Supervisor Matt Haney will be California’s next state assemblymember, as he won the April 19th special election by earning, as of this writing, over 63% of the vote versus rival candidate David Campos. The Assembly seat opened up last year after David Chiu resigned to become San Francisco’s city attorney. That role, in turn, had opened when Mayor London Breed appointed then-city attorney Dennis Herrera to head the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission following the 2020 resignation of Harlan Kelly. (San Francisco Bay Times columnist Lou Fischer has been astutely tracking this game of political musical chairs these past several months.)
Prior to Haney’s victory celebration held appropriately at Victory Hall & Parlor on the night of the election, he issued this statement:
“From day one, this campaign was about building a San Francisco that was more inclusive, affordable, sustainable, and welcoming for all. We united a broad coalition of leaders, organizations, and individuals who shared our vision. We focused on the issues and we made promises to deliver real solutions to San Francisco’s challenges. Now I’m ready to go to Sacramento to deliver on those promises.
I’d like to thank everyone who supported our campaign in some capacity, whether by volunteering their time, donating a few bucks, or even just making the effort to turn in their ballot. I’m on the ballot again in June and November, so the work continues. But I’m eager to prove to voters that they made the right choice and you can bet that I’ll hit the ground running in the State Legislature.”
He referred to the two additional elections because he must run in the statewide June primary and again in the November general elections to keep his forthcoming seat for a two-year term. Residents of his district may therefore vote on this single race four individual times in 2022!
Campos, when conceding, said: “We have to try different approaches and strategies and … we have to rethink what it means to be progressive.” (Both he and Haney identify as progressives.) Campos added, “Big money has figured out how to win elections.”
In terms of pay for state legislators, it can actually be lower than what is earned by politicians serving in San Francisco. Assemblymembers—who are in the lower house of the California State Legislature—often go on to still other significant roles, however, such as serving in California’s upper house, the State Senate.
Published on April 21, 2022
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