LaShae Sharp-Collins is asking voters in La Mesa, El Cajon, Lemon Grove, Spring Valley, Bonita and southeastern San Diego neighborhoods to send her back to Sacramento for a second term. Andrew Lawson, a first-time candidate who serves on the Spring Valley Community Planning Group, is trying to flip the district.
The Assembly District 79 contest, reported by The San Diego Union-Tribune, pairs an incumbent with a political newcomer running his first campaign. Sharp-Collins, a Democrat, is seeking reelection against Republican Lawson.
A Legislative Resume Built on Sacramento Connections
A Legislative Resume Built on Sacramento Connections Before running for office herself, Sharp-Collins worked as a university lecturer and as a community engagement specialist with the county office of education.
Sharp-Collins has introduced more than 30 bills since taking office, including a measure ending what she described as an outdated CalWORKs rule that penalized working parents, and a bill banning law enforcement officers from using electric-shock gloves. That shock-glove measure, Assembly Bill 2760, was signed into law by Newsom on October 13, placing a statewide ban on local, state and federal law enforcement using the wearable devices until 2030, according to CBS News. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement received a nearly $17 million contract for 6,000 pairs of the gloves last month, and the ban takes effect next year, the outlet reported.
Newsom signed Sharp-Collins's Assembly Bill 1965, which expanded state authority to perform off-the-shelf laboratory testing on commercial cannabis products, according to Marijuana Moment. Advocacy group Initiate Justice Action awarded her an A+ rating on its 2026 legislative scorecard, citing her votes on the Assembly Public Safety Committee against criminalization measures and her support for reforming California's three-strikes law.
Sharp-Collins Points to Federal Pushback and Local Funding
Sharp-Collins has discussed efforts to mitigate federal budget cuts and secure funding for her district. A graduate of Lincoln High School who earned bachelor's and master's degrees and a doctorate in educational leadership at San Diego State University, Sharp-Collins also worked as a university lecturer and as a community engagement specialist with the county office of education before entering elected office.
Lawson's Pitch: Education, Safety and an Outsider's Frustration
Lawson, a first-time candidate, said he decided to run because he wanted to get involved and felt no one else had stepped up.
Lawson has discussed public safety, taxes and schools.
