Breaking: Sharon Quirk-Silva takes out papers to run against Chris Norby in AD-65

Quirk-Silva & Norby AD65

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.

About Greg Diamond

Somewhat verbose attorney, semi-disabled and semi-retired, residing in northwest Brea. Occasionally ran for office against jerks who otherwise would have gonr unopposed. Got 45% of the vote against Bob Huff for State Senate in 2012; Josh Newman then won the seat in 2016. In 2014 became the first attorney to challenge OCDA Tony Rackauckas since 2002; Todd Spitzer then won that seat in 2018. Every time he's run against some rotten incumbent, the *next* person to challenge them wins! He's OK with that. Corrupt party hacks hate him. He's OK with that too. He does advise some local campaigns informally and (so far) without compensation. (If that last bit changes, he will declare the interest.) His daughter is a professional campaign treasurer. He doesn't usually know whom she and her firm represent. Whether they do so never influences his endorsements or coverage. (He does have his own strong opinions.) But when he does check campaign finance forms, he is often happily surprised to learn that good candidates he respects often DO hire her firm. (Maybe bad ones are scared off by his relationship with her, but they needn't be.)