SAN DIEGO — The two candidates competing to lead Assembly District 79 came face to face Monday night, sharing their visions for the future.
LaShae Sharp-Collins and Colin Parent went head-to-head on issues ranging from housing and homelessness to education and climate change.
This district, with more than half a million residents, includes parts of southeastern San Diego, Lemon Grove, Spring Valley, La Mesa and El Cajon.
There's currently an open seat for Assembly District 79, after current Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber chose to run for the State Senate.
Dozens of voters turned out at New Seasons Church in Spring Valley for this candidate forum, which was organized by the non-partisan League of Women Voters.
Housing affordability
"The rent is way too high," said Parent. "It's almost impossible for people to imagine buying a home. These are issues that I have worked on a lot on public policy and I think that I can do a job day one in the Legislature to make things a little bit easier for folks trying to make a go of it here in San Diego."
"We got to do credit repair work, we have to figure out how to create an equity program to get people into homes," Sharp-Collins told CBS 8, "and then provide them additional support to maintain the home, and support them along the journey."
Homelessness
"We know that so many people are probably one paycheck away from being homeless, but now we need certain things put in place to address these needs," Sharp-Collins said. "It's also dealing with the mental health support."
"I think we need absolutely more funding from the state to help us build homes for people, provide mental health counseling, addiction services, but we also need to be looking for more accountability for the money that we are spending," Parent said.
Colin Parent
Parent, a La Mesa city councilmember and executive director of the non-profit Circulate San Diego, said one of his other top priorities is fixing the roads in the area, and ensuring accountability that those communities most in need of repairs actually get those dollars.
"The state actually gives cities a lot of money for road repair, but it is very clear that they are not using it well," Parent told CBS 8. "The roads can look really bad in southeast San Diego and City Heights, but they look just fine in Carmel Valley, and that's a problem."
LaShae Sharp-Collins
Sharp-Collins, community engagement specialist with the the County Office of Education, points to education as one of her main priorities, calling it "her heart."
"In order for us to make sure that California remains this great state across this entire nation, we have to make sure that we become a leader in the area of education." she said "Without an education, the sky is not going to be the limit for some of us. That is the equalizer."