ENCINITAS — North County voters will help decide two state Senate races and four Assembly contests Tuesday, with housing costs, health care and affordability among the candidates’ leading concerns.
The local races include the 38th and 40th Senate districts and the 74th through 77th Assembly districts. Across San Diego County, voters will decide four Senate seats and seven Assembly seats, with several incumbents seeking reelection and some races featuring newcomers.
The 38th Senate District, which spans Mission Bay through North County and into southern Orange County, features Democratic incumbent Catherine Blakespear against Republican Laura Bassett.
Blakespear received nearly 55% of the vote in the June primary election.
Blakespear, who previously served as Encinitas’ mayor, would address the affordability crisis by expanding health care access, supporting small businesses and increasing access to affordable housing, according to her campaign website.
She also said she seeks to combat homelessness by increasing housing supply and shelter availability and investing in resources for those with mental illness and addiction.
Bassett, a licensed professional fiduciary and Oceanside resident, said increased taxes and regulations have contributed to the high cost of living. She said she would address it by lowering everyday costs and halting new taxes, according to her campaign website.
Her priorities also include reducing what she characterizes as wasteful state government spending and addressing coastal erosion and other environmental issues affecting the district’s beach communities.
The 40th Senate District covers a wide portion of San Diego, including University City, Miramar, Sorrento Valley and Mira Mesa, as well as East County beyond Mount Laguna and North County up to Rainbow.
Previously represented by Republican Brian Jones, the district’s race pits Democrat Mara Elliott against Republican Kristie Bruce-Lane.
Elliott took nearly 48% of the June primary vote, while Bruce-Lane narrowly advanced to the November election over another Republican, Ed Musgrove.
Elliott, the former San Diego city attorney, says she would tackle affordability issues by expanding housing and health care access and lowering the cost of living “by standing up to those driving up the cost of healthcare, housing, higher education, and everyday essentials,” her campaign website states.
Citing her prosecutorial background, she also says she prioritizes public safety issues, such as preventing gun violence, protecting crime victims and ensuring those with drug addiction or mental health issues obtain treatment.
Bruce-Lane, a businesswoman who previously ran for the state Assembly in 2024, says she would address cost-of-living issues by opposing tax hikes and regulations she says impede new housing construction, and by countering what she describes as wasteful state government spending.
In the 74th Assembly District, spanning North County and parts of southern Orange County, Republican incumbent Laurie Davies faces Democrat Sergio Farias.
Davies, who is seeking her fourth Assembly term, received 52.3% of the vote in June’s primary election.
Davies said she would tackle cost-of-living issues by opposing “unaffordable and unfair middle class taxes,” according to her campaign website. She also said she would work to preserve the district’s natural spaces and move nuclear waste housed at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.
Farias, a San Juan Capistrano City Council member, said the cost of living was also his key issue, particularly housing affordability, which he would address by making the homebuilding process more efficient. He touted increases in affordable housing and reductions in homelessness during his time on the council.
In the 75th Assembly District, encompassing Poway, Santee, Fallbrook and other portions of North and East County, Republican incumbent Carl DeMaio faces Democrat Gerald Boursiquot.
DeMaio, who took nearly 60% of the vote in June’s primary election, also founded the conservative political action committee Reform California, previously served on the San Diego City Council and has made several prior runs for Congress.
He said he would combat cost-of-living increases by opposing new tax hikes, regulations and what he described as wasteful state government spending.
Boursiquot, a military veteran and Fallbrook resident, said he would introduce legislation to help provide health care access to all district residents, streamline affordable housing projects and bring cost-effective public transportation to the district’s rural areas.
The 76th Assembly District, which stretches from Rancho Peñasquitos north into San Marcos and Escondido, features Democratic incumbent Darshana Patel against Republican challenger Carrie Espinoza Villanueva.
Patel, a research scientist and former Poway Unified School District board member, received nearly 56% of the vote in June’s primary.
