San Diego, CA
2 Democrats running to represent San Diego in the state Assembly have very different resumes
The two Democrats running to represent part of San Diego and East County in the state Assembly don’t have anything negative to say about each other.
When asked about his opponent, Colin Parent, a member of the La Mesa City Council, said, “I don’t have anything negative to say.” LaShae Sharp-Collins, a professor and education expert, in turn praised Parent as a “wonderful city council member.”
The choice for voters in the 79th District will largely come down to what kind of background they want representing them in the California Legislature, as well as whose ideas better resonate when it comes to public safety and affordability. Parent won the primary by a significant margin, but Sharp-Collins could make up the difference Nov. 5 by winning over thousands of residents who voted for the third candidate in the earlier race, Lemon Grove Mayor Racquel Vasquez, who is also a Democrat.
One key difference between the two: criminal justice reform.
Parent said he will vote for Proposition 36, which would toughen sentences for petty theft and certain drug possession charges.
“We’ve got to prioritize public safety,” he added. “I was hoping that the Legislature in Sacramento was going to address those issues, but I think they failed.”
Sharp-Collins feels the opposite.
“You are rolling us back to what we had before,” she said, referencing the state’s earlier tough-on-crime policies. Sharp-Collins is open to revisiting rules established a decade ago by Proposition 47, which reduced penalties for some drug and shoplifting cases, but she believes the current proposal goes too far.
The council member
Parent is a 43-year-old attorney.
He was elected to La Mesa’s council in 2016, where he’s supported increased oversight of police, voted to boost gun storage requirements, opposed new fees for developers because they could have driven up home prices and endorsed building one enormous housing complex even when it faced bipartisan opposition from all of his colleagues.
Parent is also CEO of the nonprofit Circulate San Diego, which advocates for expanding public transportation.
Critics have raised concerns about whether elected officials should simultaneously work for organizations that influence regional housing policy. Parent has said he’s always separated his advocacy work from decisions made as a La Mesa council member. He does plan to step down from Circulate if elected to the Assembly.
Parent believes his government experience — he’s worked for both the state housing department and the San Diego Housing Commission — position him as the best candidate to address sky-high home prices. For starters, he hopes California will consider dropping the minimum allowed lot size for condos and townhouses, potentially making it easier to create cheaper options for first-time buyers.
Homelessness is a major concern for both candidates. Parent cited a state audit that found homelessness spending has often been poorly tracked and evaluated and said officials needed to be more willing to pull funding from programs that, however well-intentioned, are ineffective. Supporting more sober-living facilities should be considered, he said. Sharp-Collins agreed.
But Parent nonetheless would vote to boost homelessness spending overall and wants every means of doing so, from raising taxes to issuing bonds, to be on the table. “We need to treat this like the crisis it is.”
Another priority is road repair. Parent believes state funding must first go to the most dangerous and damaged streets.
He further said anyone trying to launch solar or wind farms should face fewer environmental regulations.
Parent has raised more than a half-million dollars from the start of the year through late September, according to records kept by the California Secretary of State. During the same period, Sharp-Collins pulled in a little more than half that amount, about $263,800.
The educator
Sharp-Collins, 44, works for the county’s Office of Education.
As a community engagement specialist, she helps families navigate district bureaucracy, connects service organizations with local schools and aids in rolling out new curriculum, such as ethnic studies. Sharp-Collins is especially focused on reaching parents who, as a result of juggling multiple jobs or language barriers, may otherwise feel like they don’t have a say in their kids’ education.
In addition, Sharp-Collins teaches in San Diego State University’s Africana Studies department and previously worked on education policy as a staffer to former Assemblymember Shirley Weber.
She wants homeschooling parents to undergo more training and thinks the state should simplify the approval process for turning school-owned land into housing for teachers.
Red tape must similarly be cut for churches willing to build affordable units on their property, Sharp-Collins said. She’s open to boosting rental assistance for low-income residents and increasing taxes on their wealthy neighbors, but more significantly, Sharp-Collins is interested in establishing a state bank that could offer home loans.
Currently, North Dakota appears to be the only state with a government-run bank.
Sharp-Collins further says developers should only receive incentives, such as reduced requirements for parking spots, if they build significantly more affordable units. Parent thinks the current limits, which can change depending on the area, are largely OK.
Regarding homelessness, Sharp-Collins hopes to explore using more state-owned land and decommissioned naval ships as temporary shelters.
She’s additionally concerned about methane that can leak from stoves in older homes and wants California to spend more money on swapping in electrical appliances.
Both candidates have deep roots in the district and they’ve split Democratic endorsements.
Sharp-Collins is the party’s official nominee and supported by a number of prominent Democrats, including Secretary of State Shirley Weber and state Sen. Toni Atkins. Parent has been endorsed by state Sen. Catherine Blakespear and U.S. Rep. Scott Peters, among others.
The 79th District begins in southeastern San Diego and continues inland through parts of Lemon Grove, La Mesa and El Cajon. The area is currently represented by Akilah Weber, who’s now running for the California Senate.
Assembly members serve two-year terms and annually make $128,215. The longest someone can stay in office is 12 years.
San Diego, CA
Border Patrol agent indicted in San Diego for 2022 shooting of unarmed teen driver
A federal grand jury in San Diego has indicted a U.S. Border Patrol agent on a civil rights violation for shooting an unarmed 19-year-old U.S. citizen in 2022 in Calexico, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday.
