Toni Atkins as she speaks to union workers at a car rally downtown on Election Day in 2020. (File photo by Chris Stone/Times of San Diego)
Toni Atkins is coming home.
She is ramping up her campaign for California governor and setting up her San Diego headquarters – with the support of key regional leaders and public servants.
The gubernatorial primary is just under a year away – June 26, 2026, to be precise – and the race is already heating up following former Vice President Kamala Harris’ announcement that she would not be throwing her name into the ring.
Atkins has announced key endorsements from state senators and assemblymembers, and now she’s establishing her San Diego campaign headquarters. Atkins will be joined by federal, state and local leaders Saturday morning to open her North Park office and take the next steps with her campaign.
Rep. Scott Peters, who serves California’s 50th district in San Diego County, will join Atkins on Saturday. Peters already has voiced his support for Atkins. He was first elected to Congress in 2012, but before that, he served on the San Diego City Council with Atkins; while he headed to Congress, she served in the state Assembly and state Senate.
Assemblymember Chris Ward also will be present at the opening. Ward serves El Cajon and San Diego in the 78th Assembly District. He is the chair of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus.
Ward isn’t the only assemblymember to back Atkins. Cecilia Aguiar-Curry and LaShae Sharp-Collins officially endorsed Atkins last week.
Support by the city and county of San Diego officials, respectively, comes from Mayor Todd Gloria and county Supervisor Paloma Aguirre. Aguirre is also the Imperial Beach mayor.
Also joining her on Saturday is Erica Pinto, the chairwoman of the Jamul Indian Village Council. Pinto has leadership extending well beyond the Jamul Indian Village board; she is also on the SANDAG transportation committee and is chairwoman of the Native American Advisory Committee.
Two labor groups also are backing the campaign.
The Western States Regional Council of Carpenters represents almost 100,000 members throughout Southern California and other western states, working with elected officials to influence the standard of living for workers in the concrete, drywall, insulation and carpentry fields and more.
Also throwing its support to Atkins is the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 569, or IBEW, a labor union for workers in the electrical industry throughout the U.S. and Canada.
“Toni is a leader’s leader. One of the qualities we appreciate about Toni is her proven and consistent ability to collaborate with diverse teams for best outcomes on complex issues,” IBEW wrote in its 2024 endorsement of Atkins.
She has also been endorsed by LPAC, which champions women and nonbinary candidates for office.
“LPAC stands proudly with Pro tem Emirtus Atkins not only because of decades-long advocacy for women and the LGBTQ+ community, but also because she is without a doubt the most qualified candidate in this race, having worked her way up through the ranks of elected office to boldly and successfully lead both California legislative chambers over the course of her storied career in public service …” the statement on LPAC’s social media read.
Roughly 93% of Atkins’ campaign funds have come from in-state donors, according to her campaign. She is backed by local, state and federal politicians and has secured labor union support in a race that is still wide open for prospective candidates, who so far include well-known political names such as former Los Angeles Mayor Tony Villaraigosa, current Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.