California Secretary of State

ASSEMBLYMEMBER SHIRLEY WEBER NAMED NEW SECRETARY OF STATE FOR CALIFORNIA

By Miriam Raftery

December 22, 2020 (San Diego) – East County’s Assemblywoman Shirley Weber has been appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to serve as California’s Secretary of State, the first black woman to hold the office. The daughter of sharecroppers who were once denied the right to vote, Dr. Weber went on to earn a doctoral degree and rise to prominence as an educator and later, a powerhouse champion in the Legislature for voting rights, police reform and strengthening public schools.

Governor Newsom posted on Twitter, “Dr. Weber is a tireless advocate & change agent with unimpeachable integrity. Now, she’ll be at the helm of our elections as our next Secretary of State, the first African American to be California’s Chief Elections Officer.”  He added, “With her, CA will continue to be a model for the nation in expanding democratic participation and access to the ballot box.”

Weber, a Democrat whose district includes La Mesa, Lemon Grove, Bonita and portions of San Diego and National City, will fill the vacancy left by Alex Padilla, whom the Governor appointed to be California’s new U.S. Senator. Padilla will replace Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris in the Senate.


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GOVERNOR NEWSOM APPOINTS SECRETARY OF STATE ALEX PADILLA AS CALIFORNIA’S NEXT U.S. SENATOR

By Miriam Raftery

December 22, 2020 (Sacramento) – Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Secretary of State Alex Padilla to fill California’s U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris.

Padilla, who previously served as a Los Angeles City Councilman and State Senator, is a national leader in the fight to expand voting rights, will become the first Latino to represent California in the United States Senate and the first Southern Californian in nearly three decades.

“The son of Mexican immigrants —  a cook and house cleaner — Alex Padilla worked his way from humble beginnings to the halls of MIT, the Los Angeles City Council and the State Senate, and has become a national defender of voting rights as California’s Secretary of State.” said Governor Newsom. “Through his tenacity, integrity, smarts and grit, California is gaining a tested fighter in their corner who will be a fierce ally in D.C., lifting up our state’s values and making sure we secure the critical resources to emerge stronger from this pandemic. He will be a Senator for all Californians.”

The action also gave Newsom the ability to fill the Secretary of State seat via appointment. Late today, he announced that Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), whose district includes much of East County, will be the new Secretary of State, the first black woman to hold the post.  Newsom bypassed San Diego Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, who earlier had announced plans to run for the position in 2022.  Newsom will also be making an appointment to replace Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who was named by President-Elect Joe Biden to head up the federal Health and Human Services department, if the cabinet appointment is approved by the Senate.


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BALLOT MEASURE WOULD END SANCTUARY CITIES IN CALIFORNIA, REQUIRE STATE AND LOCAL AGENCIES TO ASK IMMIGRATION STATUS

 

East County Magazine

Photo: Homeland Security/Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility at Otay Mesa

November 16, 2015 (Sacramento) -- A proposed ballot initiative submitted to the California Secretary of State takes aim at sanctuary cities that shelter undocumented immigrants from deportation under certain circumstances.


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CHRISTIAN VOTERS POLITICAL PAMPHLET SENT BY DEMOCRATIC BACKER IN EL CAJON VIOLATED CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAW, FPPC ENFORCEMENT OFFICER ADVISES

 

By Miriam Raftery

April 23, 2014 (El Cajon)—The Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) is weighing a proposed stipulation order that if signed, would impose a $2,000 fine against Bonnie Burns Price for a mailer from “ Christian Voters for a More Transparent Government in East County."  Price is the former chair of the East County Democratic Club and a supporter of Ben Kalasho, a candidate who ran for El Cajon Council and lost by a narrow margin in 2012.


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CALIFORNIA SECRETARY OF STATE CANDIDATES VIE FOR VOTES

By Miriam Raftery
Gail Lover also contributed to this article


October 26, 2010 – The California Secretary of State’s race pits two candidates who each represent historic milestones. Democratic incumbent Debra Bowen won a national John F. Kennedy “Profile in Courage Award” for ordering hack tests on electronic touch screen voting machines—then decertifying some machines after tests at universities proved that tampering could change votes. She was the second woman elected to the office (March Fong Eu, in 1974, was the first).
 

Her opponent, Republican Damon Dunn, aspires to be the first African-American elected to the office. A Stanford alumnus, he told Chamber members that he was mentored by Condoleeza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State. Founder of a real estate business and an active community volunteer, he also had an award-winning career as a college and NFL football player.


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.