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Voters in a majority of Contra Costa County, including the San Ramon Valley, are set to make their final decision in the upcoming election between the two candidates for the State Senate seat representing that area following the most recent redistricting process.
San Ramon City Councilmember Marisol Rubio (D-San Ramon) and State Assemblymember Tim Grayson (D-Concord) – both of whom were elected to their current positions in 2022 – are set to return to the ballot this November after both advanced through the primary election earlier this year, beating out David Minor and Joseph Grcar to be the top two vote-getters.
The winner in the upcoming election is set to be the first to represent the newly redrawn senate district, which was formed following the most recent redistricting process after the 2020 census and goes into effect this year.
Currently, Nancy Skinner represents State Senate District 9 under the boundaries drawn in 2011, with a majority of the Tri-Valley falling under State Senate District 7, represented by Steve Glazer (D-Orinda). Glazer announced last year that he would not seek to be a “test” case for term limit laws by seeking the seat in the newly formed district, leaving the race wide open for Rubio and Grayson.
While both candidates advanced to the November ballot following the March primary, voters did have the opportunity to express their preference between the two ahead of making a final decision by Nov. 5, with a total of 143,757 ballots cast in the primary election. Of those, 60.99% were for Grayson and 38.53% were for Rubio, with Minor and Grcar earning 0.27% and 0.20% of the vote, respectively.
Although the two candidates share similar platforms, as well as a political party, as the campaign has worn on Rubio has since gone on the attack against Grayson, seeking to emphasize what she considers her stronger commitments to key issues including environmental sustainability, reproductive health care, gun safety and affordable housing.
“There are MANY differences between my opponent and me,” Rubio said in a March 4 social media post. “Unlike my opponent, I’m a lifelong Democrat, environmentalist, and 100% pro-choice candidate.”
In particular, Rubio has been critical of donations from oil companies to Grayson’s campaign, with Valero having made two $5,500 contributions on Sept. 26 and Oct. 3, Chevron donating a total of $10,400, Marathon Petroleum donating a total of $11,000, BP donating $2,500, and Philips 66 donating $11,000, according to campaign finance data from the Secretary of State.
Grayson’s campaign has raised a total of $853,398.78 in the current election, dwarfing Rubio’s $168,224.36. His top contributors include the Northern California Carpenters Regional Council, the Laborers Pacific Southwest Regional Organizing Coalition PAC, the California Real Estate PAC, the Service Employees International Union PAC, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers PAC, the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California PAC, and the Cal Fire Local 2881 Small Contributor Committee — all of which have donated more than $10,000 each to his campaign.
The financial support is aligned with many of Grayson’s endorsements, which include the State Building and Construction Trades Council, the California Labor Federation, and Cal Fire Local 2881. Other major endorsers include the entire Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, numerous colleagues in the state assembly including Tri-Valley Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda), current state senators Ben Allen, Bill Dodd and Melissa Hurtado, and the Contra Costa County Deputy Sheriff’s Association.Â
Grayson also boasts an endorsement from Planned Parenthood, despite criticisms from Rubio on his record on reproductive rights and less-than-stellar scorecards from the organization over the course of his tenure.
Grayson said on his campaign website that his top priority is jobs and the economy, with housing, healthcare, education, public safety, and transportation also among his priorities.
Some of these are parallel with Rubio’s platform, which also prioritizes healthcare, housing, education, and transportation. Rubio’s other priorities include the environment and fair employment practices.
Rubio’s top campaign contributors consist of the SEIU Local 2015 State PAC and the California State Council of Service Employees, which were the only groups to donate $10,000 or more to her campaign.
SEIU Local 2015 is among the endorsements Rubio has garnered, as well as those from the California Teachers Association, the National Union of Healthcare Workers, the Jane Fonda Climate PAC, the California Environmental Justice Alliance, the Sierra Club, the Tri-Valley Democratic Club, California Women’s List, Moms Demand Action. She is also supported by numerous local and state officials, including four members of the Contra Costa County Board of Education, County Superintendent of Schools Lynn Mackey, college district governing board members Fernando Sandoval and John Márquez, and BART Director Debora Allen.
More information on Rubio’s campaign is available at marisolforca.com. More information on Grayson’s campaign is available at graysonforca.com.
