About Lori

Teacher. Advocate.
State Representative.

Lori Saldaña is a lifetime San Diegan who served as an assembly member and state constitutional officer as speaker pro tempore in the California Legislature. She presided over assembly floor sessions and was chair of the Legislative Women’s Caucus. She chaired the Housing and Community Development Committee and was a member of Elections and Redistricting, Rules, Veterans Affairs, Judiciary, and the Water, Parks and Wildlife Committees and was appointed to the Assembly Ethics Committee, to investigate complaints within the legislature.


Saldaña authored bills on gun safety (to end “Open Carry” in California), hate crimes, climate change, energy efficiency, and environmental protection. Saldaña and her sisters were the first in their family to graduate college. Her father, Frank Saldaña, was a career Marine and journalist who retired from the San Diego Evening Tribune. Her mother, Virginia Saldaña, had an early career in banking, before focusing on raising four daughters.

WHY I AM RUNNING

To provide support to San Diegans in challenging times, using the skills and relationships developed as a state legislator, teacher/technology educator, environmental policy researcher, business partner, mayoral and presidential appointee, and lifelong San Diegan to provide solutions to challenging problems.

To work with colleagues in City Hall, and at the state and federal level, to protect the environment, address climate change, build more housing, reduce homelessness, support local businesses, expand public transit, improve public safety, and manage the city’s finances and investments based on best practices and proven results.



MAJOR ELECTION ISSUES

Housing and homelessness: San Diego must secure more financing to build supportive homes for older/disabled adults, low-income families, and veterans, and provide people experiencing homelessness with transitional and affordable housing. COVID recovery: Support residents as we adjust to, and recover from, COVID and prepare the city for future epidemics.

City workforce: Ensure sufficient staffing to meet needs in all city departments and rely less upon outside contracting. Climate change and clean energy: Implement the Climate Action Plan, reduce utility costs, and adjust to climate changes affecting the city’s infrastructure and natural areas.



WHY I’M THE BEST CANDIDATE

I represented nearly 500,000 constituents, including all of District 2, while serving as a state assembly member, and will apply this advocacy, public policy experience, and personal knowledge to my City Council work.

As a lifetime District 2 resident, teacher, and researcher, and a mayoral and presidential appointee, I will bring a lifetime of lived experience, research, advocacy, and legislative work to support constituents and address issues that impact their lives. I’m the only candidate who has already represented this entire district and provided constituent services to give residents the support they need for their businesses, schools, and non-profits to operate effectively.

As concerns over violent crime increase, I have experience working with city, county, and state levels of law enforcement on public safety issues, including authoring a bill to end the open carry of handguns, reducing hate-motivated violent crimes, auditing deaths in custody, and testing ‘all’ sexual assault evidence kits.