Reelect Assemblymember David Alvarez to keep AD-80 on the right track for progress.
Assm. David Alvarez’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will continue to be a representative leader for the constituents of AD-80. While he has opposed some significant progressive legislation during his time in the Assembly, our analysis shows that he will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district if he is subjected to increased community accountability.
Progressive endorsements: Assm. Alvarez has the endorsement of some groups, including Equality California, AFSCME California, and SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West. He has also received problematic endorsements in previous elections, including from Chula Vista Police Officers Association and Deputy Sheriffs Association of San Diego County.
Top issues: Community college access and affordability, clean water conservation, greenhouse-gas reduction, affordable housing, ending bans on low-rider cruising, and social services.
Priority bills: This legislative session, Assm. Alvarez’s priorities for AD-80 have included 55 bills about community college, greenhouse-gas reduction, affordable housing, and water conservation and quality. Of these, 11 have been chaptered into law, 14 have died, and the rest remain in committee. In 2023, he sponsored and passed legislation to ban local regulations that criminalize low-rider cruising, provide in-state community college tuition to qualifying students residing in Mexico, expand Medi-Cal coverage to include laboratory genetic and panel blood testing. In 2024, he proposed legislation to expedite access to in-home support for terminally ill patients, allow lawful permanent residents to be included in the pool for jury duty, and require annual reports from the state university systems on their management of sex discrimination on campus. He scored a CS of 68 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assm. Alvarez supported some progressive bills that made it to a vote last year. However, he voted against several critical bills across a variety of issue areas this session, including AB460 to strengthen the authority of the State Water Resources Control Board, AB1347 to eliminate paper receipts and their toxic ink, and AB958 to increase the number of weekly personal visits permitted to an incarcerated person. In addition, Assm. Alvarez is a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan and bicameral group that claims that their collaborative work allows them to take a more holistic approach to evaluating legislation. In reality, the Problem Solvers Caucus actively works with problematic industries against progressive policies.
Member of the California Legislative Progressive Caucus?: No
Committee leadership/membership: Assm. Alvarez currently sits on five committees, including Budget, Education, Insurance, Military and Veterans Affairs, and Water, Parks, and Wildlife. He serves as chair of Subcommittee No. 3 on Education Finance, the Subcommittee on the Selection of the High-Speed Rail Inspector General, and the Select Committee on Reconnecting Communities.
Governance and community leadership experience: Assm. Alvarez has served in this seat since June 2022, when he won a special election with over 54% of the vote. In November 2022, he was elected to a full term in the general election with over 69% of the vote.
Prior to his election to the Assembly, Assm. Alvarez was involved in local leadership for much of his career, including his eight-year service with the San Diego City Council, and with San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, San Diego Association of Governments, and Metropolitan Transit System. During his time in local leadership in San Diego, he advocated for funding local arts programming, expanding the public parks system, and preserving a local high school in its original location. Alvarez implemented a collaborative approach in his work, which has allowed him to successfully partner with stakeholders in Washington, DC, and Mexico while supporting local projects. In 2016, he was the lone voice of dissent on the San Diego City Council against a twenty-year lease-to-own deal for a downtown building, which Alvarez believed would cost taxpayers millions of dollars more than an outright purchase of the structure. It was later revealed that his concerns were correct, and that the mayor had intentionally pushed the deal through.
Other background: Assm. Alvarez is a lifelong resident of the Barrio Logan area of San Diego.
The Race
Primary election results: The March 2024 results included incumbent Assm. David Alvarez (D) 59%, and Michael Williams (R) 41%. Assm. David Alvarez and Michael Williams will contend in a run-off in the November 5 general election.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Alvarez’s campaign has raised $970,000 and is funded by police, fossil fuel, corporate PAC, and real estate interests. His problematic donors include California Real Estate PAC, California Independent Petroleum Association PAC, California Association of Highway Patrolmen PAC, and Amazon.com Services.
Opposing candidate: Republican Michael Williams
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Williams’s campaign has raised $6,900 and is funded primarily by individual donors.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 80th Assembly District includes parts of San Diego County.
Voter registration: 47% Democrat, 21% Republican, and 26% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.
District demographics: 56% Latino, 15% Asian, and 6% Black. This district is considered to be one of the strong Latino seats in the California Assembly delegation.
Recent election results: AD-80 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 33 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 22 points.
The Position
State assemblymembers represent and advocate for the needs of their district constituents at the California State Capitol. They are responsible for creating, debating, and voting on legislation that addresses issues within their district.
The California State Assembly has 80 districts. Each represents a population of at least 465,000 Californians. Representatives are elected to the Assembly for a two-year term. Every two years, all 80 seats are subject to election. Members elected before 2012 are restricted to three two-year terms (six years) in the Assembly. Those elected in or after 2012 are allowed to serve 12 years total across both the state Senate or Assembly. This term, Democrats currently hold a three-quarters supermajority of 62 seats in the California State Assembly, while Republicans hold 17 seats and one seat is vacant.
