became a Realtor to provide for his 10 children, my grandparents left me with the same thing their grandparents left them: a rich and painful history, all tools to make me mentally and emotionally strong for everything I am experiencing as a Black person in America now, but no financial inheritance.
I can’t help but look at my White friends and family and recognize that they presently benefit from the very thing that has set Black families and communities back for generations.
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Classroom teacher Shane Parmely has a storied history as an activist in San Diego. Whether it's distributing food for the homeless in defiance of El Cajon’s ban on sharing food in parks, protesting against police brutality in National City that left Earl McNeil brain dead, or advocating for English learners, she’s been willing to take a stand.
Froma Union-Tribune article highlighting Christian Ramirez’s food stand in Sherman Heights set up to feed families in need because of the coronavirus:
Shane Parmely, a middle school teacher in southeastern San Diego, volunteers to find donations.
She also worked with teachers to collect money and books for kids. Across from the food donations table were five cardboard boxes filled with books and some donated clothing for small children.
Parmely is thankful Ramirez opened his front yard to this effort because she knows many students and families are struggling, she said.
“We know that our students aren’t eating right,” Parmely said, her voice breaking. “All the families surrounding Christian’s neighborhood are my students.”
Parmely said this crisis has been especially hard for students who come from immigrant families, because many don’t have access to government assistance programs.
From a California Teachers Association special report on immigrant and undocumented students:
Shane Parmely, an English and art teacher at Bell Middle School in San Diego, became acutely aware of how immigration issues can affect students a few years ago when one of her students burst into tears and confided that her mother had been deported, leaving the girl and three siblings in the care of an 18-year-old sister. “That really put the issue on the radar for me,” says the SDEA member, who took the family shopping for food and immediately became an activist on behalf of immigrants. “That’s when I first became aware that kids could be left alone to fend for themselves.”
Parmely, a 2019 CTA Human Rights Award recipient, works with nonprofits that provide food, shelter, transportation and medical care for immigrants as they await their appeals to be processed. She has opened her home to families needing shelter.
“The reality is that families are being ripped apart and children are traumatized and coming to school that way,” Parmely says. “Some display extreme behaviors, and then you find out one of their parents has been deported or their family is in chaos. How can you expect them to be focused on school, get along with others and have good social-emotional skills when they are so on edge?”
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The declared Republican candidate in the AD 79 Race is Marco Contreras. (Chula Vista Councilman John McCann has been mentioned as a GOP candidate but hasn’t declared) Like many other Republican candidates, his campaign includes mentions of a “California Comeback.” Unlike many other candidates from his party, there is no looney-toons stuff to be found in his social media and web pages.
Declaration of candidacy:
I’m running because I believe our community needs a new and effective approach to leadership. I want to be a voice in our government that stands for providing safety to our cities, a voice that stands for a financially sound approach to government, and a voice that stands for preserving the future and potential of our children by putting education first. I’m running to serve our community by fighting to protect our rights and freedom to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. I’m running because I believe there is greatness on the inside of every human being and it is the job of every elected official to vote for policies that will help each person fulfill their own American Dream. I’m ready to fight for a better San Diego and a better California.
More on his background;
Marco Contreras has lived the American Dream and knows that there is no other place on the globe that would have allowed him to accomplish all that he has in life. He has experienced the goodness of our country, and our city, and he wants you and your kids to have the same experience. Marco was born in San Diego, but grew up across the border in Tijuana, Mexico. In high school, Marco pursued his dream of playing football in the United States and began crossing the border daily to attend Marian Catholic High School in San Diego. He vividly recalls not speaking English and communicating with his peers and teachers through signs and smiles.
I'll have more to say on this race as the special election primary approaches.
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