WEBER LEADS IN EARLY RETURNS IN PRIMARY FOR ASSEMBLY SEAT

La Mesa councilwoman solidly ahead of 4 others in 79th District contest

La Mesa Councilwoman Dr. Akilah Weber led a field of five candidates Tuesday evening, winning 53 percent of the early votes counted in the race for the 79th Assembly District seat.

Those returns amounted to less than 18 percent of potential votes. They were early in-person votes and mailed-in or dropped-off ballots. In total, the county mailed out more than 300,000 ballots.

In second place was Republican business owner Marco Contreras with about 33 percent. Labor organizer Leticia Munguia held about 8 percent, teacher Shane Parmely had 5 percent, and community organizer Aeiramique Glass Blake held just over 1 percent.

The tallies were posted minutes after polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday. The returns did not include any votes cast in the 269 precincts, where poll workers were closing up and preparing to deliver ballots.

The special primary election will determine who fills the seat vacated by Weber’s mother, Shirley Weber, who represented the district for the previous decade and left in January to serve as California’s secretary of state. The 79th District includes parts of Southeast San Diego, Bonita, Chula Vista, La Mesa, Lemon Grove and National City.

If no candidate wins a majority, the race will go to a June 8 runoff between the top two vote-getters.

Weber, an obstetrician/gynecologist, significantly outpaced her opponents in fundraising. She collected more than $380,000 in her candidate account, while a political committee supporting her raised $545,000.

Contreras raised about $146,000 in his candidate fund. Among the other three Democrats running,

Munguia raised just over $74,000, Parmely brought in nearly $23,000, and Blake trailed with $6,320.

Despite the election spending, few campaign signs were visible in La Mesa on Tuesday — a contrast to general elections when candidates’ signs mark street corners and fence lines.

In a special election that proceeded swiftly — with less than two months from the time the seat became open until it went to a primary — voters said Tuesday they felt the campaigns lacked substance.

D. Hurley, who was dropping off her ballot in La Mesa, said it was difficult to get detailed information about candidates’ experience or platforms. She said the candidates’ information focused on the pandemic at the expense of budget, state finances and local issues.

“I think the candidates, all, every single one of them, could have done a much better job describing how they’re going to serve our community,” Hurley said.

Paul Blessing echoed her complaint about scant campaign messages.

“I think that the information provided about each of the candidates should have been more,” he said.

At the La Mesa Arts Academy poll station, voters trickled in during the afterwork hours. Site supervisor John Kurko said foot traffic to the polling station had been light compared to the presidential election in November. Voting went quickly, he said, with most voters dropping off ballots rather than voting in person.

Of the 300,000 mail ballots, more than 51,000 voters had returned their ballots through the mail, at county collection boxes or by voting early at the San Diego County Registrar of Voters Office.