Assembly District 15: Four women vying to fill Tim Grayson’s seat

As incumbent Tim Grayson campaigns for state senate, his longtime seat in the California State Assembly is up for grabs.

Four women have thrown their names in the ring to replace him and represent District 15: Antioch City Councilwoman Monica Wilson, former Contra Costa County Supervisor Karen Mitchoff, Contra Costa County Board of Education Trustee Anamarie Avila Farais and businesswoman Sonia Ledo.

The district, which spans Martinez, Concord, Antioch, Brentwood and large swaths of unincorporated Contra Costa County, is home to more than half a million residents who face a wide range of issues regarding access to housing, the cost of living and public safety.

With Ledo, who did not respond to interview requests, being the sole Republican, it remains to be seen if the three Democrats split the ticket. Regardless, the top two finishers in the March 5 primary will face off on the November ballot for the two-year legislative term.

While Wilson was the first person to file paperwork for a 2024 Assembly campaign back in May 2022 — more than two years prior to the other three candidates, according to county records — she officially announced her bid in June.

She became the first Black woman elected to the Antioch City Council in 2012, where she focused on advocacy related to minimizing human trafficking, renter protections, reforming police responses to emergencies and addressing mental health across the city. Notably, her push to develop a 24-hour non-police crisis team in the city helped launch the program last year — the only one of its kind in the county.

Now after four terms in Antioch, the 55-year-old said she wants to bring her deep knowledge of issues to Sacramento and legislate policies that can be implemented statewide.

“Although my experience is local, it’s allowed me to have my ear to the ground and work directly with people,” Wilson said. “I’m really strong on being an advocate for those voices that desperately need to be heard. I’m able to collaborate with different populations and be out (in the community) and hear what’s of concern to a lot of constituencies.”

Wilson works as the program manager for Love Never Fails, a nonprofit focused on human trafficking, but also has spent time on the TriDelta Transit board, Northern California Democratic Party Women’s Caucus, Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa County and the Grateful Garment Project.

Facing an affordable housing crisis that has led to increased homelessness across District 15, she said she wants to spur local housing creation that can not only help move residents indoors, but also generate opportunities for employment and home ownership.

Rather than campaign on specific promises to align or deviate from Grayson’s eight-year tenure, she said she would combine her unique perspectives — ranging from working with an anti-human trafficking nonprofit to caring for loved ones with dementia — with past accomplishments and challenges within Assembly District 15.

“I look at issues, read, reread and ask questions about possible negative impacts,” Wilson said. “I’ll take my experiences in and look at what others have done, but that goes into the whole blend of resources that I look at to make decisions.”

Karen Mitchoff decided not to seek reelection to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors in 2023, but said she wasn’t able to enjoy retirement long before she started considering running for the state assembly.

The 69-year-old Pleasant Hill resident said she officially entered the race because she felt the 12 years she spent in that role would be a boon for constituents, especially since her former supervisorial district makes up nearly half of District 15.

If elected, she said she would be a “straight shooter” when addressing issues of public safety, crime and housing, emphasizing the need to hold people accountable — whether in the form of lawlessness within the community, abuses of the California Environmental Quality Act or one-size-fits-all housing solutions crafted by state legislators.

“AD 15 is a suburban district, and what works in San Francisco does not work in in Contra Costa County,” Mitchoff said. “When you’re on the Board of Supervisors, you’re dealing with county-wide issues, and a lot is going on here. I feel that I know the district very, very well.”

Two of Mitchoff’s top priorities — gun control and elder care — hit close to home; her brother was killed in 2018 by gun violence and she is helping her 93-year-old mother navigate the county’s home and healthcare options.

Throughout her career, Mitchoff has served on several boards, including the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, Association of Bay Area Governments, Contra Costa Transportation Authority and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy. She said that background gives her an advantage to understand complex issues across District 15. That includes the refineries that operate along Contra Costa County’s shoreline, especially as they work to reduce harmful emissions while beginning to transition away from fossil fuels.

“Until that time, refineries are a good source of economic development in this county, in the sense that they generate taxes that pay for a lot of public services and employ thousands of people who live in this area,” Mitchoff said. “But again, they need to be held accountable, and they know they will be.”

Anamarie Avila Farias, a Contra Costa County Board of Education trustee who previously served on the Martinez City Council, hopes to center affordable housing, wage inequality, public safety and education in her campaign for California’s Assembly.

After serving on the city’s planning and marina commissions for several years, Avila Farias was elected to represent her hometown during one term on the Martinez City Council in 2012 — the first Latina to do so.

Additionally, the 50-year-old policymaker highlighted her appointments to the California Housing Finance Agency’s board of directors — first in 2015 by former Gov. Jerry Brown, and then Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021 — as proof that she understands the struggles that homeowners, renters and unhoused people in the community face.

“As someone with deep roots, I’m clearly invested in the greater good of my district for not only current residents, but for the future of my kids and other people’s children,” Avila Farias said.

After three decades in the workforce, she said her experience dealing with education and school district issues have been deeply intertwined with concerns of housing and workforce development — issues that often disproportionately impact minorities and underrepresented residents. Avila Farias said lawmakers must continue to adapt and pivot to create different policies that can keep up with modern problems, especially in a county with such a diverse cultural history where Latinos now make up nearly half of the population.

“We can’t have only a certain segment of society being able to occupy these seats,” Avila Farias said. “The more representation of diversity that we have throughout our county, the better legislation is going to happen.”