San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
WEBER, GONZALEZ EACH FACE TWO GOP CHALLENGERS
Incumbents favored to retain 79th, 80th seats for Assembly
In the races to represent State Assembly Districts 79 and 80, two well-known and influential Democratic incumbents are each facing two Republican challengers.
The Democrats — State Assembly members Shirley Weber, running to keep the 79th district seat, and Lorena Gonzalez, running to keep the 80th district seat — are considered favorites in their heavily Democratic districts.
But in each race the top two vote-getters will face each other in November, so the primary will decide who their challengers will be.
Weber, a three-time incumbent, represents a district that encompasses southeastern San Diego and some of the eastern suburbs. The area includes more than 460,000 residents, many of whom reside in Bonita, Chula Vista, La Mesa, Lemon Grove and National City.
There the number of registered Democrats is nearly double that of registered Republicans — 117,895 to 60,173.
Weber, of Oak Park, is a former professor at San Diego State University. Elected to the assembly in 2012, Weber served on several powerful committees during the last legislative session, including the committees on budget, banking and finance, education and elections and redistricting.
She gained a statewide spotlight for authoring a state bill, signed into law last year, that raises standards for police use of force. Weber also served as chairwoman of the Citizen’s Equal Opportunity Commission and was a mayoral appointee prior to joining the Assembly.
Weber has drawn two Republican challengers: John Moore of College Heights and Carmelita Larrabater of
Chula Vista.
Moore is a retired businessman who previously ran for this seat against Weber in 2016 and 2018 and lost by substantial margins. In his previous campaigns, Moore has emphasized expanding charter schools, opposing California’s sanctuary cities, and preserving Prop. 13, which was intended to put a cap on property taxes.
Larrabaster is a small business owner who has worked in real estate and business development. In her campaign, Larrabaster is emphasizing upholding traditional family values, strengthening law enforcement and protecting the border. She also has highlighted protecting Proposition 13, opposing new taxes and improving the education system.
State Assembly 80th District
Lorena Gonzalez is the four-term incumbent representing the 80th district, which includes 460,000 residents in Chula Vista, National City and parts of San Diego, including Barrio Logan, City Heights, Golden Hill, Otay Mesa and San Ysidro.
Prior to her election to the assembly in 2013, Gonzalez, of City Heights, was a labor leader and organizer who also was CEO of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council. Since then, Gonzalez has become one of the most powerful members of the Assembly, chairing the House Appropriations Committee. During the most recent legislative session, she also sat on the Judiciary and Labor and Employment committees and is chair of the Latino Legislative Caucus.
Gonzalez more recently is known for AB 5, a landmark piece of legislation she authored last year that codified the California Supreme Court’s Dynamex decision that reclassified several types of independent contractors as employees. The law has received much scorn from Republicans and various groups of gig economy workers who have been negatively affected.
Like Weber, she has drawn two Republican challengers: Lincoln Pickard and John Vogel.
Pickard is a retired contractor who previously ran for the seat in 2016 and 2018, losing to Gonzalez on both occasions. His campaigns have focused on repealing the gas tax and producing more water storage facilities. He also has emphasized his opposition to abortion and believes that marriage exists to “establish the sacred relationship between a man and a woman.”
He also sits on the county
Republican Party’s Central Committee and is unable to campaign on his own behalf, according to party bylaws, because the party endorsed Vogel.
Vogel, of Chula Vista, is a Republican information technology analyst who works with the County of San Diego. A graduate of the University of Houston, Vogel’s campaign has focused heavily on the promise to repeal AB 5. Vogel also says in his campaign that he is defending the right of a parent to not vaccinate their kids and emphasizes his support for school choice and law enforcement.
The district has had only Democratic representatives since it was redistricted after the 2010 census. There are three times more registered Democrats than Republicans: 108,186 to 35,795. Even with renewed interest from some Republicans, Gonzalez is expected to retain the seat.