State Senate, District 9

Top candidate wins seat.

Tim Grayson (D)51.9%
193,503 votes
Marisol Rubio (D)48%
178,698 votes
Race called at 5:40 PM PT on November 20, 2024
99% of votes countedAssociated Press
This percentage is an Associated Press estimate of how much of the vote in an election has been counted. It is informed by turnout in recent elections, details on votes cast in advance and – after polls close – early returns. The estimate may fluctuate as election officials report additional results and AP learns more about how many voters have cast a ballot.

Results are provided by the Associated Press (AP). The AP calls winners by analyzing vote tallies and other election data. Check marks are used to denote a winner only when the AP calls a race.

Why does this race matter? 

The winner of this predominantly suburban Contra Costa County seat will replace termed-out state Sen. Steve Glazer. This year, the district is expanding to include additional communities, such as San Leandro and Martinez. Housing affordability, wildfires and long commute times are among the chief concerns of voters in this district.

What does a state senator do?

State senators represent communities at the California Legislature in Sacramento. The 40 members of the state Senate write and vote on state bills, serve on policy committees and vote on the annual state budget. The winner will serve a four-year term.

Candidates

Tim Grayson
Tim GraysonState Assembly MemberDemocrat
Marisol Rubio
Marisol RubioCity Council Member, San RamonDemocrat

Key Supporters

This list represents notable organizations and individuals who have taken a position on the ballot measure or candidate, or who are funding campaigns in support or opposition. This list is not exhaustive, and may be updated.

For Grayson

  • California Federation of Teachers
  • California Labor Federation
  • California Real Estate PAC
  • Peace Officers Research Association of California PAC
  • Planned Parenthood Northern California Action Fund

For Rubio

  • California Young Democrats
  • California Teachers Association
  • National Union of Healthcare Workers
  • Ro Khanna, U.S. representative
  • Service Employees International Union, California
 

Positions on Key Issues
Candidate summaries are based on interviews with the candidates, questionnaires, statements made at debates and public events, and past news coverage.

Residents in District 9 face some of the longest work-commute times in the Bay Area. If elected, what policies would you push for to help reduce those commute times?

Grayson says he wants to develop housing and commercial areas near existing transit hubs, and believe residents who live far from transit rarely use it. But when you build housing, commercial space and transit together, “you've developed a place where people can live, work and play all in the same area, cutting down on the climate impact of emissions from cars, but also increasing the quality of life because of reducing the commute traffic,” he says.
Rubio says getting more people to use public transportation is key to reducing commute times. She would push for more advertising to promote public transit and would create more incentives for residents to use it. She would also push to expand bus connections between BART and Amtrak to help residents who live further from transit hubs. She also wants to incentivize the industries that employ many residents to open offices in the district.

Like it is throughout the state, the lack of affordable housing is an issue of deep concern in your district. What policies would you pursue as a state senator to increase the supply of affordable housing?

Grayson says he would work to streamline approvals for affordable housing developments and simplify the application process for state affordable housing development tax credits. He believes some people who make too much to qualify for “affordable housing” are still priced out of most housing options — a group he calls the “missing middle.” To help address them, he would push for the development of workforce housing for public employees and regionalize income requirements for government-subsidized housing.
Rubio says she wants to push developers to build workforce housing for teachers and first responders and increase the percentage of affordable housing units required in new developments. She supports new taxes to help boost the development of more affordable housing and calls for greater oversight of how that money is used.

Extreme heat is becoming more common in District 9, which means communities are facing an increased risk of wildfires. At the same time, some home insurers are leaving the area. Would you support increasing premiums in order to bring insurers back into the marketplace?

Grayson says he would push the state to provide a safety net — essentially another layer of insurance — that would take some of the burden off of insurance companies in the case of catastrophic wildfires, and incentivize them to keep their rates affordable.
Rubio says she does not support changes to insurance regulations that could lead to higher premiums. Instead, she would “look at more creative ways” to keep insurance companies from leaving. That would include encouraging the state to do more to create competition in its home insurance sector to lower prices. And if rates continue to rise, she would also push the state to provide financial support to residents with low income.

Last year, 10 police officers from Pittsburg and Antioch — both in District 9 — were charged with federal crimes ranging from fraud to civil rights violations. In Antioch, the sprawling FBI investigation also led, at one point, to half the sworn officers being put on leave. What policies would you pursue to improve police accountability in District 9?

Grayson says, as an Assembly member, he’s consistently pushed the state attorney general to investigate office misconduct in his district. When half of Antioch’s police officers were placed on leave, Grayson says he worked with the sheriff and California Highway Patrol to fill the gaps. A handful of bad actors “make it very difficult for everyone else,” he says. But he also notes that law enforcement officers need more support, including better training and mental health services.
Rubio says she would improve self-care resources for law enforcement officers and create state-mandated regular psychological evaluations of them. She notes that the work they do “is extremely taxing in every way” and says it’s crucial to ensure “they are fit to serve.” She would also work to provide more funding for police anti-racism and de-escalation training.

Last June, a state task force released a historic statewide plan to provide reparations to the Black descendants of enslaved Americans living in California. Where do you stand on that proposal?

Grayson says he has not read the reparations proposal. But he says, “I have been very supportive of making sure that discrimination has no place and inequalities have no place in our state, in our communities and amongst our populations.”
Rubio says she has also not read the state’s reparations proposal, but supports some form of reparation to create more equity. She says slavery in America withheld enormous opportunity from a large group of people and created disproportionate wealth for others. “We need to confront that for what it is.”

More Results

All Alameda County Elections

See results for all elections on the Alameda County ballot.

All Contra Costa County Elections

See results for all elections on the Contra Costa County ballot.