Preliminary counts show a La Mesa councilwoman has a commanding lead over her nearest rival in their bid to fill the Assembly District 79 seat.
Dr. Akilah Weber, a Democrat and member of the La Mesa City Council since 2018, had 28,834 votes and Republican Marco Contreras had 18,428 votes as of press time early Wednesday morning.
They and three other candidates ran to replace former Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, who was appointed to California Secretary of State in late 2020.
Akilah Weber is Shirley Weber’s daughter.
Fewer than 10,000 votes of 55,578 cast remain to be counted.
Elections results should be certified by April 15.
To avoid a June runoff election the winner must win more than half the votes cast in April.
Assembly District 79 includes portions of East and South counties.
