Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear held a solid lead over GOP businessman Matt Gunderson as updated election results came in Tuesday night for the open 38th Senate District seat.
“I’m honored by the results that have come in so far,” Blakespear said late Tuesday.
“We always knew this would be a close election, so it’s imperative that everyone who braved the weather and made it to the polls has their voice heard. We expect that when all the votes are counted, we will be victorious.”
The SD-38 seat is mostly in solidly blue coastal San Diego County but also includes red-leaning Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita and San Juan Capistrano in Orange County. Sen. Pat Bates, R-Laguna Niguel, represents much of the newly drawn 38th district But she is terming out of the state legislature this year, leaving the SD-38 seat open for a heated race between Blakespear and Gunderson.
Catherine Blakespear
For Blakespear, a Democrat, reducing homelessness and addressing housing affordability are her top two priorities if elected to the legislature.
“These two issues are dramatically reducing the quality of life,” Blakespear said in response to a questionnaire posed by the Register. “A great state like California shouldn’t have people living on the streets and families unable to find a decent home that they can afford.”
When it comes to education, Blakespear said the COVID-19 pandemic showed that schools weren’t prepared to “face such an extreme challenge.” California’s schools need to ensure they have the right number of staff, teachers, and mental health care professionals, she said, and that schools are properly funded. Blakespear also wants to see California residents be prioritized for admission at public colleges and universities.
Matt Gunderson
A Republican from Ladera Ranch, Gunderson started three car dealerships in Mission Viejo before recently selling them, according to his campaign website. He has served as the chairman of the Mission Hospital Foundation Board and previously served on the Saddleback College Foundation Board, among other organizations.
Gunderson describes himself as a “common-sense, pragmatic conservative” who is “results-oriented, transparent, candid, and accessible.” His top two priorities, if elected, are reducing the cost of living and addressing homelessness.
“I’d start to address affordability by taking advantage of our budget surplus and immediately working to pass a targeted tax cut that benefits low to middle-class Californians and job creators,” Gunderson said. “Instead of continuing to throw money at the homeless problem, I would work to achieve specific aims that will actually make a difference in the number of homeless people on our streets. I’d start by cleaning up homeless camps, increasing the availability of mental health and drug services, building new homeless shelters outside of our neighborhoods, and then pass a requirement that the new safe shelters be used.”
Elections officials will continue counting mail-in ballots that were postmarked by Tuesday, Nov. 8, into next week.