She said her priorities include wildfire protection for district residents, expanding health care access and driving down housing costs. Patel also highlighted public safety legislation she authored during her term aimed at preventing mass shootings and threats to schools and places of worship.
Villanueva is a businesswoman who “knows firsthand how California’s taxes and regulations crush small businesses, workers, and families,” according to her campaign website.
She says her priorities include lowering the cost of living by “cutting taxes and unnecessary regulations.”
The 77th Assembly District, covering coastal areas stretching from the border through Carlsbad, features Democratic incumbent Tasha Boerner against Republican Trinity Hannaway.
Boerner, who is seeking a fifth term in the state Assembly, took more than 61% of the vote in the primary election.
Boerner said that during her Assembly tenure, she has authored legislation to lower utility costs, require internet companies to offer affordable home internet service for low-income residents and expand housing supply.
Hannaway is the executive director of the conservative political action committee Reform California. Hannaway previously interned for state Sen. Brian Jones and served as a field representative and district director for Assemblymember Carl DeMaio.
Elsewhere in the county, voters will weigh in on two additional Senate races and three other Assembly contests.
In the 18th Senate District, which covers San Diego County’s South Bay region and portions of Imperial, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, Democrat Steve Padilla faces Republican Art Hodges.
Padilla took nearly 64% of the vote in June’s primary election against Hodges, his only opponent.
Padilla, formerly Chula Vista’s mayor, is seeking a second term in the state Senate.
Among his priorities are addressing the Tijuana River Valley cross-border pollution crisis and cost-of-living concerns through job-growth initiatives, more housing and shielding residents from electricity costs he says are driven by data centers.
Hodges, a Pentecostal bishop and Chula Vista resident, similarly identifies the Tijuana sewage crisis and affordability as key issues. He also identifies protecting parental rights regarding “religious freedom and moral beliefs” as a priority, according to his campaign website.
In the 32nd Senate District, which encompasses Julian and other areas of San Diego County’s backcountry, along with portions of Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, Republican incumbent Kelly Seyarto faces Democratic challenger Tiffanie Tate.
Seyarto received just over 58% of the vote in June’s primary election.
Seyarto, who is seeking his second Senate term, previously served in the state Assembly and as mayor of Murrieta. He is a retired firefighter.
His key priorities are combating cost-of-living issues that he says are driven by overregulation and ensuring access to affordable health care.
Tate, a physician and U.S. Navy veteran, similarly said the high cost of living and access to health care were among her main concerns. She said she would address them in part by increasing funding for safety net programs such as CalWORKs and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and by expanding Medi-Cal eligibility.
In the 78th Assembly District, which covers a wide area of central San Diego and extends east into El Cajon, Democratic incumbent Chris Ward is running against Republican Payton Galvez.
Ward, who took more than 68% of the vote in June’s primary, says that, if reelected, he will focus on tackling homelessness through supportive housing, addressing the Tijuana River sewage crisis and supporting job growth.
The 79th Assembly District, spanning East County and southeastern San Diego, features Democratic incumbent LaShae Sharp-Collins against Republican Andrew Lawson.
Sharp-Collins, who is seeking her second term, took nearly 65% of the vote in June’s primary.
She said she would combat the rising cost of living by increasing the supply of affordable housing and expanding public transportation.
Lawson, an accountant and Spring Valley resident, said he would support more homebuilding by streamlining the housing permit process and incentivizing builders, according to his campaign website. He also said he would oppose new taxes that he said were driving up the cost of living.
In the 80th Assembly District, covering southern San Diego County, Democratic incumbent David Alvarez and Republican Alejandro Galicia face off.
Alvarez took nearly 60% of the vote in the June primary.
Alvarez, who is seeking a third term in the Assembly, said the Tijuana River cross-border pollution crisis was one of his top priorities, along with the escalating cost of living, which he would address through legislation to expand affordable housing opportunities.
Galicia is a small-business owner and Chula Vista resident, though no campaign website could be found.
Read more Election 2026 coverage at The Coast News, including candidate profiles, local race previews and reporting on ballot measures affecting North County communities.
