East  County News Service



September 23, 2024 (Spring Valley, CA) – Ther Spring Valley Community Alliance (SVCA) and New Seasons Church are sponsoring a forum for candidates running in November for the 79th State Assembly District. The forum will take place on Monday, September 30 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the New Seasons Church,2300 Brancroft Drive in Spring Valley.

Both candidates, LaShae Sharp-Collins, PhD, and Colin Parent have confirmed their attendance.  Sharp-Collins is the County Office of Education’s community engagement specialist and an adjunct professor at San Diego State University. Parent is a La Mesa City Councilman, attorney, and general counsel for the nonprofit Circulate San Diego.

They will give opening statements and take questions from the audience. Take this opportunity to hear the candidates and learn where they stand on issues important to you.

The forum will be moderated by the League of Women Voters of San Diego and conducted according to their guidelines.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  Andrew Hayes has moved into 2^nd place in 75^th Assembly district; LaShae Sharp-Collins has pulled within 183 votes of Racquel Vasquez in the 79^th district

March 9, 2024 (San Diego’s East County) – Latest election results released at 5 p.m. this evening show results have flipped in the Assembly district 75—with two Republicans now in the first and second place positions poised to run-off in November, if these positions hold.

Andrew Hayes, a  Lakeside school board member and long-time aide to Senator Brian Jones and Supervisor Joel Anderson, has narrowly pulled ahead of Democrat Kevin Juza, a business consultant. Carl DeMaio, founder of Reform California and conservative talk radio host, remains in first place. Currently DeMaio has 43.21%, Hayes 18.65% and Juza 18.18%. With just 555 votes separating Hayes and Juza, however, this race is still too close to call.  Three lesser-known candidates are trailing far behind.

The race has also tightened in the 79^th Assembly District, where three Democrats are vying for the two top slots to advance to the November general election.

By Miriam Raftery

April 6, 2023 (La Mesa) – Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber has announced Thursday that she will run for the 39^th State Senate seat held by termed-out Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins, after Supervisor Nathan Fletcher dropped out of the race amid accusations of sexual misconduct.  

Today, La Mesa City Councilman Colin Parent announced that he will run for Weber’s 79^th State Assembly seat.  Since Parent’s term on the Council ends in 2024, his announcement also means La Mesans can expect to have a new face on the City Council after the 2024 elections.

Update April 11: Dr. Akilah Weber has won the election outright, avoiding a runoff with 52% of the votes. Only 300 ballots remain to be counted, not enough to change the outcome.

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

April 7, 2021 (La Mesa) -- La Mesa City Councilmember Dr. Akilah Weber took a big lead Tuesday night and could avoid a runoff in the special election to succeed her mother in the 79th Assembly District.

The seat is open because five-term Assemblymember Shirley Weber was appointed to succeed Alex Padilla as Secretary of State in a series of changes prompted by Sen. Kamala Harris’ election as Vice President. Padilla was appointed to succeed Harris in the Senate.

The younger Weber, a Democrat, received 52% of the vote, according to final unofficial election-night results from the San Diego County Registrar of Voters.

The projected number of outstanding ballots is 9,500, according to the Registrar of Voters. If Weber’s total remains above 50%, she will be elected without a runoff. If it falls below 50%, she will face Marco Contreras, the lone Republican in the field of five candidates, in a runoff June 8.

By Miriam Raftery

November 7, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – For Shirley Weber, PhD,  victory in the 79th Assembly District is particularly sweet.    “This is the first time an African-American has served in theLegislature in San Diego or south of Los Angeles,” Dr. Weber told ECM.  “The 79th district is only 10% African American, which says a lot about voters in this district.”

The daughter of a sharecropper, Weber found education to be the key to her future.  She earned three degrees by age 26.   “I’ve always been a strong voice for education,” said Weber, a Democrat. With over 88% of the votes counted, Weber leads her Republican challenger, Lemon Grove Councilwoman Mary England, by approximately a 60-40% margin.

By Miriam Raftery

January 11, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – Lemon Grove Councilwoman Mary England announced today that she will seek a seat in the state Legislature. She is running in the newly redistricted 79th Assembly District, which has no incumbent. England is also president of the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce.England said her priorities will be to encourage private sector job growth, balance the state budget without raising taxes, and reform of the state’s public pension system.