The race for the 35th Assembly District seat is heating up between incumbent Jordan Cunningham and challenger Dawn Addis.
Whoever wins the election will represent San Luis Obispo County and northern Santa Barbara County in Sacramento.
Cunningham, a Republican, is running on the heels of what he calls a successful four years in office.
He points to accomplishments that include securing money for infrastructure improvements at the Cholame Y, receiving state funding to mitigate some of the financial losses from the closure of Diablo Canyon, and fighting human trafficking.
"We've made some major progress in the last four years. I'd like to do another term so we can continue that important work. We've got to plan for the transition of our local economy as we plan for the closure of Diablo Canyon, small business needs a voice in Sacramento, they need help up there. The taxpayer needs a voice in Sacramento," Cunningham said.
If re-elected, he says he'd like to see continued investment in workforce and housing development.
"We need to continue to make sure we can build enough housing to keep up with demand so that the cost of living doesn't keep going up and up. We need to fight the effort to try to increase taxes every time we turn around. We need to make sure we're standing up for small businesses and the taxpayer," Cunningham said.
Challenger Dawn Addis, a Democrat, is hoping to unseat Cunningham with her platform that includes addressing housing issues, climate change, fire prevention, and the economy.
"One of the things that many businesses here say is they've had a hard time attracting employees because there isn't housing. So we have to look at this as an ecosystem approach where we're prioritizing housing, jobs, and recovery all at the same time," Addis explained.
Addis says her history as a public servant, educator, and organizer of social justice movements shows her propensity to stand up for the little guy.
"People here work very hard to be here and we deserve a legislator who is going to show up, who is going to speak up and really be a champion for the Central Coast," Addis said.
