San Luis Obispo voters can vote on who represents them in the state assembly on Nov. 3. The winning assemblymember will represent District 30, which contains parts of San Luis Obispo, Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties.
The District 30 assemblymember will be responsible for representing their community through their decision making, varying from laws to budgeting.
The two candidates running for assemblymember are Incumbent Democrat Dawn Addis and Republican Shannon Kessler.
Candidates
Dawn Addis
Incumbent Democrat Dawn Addis is the current assemblymember for District 30. Outside of the state assembly, Addis is chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Health, overseeing a $200 billion budget, along with other positions.
Addis’ focuses include environmental and democracy protections, housing and guaranteeing student privacy against companies and schools.
Shannon Kessler
Challenger Republican Shannon Kessler is running to represent District 30 as an assemblymember. Kessler formerly served as an Arroyo Grande Parks and Recreation Commissioner and is the founder of Save Girl’s Sports Central Coast.
Kessler focuses on costs of living, mental health, education and student well-being and environmental protections for the Central Coast.
Environment
Dawn Addis
Addis has passed environmental legislation previously, such as Protect our Coast and Oceans Act and Clear Labels Clear Seas Act. She has retained multiple positions within environmental committees for the state, such as assembly appointee to the Ocean Protection Council and member of the State Government’s West Energy and Grid Committee.
Shannon Kessler
Kessler’s campaign seeks to protect the Central Coast’s environment and agriculture while addressing concerns from the public over rising energy costs, according to her campaign website.
Education
Dawn Addis
Addis’ re-election campaign highlights her concerns about student privacy. She plans to increase housing for students on the Central Coast while addressing rising living costs and tuition at Cal States.
Shannon Kessler
Kessler pushes for a student-first mindset when it comes to creating policies and advocates for communities most affected by education policies to have more of a voice in decision making, according to her campaign website.
Health care
Dawn Addis
Addis is the chair of the Assembly Health Budget Subcommittee and plans to make health care more affordable while improving the quality of care, according to her campaign website.
Shannon Kessler
Kessler has discussed the state’s cost of living, particularly the Central Coast, and the subsequent difficulties for residents’ access to health care. She plans to make housing more affordable to make health care more feasible.
Living costs
Dawn Addis
Addis has passed previous bills on affordability, such as the Ratepayer Transparency Act. She plans to work towards bringing down grocery and utility costs, according to previous coverage by Mustang News.
Shannon Kessler
Kessler’s campaign highlights her goals of reducing the cost of living on the Central Coast and pushing legislation that promotes economic growth, according to her campaign website.
Democracy
Dawn Addis
Addis passed two final bills for the year. The Protect Our Democracy Act makes it illegal for someone to be on a ballot if they reached their term limit. The Fair Care for All Act makes it illegal for health insurance companies to deny benefits for discriminatory reasons.
Shannon Kessler
Kessler wants to represent everyone in the district regardless if they vote for her or not and campaigns a “common-sense” mindset to run the district, according to her campaign website.