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.