Jon Wizard announces campaign for state assembly
Wizard is running in the newly formed Assembly District 30, which encompasses San Luis Obispo, Monterey, and Santa Cruz Counties
– Seaside City Council Member Jon Wizard — a Democrat, retired first responder, and current policy director for an affordable housing nonprofit — has announced that he will run for California State Assembly. Wizard is running in the newly formed Assembly District 30, which encompasses San Luis Obispo, Monterey, and Santa Cruz Counties and is currently represented by Republican Jordan Cunningham from Templeton.
“I come from a working-class family who fought hard to pay the bills, put food on the table, and make a better life for me,” said Wizard. “I’m running for Assembly to be a voice for the individuals and families like mine fighting to achieve the California Dream: that working hard and helping your neighbor should be enough to build a dignified life for you and your family. We need to put Sacramento to work for us to create more affordable housing, increase access to high-quality and affordable healthcare, and protect our coastal and rural communities from the effects of wildfire, drought, and sea-level rise.”
Wizard began his career as a first responder, spending more than a decade serving and protecting communities in San Luis Obispo, Monterey, and Santa Cruz Counties as a firefighter, police officer, and 911 emergency dispatcher before being forced into early retirement after being injured in the line of duty. He then took a role with Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay where he helped build affordable housing in Santa Cruz County. He now serves as the policy director for a housing nonprofit and as the Chair of the Housing Authority of the County of Monterey. In 2018, Wizard was elected to the Seaside City Council, where he still serves today.
“Jon will listen carefully to the unique needs of every community on our Central Coast and deliver results for us in Sacramento,” said Monterey County Supervisor Wendy Root-Askew. “He is great to work with on complex policy issues, and I know he is the right person to represent us in the Assembly.”
Geographically, Assembly District 30 is particularly well-suited to Wizard, who has lived and worked in every county in the district. While he currently lives on the Monterey Peninsula, Wizard’s experience living and working in San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz Counties will allow him to truly represent the entire Central Coast.
“Public service is in Jon’s DNA,” said Santa Cruz County Supervisor Manu Koenig. “I am confident that Jon will deliver results for Live Oak, San Luis Obispo, and everywhere in between. It’s my honor to endorse Jon Wizard for State Assembly.”
“Our communities need a champion in the state assembly who will make sure our region’s challenges get the attention they deserve,” said community organizer Walter Heath, a longtime resident of Morro Bay and healthcare reform advocate. “I’m voting for Jon Wizard for Assembly because he has his finger on the pulse of the Central Coast. He will fight for the issues that matter most to us.”
If elected, Wizard says he will fight for affordable housing, clean water, high-quality healthcare, and climate resiliency. He believes that nurses, teachers, seniors, veterans, and first responders “shouldn’t be forced to leave the Central Coast due to rising housing costs.” He says that access to high-quality, affordable healthcare is critical.
Wizard lives in Seaside with his fiancée Jessica — an acute care nurse at the community hospital and Monterey Peninsula Unified School District Board Trustee — and his two stepsons, Ashton and Tristan.
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