Working families advocate Lorena Gonzalez has announced she will run for the 80th state Assembly District, vowing to seek the seat once it is vacated by the current assemblymember, Ben Hueso.
Gonzalez will seek election as early as this year if Assemblymember Hueso is elected to the state Senate in a special election this spring.
The 80th state Assembly District includes Chula Vista, National City, Imperial Beach and the San Diego neighborhoods of San Ysidro, City Heights, Barrio Logan, Sherman Heights, Otay Mesa, Paradise Hills and other areas in the southern portion of the city.
“I hammered out tough compromises between business and workers, between teachers and our school board, and between developers and environmentalists by putting practicality ahead of ideology. That approach worked in San Diego County and it will work in Sacramento. Extremism doesn’t work. Pragmatism does,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez serves as the chief executive of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, an advocacy organization that represents 200,000 local union workers in the region.
As secretary-treasurer of the Labor Council, Gonzalez led successful campaigns for living wage agreements, local hiring preferences and increased education funding for San Diego County workers and their families.
“Respect for working families means respect for their money. Unions negotiate wages and benefits but nothing happens until union members vote. I think that principle applies to taxpayers,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez has received endorsements from a variety of leaders representing the District, including San Diego Mayor Bob Filner, Congressman-elect Juan Vargas, state Assemblyman Ben Hueso and state Sen. Marty Block.