Marcos Javier Andrade faces one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of use and discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges next week in U.S. District Court in San Diego.
The indictment alleges that on July 11, 2022, Andrade tried to stop a minivan that he suspected of smuggling undocumented immigrants on a highway in Calexico, in Imperial County. The van was being driven by a teen “who was unarmed and was not engaged in smuggling activity,” according to the indictment, which identifies the teen only by his initials, A.F.
After the teen failed to pull over and then became stuck in traffic, Andrade allegedly pulled up next to the van, exited his Border Patrol SUV and fired eight shots at the driver, striking him in his neck, hip, shoulder and hand, according to the indictment. The teen survived after undergoing surgery for his injuries.
The indictment alleges that after the shooting, Andrade “refused to answer basic safety questions that all Border Patrol agents are required to answer on scene when they discharge their firearms.” It also alleges that Andrade had been disciplined previously for firing his gun “at civilians” in 2012 and 2017.
Andrade could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday, and it was unclear if he had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
Officials from the Border Patrol, as well as its parent agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment late Thursday afternoon.
The indictment against Andrade comes at a time when Border Patrol agents and other immigration officers have faced increased scrutiny for shooting U.S. citizens. In October, a Border Patrol agent shot and wounded Marimar Martinez in Chicago, and in January, a Border Patrol agent fatally shot Alex Pretti in Minneapolis just weeks after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot Renée Good in the same city.
Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol’s former “commander at large” who spearheaded the Trump administration’s immigration operations in Chicago and Minneapolis, and who sent an email to the Chicago agent just hours after he shot Martinez praising his “excellent service,” was the chief of the El Centro sector in 2022 when Andrade allegedly shot the teen driver.
Border Patrol officials had previously released few details about the shooting in Calexico, which occurred in the middle of the day near a busy intersection. Andrade’s name was never publicly linked to the shooting before Thursday.
The indictment alleges that when Andrade tried to pull over the driver, the teen continued along state Route 98, driving at the speed limit until he came to a stop behind a line of cars at a stoplight. Andrade allegedly pulled his SUV partially in front of the minivan on the left side, exited his SUV and pointed his gun at the teen.
At that point, both the teen and the driver of a semi in the lane to his right began to pull forward “with the stop-and-go pace of traffic,” traveling between 1 and 5 mph, according to the indictment. The teen then steered his minivan slightly to the right, away from Andrade’s vehicle, in an effort to get around, the indictment alleges.
“At no time did A.F.’s vehicle pose a threat to defendant Marcos Javier Andrade or anyone else,” the indictment alleged. “Nevertheless … Andrade fired eight shots at A.F.”
The indictment alleges that one shot struck the hood, three pierced the windshield and four went through the driver’s side window. In addition to the gunshot wounds the teen suffered, he also sustained injuries from shattered glass that lodged in his right eye, according to the indictment. Six of the eight shots allegedly traveled through the van and also struck the tractor-trailer.
A photo published by the Calexico Chronicle the day of the shooting showed a Border Patrol agent taking cover behind an SUV and pointing his gun at the van, which at that time was riddled with bullet holes.
Andrade is facing the same two charges that federal prosecutors in San Diego brought against a sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot an unarmed, fleeing man in downtown San Diego in 2020. An initial jury in that case deadlocked after being unable to reach a unanimous verdict, but a second jury convicted the deputy last month on both counts.
San Diego, CA
I-805 fatal crash snarls traffic at Murray Ridge Road
Several lanes are closed on the northbound Interstate 805 due to a fatal crash on Thursday morning.
The crash was reported at around 5:30 a.m. at Murray Ridge Road and closed all lanes, but by 6 a.m., two lanes reopened while three lanes remained closed, according to Caltrans.
By 8 a.m., all lanes had reopened to traffic.
Update: NB I-805 at Murray Ridge, the two right lanes are open while the three left lanes remain closed due to a traffic collision.
— Caltrans District 11 (@SDCaltrans) April 2, 2026
Heavy traffic is reported in that area.
San Diego, CA
Mother and son identified in apparent murder-suicide in San Diego
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The San Diego Police Department announced Wednesday that a man and woman who were involved in an apparent murder-suicide last week have been named and identified as mother and son.
*The Nexstar Media Wire video above shows what happens when someone calls 911.
According to SDPD, on Monday, March 23, at around 7:40 p.m., officers and San Diego Fire-Rescue personnel responded to a 911 call on San Marcos Avenue in the Burlingame neighborhood. The report said neighbors heard gunshots and found a man with a gunshot wound to his head on the front porch of a residence.
When officers arrived, they found a 51-year-old man, who was later identified as Galen Sherwood, with a gunshot wound to the head, which police reportedly suspect was self-inflicted. Officers also found a handgun near Sherwood, SDPD says.
After life-saving measures were attempted on the man, he was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later, according to SDPD.
While officers were at the residence tending to Sherwood, they reportedly found an 83-year-old woman inside the home who had a gunshot wound to her upper torso. According to SDPD, the woman was pronounced dead at the scene and was later identified as Virginia Sherwood, the mother of the 51-year-old.
The two reportedly lived together at the residence.
SDPD’s Homicide Unit took over the investigation and will examine the gun collected at the scene and conduct comparison tests of the rounds and casings recovered.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is encouraged to call the Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
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