Democrat Joe Kerr is a retired firefighter and union official who’s running for California state Senate in District 38. His Republican opponent in the June 7 primary is Matt Gunderson, a former owner of Orange County car dealerships and a newcomer to politics. Kerr’s Democratic opponent is Catherine Blakespear, the mayor of Encinitas and chairwoman of SANDAG, San Diego County’s transportation planning agency.
Kerr has been described as a lunchbox Democrat. That means he’s a traditional, old-school Democrat who’s not aligned with the extreme ‘progressive’ wing of the party that has taken over politics in California.
According to his website, “Kerr is a second-generation professional firefighter who served with the Orange County Fire Authority and Orange County Fire Department for over 34 years, including 27 years as a fire captain. He was the first President of the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association, the former Vice President of the California Professional Firefighters, as well as a former Vice President of the Orange County Central Labor Council (AFL-CIO).”
Kerr says he is “running because we need leaders who will make decisions not based on political favor or expediency, but on doing what is right for our citizens.” He cites public safety, creating affordable housing, preserving single-family neighborhoods, achieving economic equity and recovery, and addressing homelessness, climate change, drought, and devastating wildfires as priorities.
Further, Kerr says he is “a common sense, creative problem solver with a proven, 25-year bipartisan track record of working with legislators on both sides of the aisle.” During his career, Kerr “sponsored over 200 pieces of public safety legislation that were signed by five governors and two presidents.”
While taking an aspiring politician at his word might be risky, Kerr sounds like the real deal.
