
Fullerton Mayor Sharon Quirk-Silva and Assemblyman Chris Norby, separated by a map of the newly redistricted AD-65.
Fullerton Mayor Sharon Quirk Silva has been spotted at the Registrar of Voters office today taking out papers to run against incumbent Chris Norby in AD-65. She will have to file 40 valid nominating signatures by Friday at 5:00 to be placed in the June 5 primary ballot. Quirk-Silva had been expected to run for re-election to City Council in November, meaning that a run for Assembly would end her time on council.
The new assembly district, covering Fullerton, La Palma, Buena Park, Cypress, Stanton, and Anaheim southwest of I-5, has the closest margin in the state between Democratic and Republican voter registration, tilting less than one point in the favor of Democrats. Other than Fullerton, it is new territory for Norby — as well as, of course, for Quirk-Silva.
The district may be critical for Democrats, who want to hold at least 54 seats in the Assembly to give them 2/3 control over the chamber, and for Republicans, who want to prevent that from happening. Democrats have been favored to reach a 2/3 majority in the State Senate, but not the Assembly. Quirk-Silva’s candidacy may change that calculus.
Orange County Social Services employee Paula Williams, who had previously taken out papers to run against Norby, is now expected to run for Fullerton City Council in the upcoming recall election.
More on this story as it develops.
isn’t that norby’s third, i’m sorry, fourth, wife
No, that’s Sharon Quirk-Silva across the district map from Norby. I don’t have and would not publish a photo of Norby’s wife in this context unless it were newsworthy. Norby’s Wikipedia page (take it for what it’s worth) says that Martha is his fourth wife, but I haven’t verified that independently.
I should add a disclosure about a conflict of interest: I’ve taken out papers to run for State Senate in a district largely overlapping AD-29. I also serve on the Democratic Party of Orange County Executive Board with Sharon Quirk-Silva’s husband, Jesus Silva. Readers may take that for what they will. However, this story was published right now because of a good old-fashioned journalistic phone tip relaying news that someone had seen Quirk-Silva at the ROV.
I wll bet that Norby can match more high school names with their mascots than Quirk-Silva, not that itis a marketable skill.