On April 6, voters in the 79th Assembly District will narrow down the field of candidates to replace Shirley Weber after her Secretary of State appointment.
The district is one of the most diverse in the state and four out of the five candidates are not White.
VOSD contributor Bella Ross previews the race and the five candidates vying for Weber’s seat, including Akilah Weber, Weber’s daughter.
Though many of the candidates agree on many issues, they’re “divided on how to approach school reform, the roles of teachers unions and accountability in the pursuit of equitable and effective educational options,” Ross writes.
Akilah Weber has picked up several early endorsements from the California Democratic Party and others. Another candidate, Leticia Munguia, AFSCME District Council 36 representative, has the support of Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez and County Supervisor Nora Vargas.
Other candidates include Generation Justice founder Aeiramique Glass-Blake, California Teachers Association committee member Shane Parmely and business owner Marco Contreras, the sole Republican in the race.
Vaccine Stations Ramping Up in North County
Another coronavirus vaccine superstation has opened in North County, meaning there’s now one in Del Mar and one in San Marcos. Smaller sites have also opened to administer vaccines to health care professionals, public health staff and people over 65.
“That’s good news for vaccination rates if the supply holds up,” Kayla Jimenez writes in the North County Report.
Last week, San Diego County officials announced a delayed vaccine shipment from Moderna would disrupt some vaccinations. It brought the site in downtown San Diego to a halt, but there have been no reports of a slowdown in North County, and officials said the superstation in San Marcos has sufficient supplies to meet second dose appointments.
Filed Under ‘No, You’re an Extremist!’
San Diego City Council President Jen Campbell described the recall effort against her as an expensive and reckless campaign driven by “elites” and “extremists,” according to the U-T. Scott Lewis explained earlier this month that much of animus directed at Campbell stems from her decision to forge a compromise on vacation rentals.
The Santee City Council has also picked a fight with County Supervisor Nathan Supervisor over his remarks about how the effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom includes White supremacists. In the process, U-T columnist Michael Smolens writes, the dispute is bringing renewed attention on Santee’s history of racially motivated violence.
In Other News
- Grossmont Union High School District announced reopening plans for March. Meanwhile, UC San Diego wants to send robots into schools to test wastewater and floors for coronavirus. (CBS 8, Union-Tribune)
- O’Farrell Charter School is embroiled in a legal battle with its former superintendent, who was fired. (inewsource)
- There’s been an uptick in children at Rady’s Children’s Hospital who have “MIS-C,” an illness that stems from COVID-19. (10 News)
- San Diego officials are lobbying Congress for a COVID-19 relief bill that could help close the $240 million budget deficit the city is facing. (Union-Tribune)
Correction
Tuesday’s story on San Diego Unified Superintendent Cindy Marten misstated when San Diego Unified’s 12 indicators of a quality school were developed. They were developed before Cindy Marten became superintendent.
The Morning Report was written by Jesse Marx and Maya Srikrishnan, and edited by Sara Libby.