Candidates connected to San Diego vie for key state roles

Secretary of State and California Supreme Court Justice races feature local ties

Shirley Weber is sworn in by Governor Gavin Newsom as California’s 30th Secretary of State. drshirleyweber.com photo

Shamere Grimes, Multimedia Journalist

Election Day 2022 in San Diego was met with rainy weather, but that didn’t stop voters from heading to the polls.

The ballots of voters in San Diego and beyond featured two candidates with deep connections to the city and county of San Diego: Secretary of State candidate Shirley Weber and California Supreme Court Justice candidate Patricia Guerrero.

Here’s more about the candidates.

Weber seeking re-election

Weber was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to replace U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, whom Newsom appointed following the resignation of Vice President Kamala Harris from the U.S. Senate, according to the state’s website.

Weber became the first Black woman to hold the position of Secretary of State in California, but her humble beginnings hit much closer to home for the people of San Diego, according to the office of the Governor website.

Weber was a professor and founding faculty member of the department of Africana Studies at San Diego State University for 40 years, serving several terms as department chair.

Weber has also served as an assembly member representing California’s 79th Assembly District, which includes parts of the City of San Diego, as well as several cities and communities including Bonita, Chula Vista, La Mesa, Lemon Grove and National City.

 She also served as a member and chairwoman of the San Diego Unified School District.

Guerrero hoping to stay on the bench

Guerrero was appointed to the Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division One on November 2, 2017, and took office following her confirmation on December 14, according to the state courts website.

Guerrero, who went to school at Stanford and Cal Berkeley, spent time as an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California before becoming a partner at the global law firm Latham and Watkins.

Later, she became a judge of the San Diego Superior Court in 2013.

She also served as a supervising judge in the family law division, according to the state courts website.