Reelect Assemblymember David Alvarez to keep AD-80 on the right track for progress.
Assm. David Alvarez’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that he will continue to be a representative leader for the constituents of AD-80. While he has opposed some significant progressive legislation during his time in the Assembly, our analysis shows that he will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district if he is subjected to increased community accountability.
Progressive endorsements: Assm. Alvarez has the endorsement of some groups, including Equality California, AFSCME California, and SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West. He has also received problematic endorsements in previous elections, including from Chula Vista Police Officers Association and Deputy Sheriffs Association of San Diego County.
Top issues: Community college access and affordability, clean water conservation, greenhouse-gas reduction, affordable housing, ending bans on low-rider cruising, and social services.
Priority bills: This legislative session, Assm. Alvarez’s priorities for AD-80 have included 55 bills about community college, greenhouse-gas reduction, affordable housing, and water conservation and quality. Of these, 11 have been chaptered into law, 14 have died, and the rest remain in committee. In 2023, he sponsored and passed legislation to ban local regulations that criminalize low-rider cruising, provide in-state community college tuition to qualifying students residing in Mexico, expand Medi-Cal coverage to include laboratory genetic and panel blood testing. In 2024, he proposed legislation to expedite access to in-home support for terminally ill patients, allow lawful permanent residents to be included in the pool for jury duty, and require annual reports from the state university systems on their management of sex discrimination on campus. He scored a CS of 68 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assm. Alvarez supported some progressive bills that made it to a vote last year. However, he voted against several critical bills across a variety of issue areas this session, including AB460 to strengthen the authority of the State Water Resources Control Board, AB1347 to eliminate paper receipts and their toxic ink, and AB958 to increase the number of weekly personal visits permitted to an incarcerated person. In addition, Assm. Alvarez is a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan and bicameral group that claims that their collaborative work allows them to take a more holistic approach to evaluating legislation. In reality, the Problem Solvers Caucus actively works with problematic industries against progressive policies.
Member of the California Legislative Progressive Caucus?: No
Committee leadership/membership: Assm. Alvarez currently sits on five committees, including Budget, Education, Insurance, Military and Veterans Affairs, and Water, Parks, and Wildlife. He serves as chair of Subcommittee No. 3 on Education Finance, the Subcommittee on the Selection of the High-Speed Rail Inspector General, and the Select Committee on Reconnecting Communities.
Governance and community leadership experience: Assm. Alvarez has served in this seat since June 2022, when he won a special election with over 54% of the vote. In November 2022, he was elected to a full term in the general election with over 69% of the vote.
Prior to his election to the Assembly, Assm. Alvarez was involved in local leadership for much of his career, including his eight-year service with the San Diego City Council, and with San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, San Diego Association of Governments, and Metropolitan Transit System. During his time in local leadership in San Diego, he advocated for funding local arts programming, expanding the public parks system, and preserving a local high school in its original location. Alvarez implemented a collaborative approach in his work, which has allowed him to successfully partner with stakeholders in Washington, DC, and Mexico while supporting local projects. In 2016, he was the lone voice of dissent on the San Diego City Council against a twenty-year lease-to-own deal for a downtown building, which Alvarez believed would cost taxpayers millions of dollars more than an outright purchase of the structure. It was later revealed that his concerns were correct, and that the mayor had intentionally pushed the deal through.
Other background: Assm. Alvarez is a lifelong resident of the Barrio Logan area of San Diego.
The Race
Primary election results: The March 2024 results included incumbent Assm. David Alvarez (D) 59%, and Michael Williams (R) 41%. Assm. David Alvarez and Michael Williams will contend in a run-off in the November 5 general election.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Assm. Alvarez’s campaign has raised $970,000 and is funded by police, fossil fuel, corporate PAC, and real estate interests. His problematic donors include California Real Estate PAC, California Independent Petroleum Association PAC, California Association of Highway Patrolmen PAC, and Amazon.com Services.
Opposing candidate: Republican Michael Williams
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Williams’s campaign has raised $6,900 and is funded primarily by individual donors.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 80th Assembly District includes parts of San Diego County.
Voter registration: 47% Democrat, 21% Republican, and 26% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.
District demographics: 56% Latino, 15% Asian, and 6% Black. This district is considered to be one of the strong Latino seats in the California Assembly delegation.
Recent election results: AD-80 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 33 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 22 points.
The Position
State assemblymembers represent and advocate for the needs of their district constituents at the California State Capitol. They are responsible for creating, debating, and voting on legislation that addresses issues within their district.
The California State Assembly has 80 districts. Each represents a population of at least 465,000 Californians. Representatives are elected to the Assembly for a two-year term. Every two years, all 80 seats are subject to election. Members elected before 2012 are restricted to three two-year terms (six years) in the Assembly. Those elected in or after 2012 are allowed to serve 12 years total across both the state Senate or Assembly. This term, Democrats currently hold a three-quarters supermajority of 62 seats in the California State Assembly, while Republicans hold 17 seats and one seat is vacant.