State Senator, District 38

Catherine S. Blakespear is a Democrat and the sitting Senator for this district. She worked as a journalist and then an estate planning attorney. She then served eight years in Encinitas government, including three terms as mayor. In Sacramento she chairs the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. She has authored bills on housing density loopholes, gun safety, and coastal and wildlife protection.

She says she leads with principle and wants to keep delivering results for the district. In 2026 she wrote a bill to limit broad environmental review exemptions for certain facilities. She pointed to a Garden Grove chemical plant incident that forced 50,000 people to evacuate. Governor Newsom vetoed the bill. Blakespear said protecting communities and workers is part of responsible growth, not an obstacle to it.

She promises to reduce the cost of child care, insurance and housing, and to support small businesses. Her priorities include stronger public safety, mental health services and homelessness reduction. She also wants a faster shift to clean energy. She also promises to cut red tape to build interim housing and improve transit.

Laura Bassett is a Republican and a lifelong Oceanside resident who raised six children with her spouse, Taylor. She built a career as a licensed real estate professional. She is also a licensed professional fiduciary who has run two local businesses. She now serves as a San Diego County Civil Service Commissioner. She is also active with the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce. She has not held state legislative office.

She says California's rising cost of living is forcing families to leave, and she wants to reverse that. She has no record in Sacramento for voters to judge. Instead, her campaign points to her business background. It also points to her seat on the county Civil Service Commission.

She promises to cut wasteful government spending and oppose new taxes. She also wants to remove barriers that slow home construction. Her priorities include coastal protection through science based planning, and public safety paired with a fair justice system. She says every person deserves to feel safe in their home and neighborhood.