Politics & Government

79th District Special Election Results: 5 Compete For Seat

The special election was prompted after Shirley Weber was appointed as California's secretary of state.

The special election was prompted after Shirley Weber was appointed as California's secretary of state and the seat was left vacant.
The special election was prompted after Shirley Weber was appointed as California's secretary of state and the seat was left vacant. (Ashley Ludwig/Patch)

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA β€” Polls have closed and voters have decided who should represent California's 79th Assembly District.

The special election was prompted after Shirley Weber was appointed as California's secretary of state and the seat was left vacant.

Four Democrats and one Republican competed for the seat, which encompasses southeastern San Diego, La Mesa, Lemon Grove and parts of Chula Vista, Bonita and National City. The candidates included:

Find out what's happening in San Diegofor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Dr. Akilah Weber: Weber's daughter, La Mesa City Councilwoman, and an obstetrician/gynecologist who founded and serves as director of the Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology Division at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego
  • Leticia Munguia: business representative for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, District Council 36, which represents government employees across Southern California
  • Shane Suzanne Parmely: teacher at Bell Middle School in Paradise Hills and the National Education Association board member for San Diego County
  • Aeiramique Glass Blake: policy director, community organizer, conflict resolution facilitator, and community cohesion and race and equity consultant
  • Marco Contreras: owner of Rancho Customs Brokers, which provides custom compliance and consulting services

More than 300,000 ballots were sent to registered voters for the election, according to the San Diego County Registrar of Voters. As of Monday, the office had received over 51,000 ballots, which is about 17 percent of the district's registered voters.

The first set of results is slated to come in shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday. They will include ballots that were mailed in, returned to mail ballot drop-off locations, or cast during early voting at the Registrar's office prior to Election Day, according to the Registrar of Voters. The Election Day precinct ballots will come in after the polls close at 8 p.m. and must be driven in from 51 polling place locations across the 79th Assembly District.

Find out what's happening in San Diegofor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The results must be certified on April 15. If no candidate receives a majority in the district, a runoff between the top two finishers will be held June 8.

The results are below. Can't see the widget? Click here for the election results. Be sure to refresh this page for the latest.


Stay updated with the latest election results and news in California. Sign up for free real-time alerts and daily newsletters from Patch.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from San Diego