| District: | 78 |
| Chamber: | Assembly |
| Population: | 461,885[1] |
| Population Year: | 2010 |
| Voting Age: | 399,987 |
| Citizen Voting Age: | 352,199 |
| Percent White: | 64.64 |
| Percent Black: | 4.52 |
| Percent Latino: | 18.45 |
| Percent Asian: | 10.30 |
| Percent Native American: | 0.71 |
| Percent Pacific Islander: | 0.37 |
| Percent Other Race: | 0.41 |
| Percent Remainder Of Multiracial: | 0.62 |
| Registered: | 291,918[2] |
| Democratic: | 47.46 |
| Republican: | 20.41 |
| Npp: | 26.33 |
California's 78th State Assembly district is one of 80 California State Assembly districts. It is currently represented by of .
The district takes in a stretch of San Diego County's coast from Solana Beach to the Mexican border, including part of San Diego Bay and coastal San Diego. It comprises a variety of communities, including Downtown San Diego, beachfront neighborhoods, UC San Diego, and a military base.
San Diego County – 14.9%
| Year | Office | Results |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Recall | align="right" No 70.2 – 29.8% |
| 2020 | President[3] | Biden 71.8 – 25.6% |
| 2018 | Governor | Newsom 69.4 – 30.6% |
| Senator | Feinstein 56.4 – 43.6% | |
| 2016 | President | Clinton 67.5 – 25.9% |
| Senator | Harris 68.0 – 32.0% | |
| 2014 | Governor | Brown 62.7 – 37.3% |
| 2012 | President | Obama 63.1 – 34.1% |
| Senator | Feinstein 65.2 – 34.8% |
| Member | Party | Dates | Electoral history | Counties represented | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District created January 5, 1885 | |||||
E. E. Edwards | Republican | January 5, 1885 – January 3, 1887 | Elected in 1884. | Los Angeles | |
| William H. Spurgeon | Democratic | January 3, 1887 – January 7, 1889 | Elected in 1886. | ||
E. E. Edwards | Republican | January 7, 1889 – January 5, 1891 | Elected in 1888. | ||
A. Guy Smith | Republican | January 5, 1891 – January 2, 1893 | Elected in 1890. | Los Angeles, Orange | |
| John C. Lynch | Republican | January 2, 1893 – January 4, 1897 | Redistricted from the 79th district and re-elected in 1892. Re-elected in 1894. | San Bernadrino | |
T. H. Goff | Republican | January 4, 1897 – January 2, 1899 | Elected in 1896. Lost re-election. | ||
| Frank P. Meserve | Independent | January 2, 1899 – January 1, 1901 | Elected in 1898. Retired to run for State Senate. | ||
C. G. H. Bennink | Republican | January 1, 1901 – January 5, 1903 | Elected in 1900. Re-elected in 1902. | ||
Frank D. Lewis | Republican | January 5, 1903 – January 2, 1905 | Elected in 1902. | Riverside | |
| Miguel Estudillo | Republican | January 2, 1905 – January 4, 1909 | Elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Retired to become a State Senator. | ||
Emerson B. Collier | Republican | January 4, 1909 – January 2, 1911 | Elected in 1908. | ||
George R. Freeman | Republican | January 2, 1911 – January 6, 1913 | Elected in 1910. | ||
H. W. Moorhouse | Republican | January 6, 1913 – January 4, 1915 | Elected in 1912. | Imperial | |
| Robert E. Wills | Democratic | January 4, 1915 – January 6, 1919 | Elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. | ||
| Republican | |||||
| J. Stanley Brown | Republican | January 6, 1919 – January 3, 1921 | Elected in 1918. | ||
W. F. Beal | Republican | January 3, 1921 – January 8, 1923 | Elected in 1920. | ||
| George H. Davis | Republican | January 8, 1923 – January 5, 1925 | Elected in 1922. | ||
Albert C. Finney | Republican | January 5, 1925 – January 3, 1927 | Elected in 1924. | ||
Myron D. Witter | Republican | January 3, 1927 – February 19, 1931 | Elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Redistricted to the 77th district. | ||
| George B. Bowers | Republican | January 5, 1931 – January 7, 1935 | Elected in 1930. Re-elected in 1932. | San Diego | |
| Ralph W. Wallace | Republican | January 7, 1935 – January 4, 1937 | Elected in 1934. Lost re-election. | ||
| Jeanette E. Daley | Democratic | January 4, 1937 – January 4, 1943 | Elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Lost re-election. | ||
| Fred H. Kraft | Republican | January 4, 1943 – January 6, 1947 | Elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Retired to become a State Senator. | ||
| Frank Luckel | Republican | January 6, 1947 – January 7, 1963 | Elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Retired. | ||
| E. Richard Barnes | Republican | January 7, 1963 – January 8, 1973 | Elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Lost re-election. | ||
| Lawrence Kapiloff | Democratic | January 8, 1973 – September 3, 1982 | Elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Resigned to become a superior court judge. | ||
| Lucy Killea | Democratic | December 6, 1982 – December 21, 1989 | Elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Resigned to become a State Senator. | ||
| Vacant | December 21, 1989 – June 7, 1990 | ||||
Jeff Marston | Republican | June 7, 1990 – November 30, 1990 | Elected to finish Killea's term. Lost re-election. | ||
Mike Gotch | Democratic | December 3, 1990 – November 30, 1992 | Elected in 1990. Redistricted to the 76th district. | ||
| Dede Alpert | Democratic | December 7, 1992 – November 30, 1996 | Redistricted from the 75th district and re-elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Retired to become a State Senator. | ||
Howard Wayne | Democratic | December 2, 1996 – November 30, 2002 | Elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Retired to run for San Diego City Attorney. | ||
| Shirley Horton | Republican | December 2, 2002 – November 30, 2008 | Elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Termed out. | ||
| Marty Block | Democratic | December 1, 2008 – November 30, 2012 | Elected in 2008. Re-elected in 2010. Retired to become a State Senator. | ||
| Toni G. Atkins | Democratic | December 3, 2012 – November 30, 2016 | Redistricted from the 76th district and re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Termed out. | ||
| Todd Gloria | Democratic | December 5, 2016 – November 30, 2020 | Elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Retired to run for Mayor of San Diego. | ||
| Chris Ward | Democratic | December 7, 2020 – present | Elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022. | ||