Elect Dr. Akilah Weber for state Senate to put SD-39 on the right track for progress.
Assemblymember Akilah Weber’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will be a progressive voice for the constituents of SD-39 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.
Progressive endorsements: Assm. Weber has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including California Legislative Black Caucus, National Union of Healthcare Workers, Equality California, and Planned Parenthood Action Fund of the Pacific Southwest. She has also received the endorsement of many elected leaders, including State Sen. Toni Atkins, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, State Sen. Scott Wiener, and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis.
Electoral History: Assm. Weber has served in the State Assembly since April 2021, when she won a special election for the AD-79 seat with over 52% of the vote. She earned a full term in 2022 when she won her re-election against a Republican challenger by 28 points. She currently serves as secretary of the California Legislative Black Caucus.
Top issues: Public health, education, reproductive justice, economic recovery, environment, and justice and civil rights.
Priority bills: This year, Assm. Weber’s priorities for her current district, AD-79, have included 32 bills about maternal and infant health, health-care access, sexual-violence prevention, and criminal justice reform. Of these, 14 have been chaptered into law, 5 have been vetoed, and the rest remain in committee. She has sponsored and passed legislation to improve perinatal equity in health care, adjust insurance coverage requirements, update special-education standards, and improve sexual-assault response requirements at public education institutions. She scores a CS of 86 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Dr. Weber has supported the most progressive bills that made it to a vote. That said, she failed to cast a vote on bills intended to amend charter-school grant-reporting requirements, guarantee 5 days of annual sick leave to most workers in the state, and require corporations with revenues over $1 billion to publicly disclose their annual emissions.
Governance and community leadership experience: Prior to her election to the State Assembly, Dr. Weber worked as an ob/gyn, a medical director, a professor of medicine, and a city councilmember in La Mesa. Assm. Weber is a longtime supporter of comprehensive reproductive health care. She founded the Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology Division at Rady’s Children Hospital to ensure that young people have access to reproductive health, and now acts as its director. Assm. Weber is also a proponent of criminal legal reform. While serving on the La Mesa City Council, she helped establish a Community Police Oversight Board, and has introduced Assembly bills that improve treatment for arrested and incarcerated individuals with mental-health needs.
Other background: Assm. Weber is from San Diego. She is the daughter of California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber.
The Race
Primary election: Assm. Akilah Weber (D) is the only candidate running for this seat.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Dr. Weber’s campaign has raised $227,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by police.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 39th State Senate District includes parts of San Diego County.
Voter registration: 46% Democrat, 22% Republican, and 24% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.
District demographics: 23% Latino, 11% Asian, and 10% Black.
Recent election results: SD-39 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 33 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 24 points.
The Position
State senators 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 Senate has 40 districts. Each represents a population of about 930,000 Californians. Representatives are elected to the Senate for a four-year term. Every two years, half of the Senate's 40 seats are subject to election. Members elected before 2012 are restricted to two four-year terms (eight years) in the Senate. 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 two-thirds supermajority of 31 seats in the California State Senate, while Republicans hold 9 seats.
Elect Dr. Akilah Weber for state Senate to put SD-39 on the right track for progress.
Assemblymember Akilah Weber’s track record and policy positions demonstrate that she will be a progressive voice for the constituents of SD-39 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.
Progressive endorsements: Assm. Weber has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including California Legislative Black Caucus, National Union of Healthcare Workers, Equality California, and Planned Parenthood Action Fund of the Pacific Southwest. She has also received the endorsement of many elected leaders, including State Sen. Toni Atkins, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, State Sen. Scott Wiener, and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis.
Electoral History: Assm. Weber has served in the State Assembly since April 2021, when she won a special election for the AD-79 seat with over 52% of the vote. She earned a full term in 2022 when she won her re-election against a Republican challenger by 28 points. She currently serves as secretary of the California Legislative Black Caucus.
Top issues: Public health, education, reproductive justice, economic recovery, environment, and justice and civil rights.
Priority bills: This year, Assm. Weber’s priorities for her current district, AD-79, have included 32 bills about maternal and infant health, health-care access, sexual-violence prevention, and criminal justice reform. Of these, 14 have been chaptered into law, 5 have been vetoed, and the rest remain in committee. She has sponsored and passed legislation to improve perinatal equity in health care, adjust insurance coverage requirements, update special-education standards, and improve sexual-assault response requirements at public education institutions. She scores a CS of 86 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Dr. Weber has supported the most progressive bills that made it to a vote. That said, she failed to cast a vote on bills intended to amend charter-school grant-reporting requirements, guarantee 5 days of annual sick leave to most workers in the state, and require corporations with revenues over $1 billion to publicly disclose their annual emissions.
Governance and community leadership experience: Prior to her election to the State Assembly, Dr. Weber worked as an ob/gyn, a medical director, a professor of medicine, and a city councilmember in La Mesa. Assm. Weber is a longtime supporter of comprehensive reproductive health care. She founded the Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology Division at Rady’s Children Hospital to ensure that young people have access to reproductive health, and now acts as its director. Assm. Weber is also a proponent of criminal legal reform. While serving on the La Mesa City Council, she helped establish a Community Police Oversight Board, and has introduced Assembly bills that improve treatment for arrested and incarcerated individuals with mental-health needs.
Other background: Assm. Weber is from San Diego. She is the daughter of California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber.
The Race
Primary election: Assm. Akilah Weber (D) is the only candidate running for this seat.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Dr. Weber’s campaign has raised $227,000 as of December 2023, and is not funded by police.
The District
Counties in district: California’s 39th State Senate District includes parts of San Diego County.
Voter registration: 46% Democrat, 22% Republican, and 24% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this district.
District demographics: 23% Latino, 11% Asian, and 10% Black.
Recent election results: SD-39 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 33 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 24 points.
The Position
State senators 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 Senate has 40 districts. Each represents a population of about 930,000 Californians. Representatives are elected to the Senate for a four-year term. Every two years, half of the Senate's 40 seats are subject to election. Members elected before 2012 are restricted to two four-year terms (eight years) in the Senate. 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 two-thirds supermajority of 31 seats in the California State Senate, while Republicans hold 9 seats.