Three candidates will be vying to win California’s recently redrawn 38th Senate District.
Completed in 2021, the redistricting moved the district from California’s inland empire and San Diego County farther northwest, covering the coast from San Clemente all the way to the city of San Diego.
The candidates running consist of business owner Matt Gunderson, a Republican, and two Democrats, Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear and former fire captain Joe Kerr.
The 38th Senate District is currently held by Sen. Brian Jones (R-Santee), though he will be seeking reelection in the 40th Senate District following redistricting.
Gunderson was the only candidate who responded by press deadline to The Epoch Times’ questionnaire on the election.
Asked why he believes he’s the right candidate for District 38, Gunderson said he has built multiple successful businesses, making him “the only candidate in this race with real world experience to bring fresh ideas to fix our region’s evolving needs.”
If elected, Gunderson said his top three issues will be cleaning up California’s homeless epidemic, fighting back against the “dramatic” rise in crime, and making California more affordable for the middle class.
“California has lost its way, and I can no longer sit on the sidelines while Sacramento exports its priorities and politics onto our region,” Gunderson told The Epoch Times via email. “We must return to local control and give communities the power to solve our growing homeless and public safety needs.”
To reduce crime, the small business owner said he would fight to repeal Propositions 47 and 57—which allow criminals to avoid proper punishment, he said—and deter violent and non-violent crime.
Proposition 47, passed by voters in 2014, downgraded some crimes, such as simple drug possession, from felonies to misdemeanors and raised the minimum amount of stolen goods from $400 to $950 for a theft case to be classified as a felony. Proposition 57, passed in 2016, allows eligible “nonviolent” inmates to be released early, with critiques saying that many eligible inmates in fact committed violent crimes.
As for affordability, Gunderson wants to repeal California’s gas tax.
“[W]e must repeal the gas tax. We pay the highest costs in the nation, higher than even the island state of Hawaii, for our gasoline. This is truly abhorrent especially considering the state’s record breaking surplus,” he said.
He also wants to end laws that open doors for housing densification—namely Senate Bill 9 and 10, which permit more residential units than previously allowed to be built on a plot of land. Critics of the laws are concerned that denser housing will negatively impact single-family neighborhoods and compromise the quality of life for residents.
“We must not sacrifice local [housing] control. … Simply adding [housing] density without regard for public safety, transportation, or the character of a community is no solution,” he said.
Overall, Gunderson is pitting his campaign on being an outsider coming into Sacramento to shake things up.
“This election is simple; if you think Sacramento has all the correct answers for our community, I am probably not your guy,” he said.
For Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear, her website cites a record of results during her term as mayor, including securing emergency grants for small businesses during the pandemic, banning ghost guns, providing renewable power for residents, and adding affordable housing.
If elected, she plans to implement treatment for homeless people, make housing more affordable, reduce inflationary pressures on California, and ensure “our communities and neighborhoods are safe from gun violence.”
Joe Kerr, who served in the Orange County Fire Authority and Orange County Fire Department for over 34 years, said on his campaign website that he is running to be a “common sense, creative problem solver” who would do “what is right for our citizens.”
Vowing to support Californians in restoring jobs and rebuilding the economy, Kerr said he “firmly believe[s]” the state can efficiently use the available budget “without imposing more crippling taxes on our citizens and inflicting burdensome regulations on our business owners.”
Kerr’s website cited that during his previous career he balanced the fire authority’s budget after a recession, lowered labor costs, offered firefighters more benefits, and generated new revenue without adding new taxes.
According to the California Secretary of State’s May 19 data, Blakespear has received $695,000 in campaign donations, with Gunderson coming in at almost $545,000. Kerr is quite behind, at $71,000 raised.
The 38th District, has a good chance of electing a Democrat this year, according to Jim Lacy—an election lawyer, political consultant, and author of “Taxifornia,” a book on the over-taxation of Californians. This is because the district has a 3 percent Democrat registration advantage as well as historical trends of voting blue.
In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the district against Donald Trump 52 to 42 percent, and the 2020 election saw Biden beat Trump 57 to 41 percent,” Lacy said. Gavin Newsom also beat John Cox 52 to 47 percent in the 2018 gubernatorial election.
“The party registration on paper makes this district look like it could be like a toss-up,” Lacy said. “But the voter history is starkly in contrast to the party registration.”
Blakespear, as a current mayor, also has the advantage of being an elected official, Lacy said.
“Blakespear has the advantage of being the Mayor of Encinitas, which is a city in the heart of the district,” he said. “And if Blakespear runs as a moderate Democrat and doesn’t veer off to any of these crazy progressive ideas like no cash bail, high taxes, and this type of thing, [that could help her.]”
Lacy said that Gunderson has an advantage going into the primary since he is the only Republican, meaning it will likely be Gunderson versus Blakespear in the November general election.
The primary election will take place on June 7.
