SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Four state Senate seats and seven state Assembly spots will be decided by San Diego County voters Tuesday, with a handful of incumbents looking to reclaim their seats, as well as several races featuring entirely new blood.
In the 18th Senate District, which covers San Diego County's South Bay region, as well as portions of Imperial, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, Democrat Steve Padilla faces off against Republican Art Hodges.
Padilla took nearly 64% of the vote in June's primary election against Hodges, the only other opponent.
Padilla, who formerly served as Chula Vista's mayor, is seeking a second term in the state Senate.
Among his priorities are addressing the Tijuana River Valley cross- border pollution crisis and cost-of-living concerns through job growth initiatives, more housing, and shielding residents from electricity costs he says are caused by data centers.
Hodges, a Pentecostal bishop and Chula Vista resident, similarly notes the Tijuana sewage crisis and affordability as key issues, while also identifying protection of parental rights in terms of "religious freedom and moral beliefs," as an important issue, according to his campaign website.
In the 32nd Senate District, which encompasses Julian and other areas of San Diego County's backcountry, along with portions of Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, Republican incumbent Kelly Seyarto faces Democratic challenger Tiffanie Tate.
Seyarto received just over 58% of the vote in June's primary election.
Seyarto, who is seeking his second Senate term, previously was a member of the state Assembly and mayor of Murrieta, and is a retired firefighter.
His key priorities are combating cost-of-living issues that he says are driven by overregulation and ensuring affordable healthcare access.
Tate, a medical doctor and U.S. Navy veteran, similarly said high cost of living and healthcare access were among her main concerns, which she said she would address in part by increasing funding for safety net programs like CalWORKs and SNAP, and by expanding Medi-Cal eligibility.
The 38th Senate District, which spans Mission Bay up through North County and into southern Orange County, features Democratic incumbent Catherine Blakespear against Republican Laura Bassett.
Blakespear received nearly 55% of the vote in the June primary election.
Blakespear, who previously served as Encinitas' mayor, would address the affordability crisis by expanding healthcare access, supporting small businesses, and increasing access to affordable housing, according to her campaign website.
She also said she seeks to combat homelessness by increasing housing supply, shelter availability and investing in resources for those suffering from mental illness and addiction.
Bassett, a licensed professional fiduciary and Oceanside resident, said increased taxes and regulations have contributed to the high cost of living and that she would combat it by working to lower everyday costs and halting new taxes, her campaign site reads.
Her priorities also include reducing what she characterizes as wasteful state government spending and addressing coastal erosion and other environmental issues affecting beach communities in the district.
The 40th Senate District covers a wide portion of San Diego, including University City, Miramar, Sorrento Valley, and Mira Mesa, as well as East County past Mount Laguna and North County up to Rainbow.
Previously represented by Republican Brian Jones, the district race pits Democrat Mara Elliott against Republican Kristie Bruce-Lane.
Elliott took nearly 48% of the June primary vote, while Bruce-Lane narrowly advanced to the November election over another Republican, Ed Musgrove.
Elliott, the former San Diego City Attorney, says she would tackle affordability issues by expanding housing access, improving healthcare access, and lowering the cost of living "by standing up to those driving up the cost of healthcare, housing, higher education, and everyday essentials," her campaign website states.
Calling on her prosecutorial background, she also says she prioritizes public safety issues, like preventing gun violence, protecting crime victims, and ensuring those suffering from drug addiction or mental health issues obtain treatment.
Bruce-Lane, a businesswoman who previously ran for the state Assembly in 2024, says she would address cost of living issues by opposing tax hikes, regulations she says are impediments to building new housing, and countering what she says is wasteful spending by state government officials.
In the 74th Assembly District -- spanning North County into southern Orange County -- Republican incumbent Laurie Davies looks to fend off Democrat Sergio Farias.
Davies, who is seeking her fourth Assembly term, received 52.3% of the vote in June's primary election.
Davies said she would tackle cost-of-living issues by opposing "unaffordable and unfair middle class taxes," according to her campaign website. She also said she would work to preserve the district's natural spaces and move nuclear waste housed at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.
Farias, a San Juan Capistrano City Councilmember, said cost of living was also his key issue, particularly in terms of housing affordability, which he said he would address by making the home building process more efficient. He touted increases in affordable housing and reductions in homelessness during his time on the San Juan Capistrano City Council.
In the 75th Assembly District, encompassing Poway, Santee, Fallbrook, among other portions of North and East County, Republican incumbent Carl DeMaio faces Democrat Gerald Boursiquot.
DeMaio, who took nearly 60% of the vote in June's primary election, also founded the conservative political action committee Reform California, previously served on the San Diego City Council, and has made several prior runs for Congress.
He said he would combat cost of living increases by opposing new tax hikes, regulations, and what he described as wasteful spending by state government officials.
Boursiquot, a military veteran and Fallbrook resident, said he would introduce legislation to help provide healthcare access to all district residents, streamline affordable housing projects, and bring cost-effective public transportation to the district's rural areas.
The 76th Assembly District, which stretches from Rancho Penasquitos up north into San Marcos and Escondido, sees Democratic incumbent Darshana Patel running against Republican challenger Carrie Espinoza Villanueva.
Patel, a research scientist and former Poway Unified School District board member, received nearly 56% of the vote in June's primary.
She said among her priorities were wildfire protection for district residents, expanding healthcare access, and driving down housing costs. Patel also highlighted public safety legislation she authored during her term aimed at preventing mass shooting incidents and threats to schools and places of worship.
Villanueva, a businesswoman who said she "knows firsthand how California's taxes and regulations crush small businesses, workers, and families," according to her campaign website.
She says her priorities include lowering the cost of living by "cutting taxes and unnecessary regulations."
The 77th Assembly District, covering the coastal areas stretching from the border through Carlsbad, sees incumbent Democrat Tasha Boerner facing off against Republican Trinity Hannaway.
Boerner, who is seeking a fifth term in the state Assembly, took over 61% of the vote in the primary election.
Boerner said that during her Assembly tenure, she has authored legislation to lower utility costs, require internet companies to offer affordable home internet service for low-income residents, and expand housing supply.
Hannaway is the executive director of the conservative political action committee Reform California.
In the 78th Assembly District, which covers a wide area of central San Diego and east into El Cajon, Democratic incumbent Chris Ward is running against Republican Payton Galvez.
Ward, who took over 68% of the vote in June's primary, says if elected he will focus on tackling homelessness through supportive housing, addressing the Tijuana River sewage crisis, and supporting job growth.
The 79th Assembly District, spanning East County and southeastern San Diego, will see Democratic incumbent LaShae Sharp-Collins face Republican Andrew Lawson.
Sharp-Collins, who is seeking her second term, took nearly 65% of the vote in June's primary.
She said she would combat the rising cost of living by increasing the supply of affordable housing and public transportation opportunities.
Lawson, an accountant and Spring Valley resident, said he would support more home building by streamlining the housing permit process and incentivizing builders, according to his campaign website. He also said he would oppose new taxes that he said were driving up the costs of living.
In the 80th Assembly District, covering southern San Diego County, incumbent Democrat David Alvarez and Republican Alejandro Galicia face off.
Alvarez took nearly 60% of the vote in the June primary.
Alvarez, who is seeking a third term in the Assembly, said the Tijuana River cross-border pollution crisis was one of his top priorities, as well as the escalating cost of living, which he said he would address through legislation to expand affordable housing opportunities.
Galicia is a small business owner and Chula Vista resident, though a campaign website could not be located.
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