The race for California’s 37th state Senate district is a crowded one — and features some familiar names for legislative spectators.
The sprawling SD-37, which changed during the decennial redistricting process in 2021, includes at least parts of Irvine, Aliso Viejo, Costa Mesa, Orange, Fullerton and Laguna Niguel.
It’s the only state Senate seat Orange County voters will see on their ballot this year.
Sen. Josh Newman, an incumbent Democrat is running for the seat, as is business owner Gabrielle Ashbaugh, former Assemblymember Steven Choi, neurosurgical technologist Leticia Correa, surgical coordinator Jacob Niles Creer, former Councilmember Anthony Kuo, medical authorization coordinator Stephanie Le, Councilmember Crystal Miles, community organizer Alex Mohajer, BuildersMax CEO Guy Selleck and respiratory therapist Jenny Suarez.
Choi, Kuo, Miles and Selleck are Republicans; the other seven candidates are Democrats.
For many of the candidates, education and health care are their top budget priorities.
Selleck says he would prioritize supporting behavioral health hospitals to address homelessness and drug addiction during the budget process while Mohajer would like to see Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program, expanded and universal healthcare coverage implemented.
Newman, who chairs the Senate’s Education Committee, is keen on ensuring there’s maximum funding earmarked for California’s education system, particularly at the K-12 level. And Miles, a Villa Park councilmember, says she wants to make sure education funding is spent in the classroom.
Ashbaugh, Correa, Creer, Le and Suarez did not participate in the Register’s 2024 Primary Election Voter Guide and did not respond to requests for comment…
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