Sarah Boot has announced that she has decided to run for California’s 78th State Assembly District.
The announcement from Democrat Boot was accompanied by an endorsement from Democratic Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, the current 78th District representative who will be termed out in 2016.
Boot lost out to Republican City Councilwoman Lorie Zapf for San Diego City Council in 2014.
Boot told KPBS she’s spent the months since her City Council loss working as a private sector lawyer on consumer protection cases and serving on the board of San Diego Coastkeeper. She said her background as a federal prosecutor made her want to run for another office because she was exposed to problems in that job but felt limited in what she could do to help.
“What I found time and time again was that the criminals that I prosecuted and sometimes the victims that I was fighting to protect didn’t have a good education, certainly didn’t have a good job and often times lacked the structural support to overcome really challenging family situations. A lot of them came from broken homes, from violent homes or from foster care,” Boot said.
“So I’m still very passionate about public safety and protecting the community,” she added. “And what I’ve learned is this is really tied up in how strong our public education system is and how vibrant our economy is and the amount of really strong middle-class jobs that we have here in San Diego. These are state issues.”
In a statement, Atkins said she is supporting Boot because she has the qualifications to hold the seat but will also bring “a fresh perspective.”
“As a federal prosecutor and in her private sector work representing high technology companies, Sarah has seen first-hand the importance of restoring excellence in our schools, expanding job training opportunities, protecting San Diego’s natural resources — and preventing crime,” the statement said. “The election is a long way off, but I’m excited by Sarah Boot’s candidacy and I would be proud to see her succeed me in the Assembly.”
Since 2010, Atkins has held the seat, although it was labeled the 76th District before redistricting. Lori Saldaña, also a Democrat, held the office before Atkins.
