OC Register Endorsement (2022): Elect Rhonda Shader to the California Senate

The 34th state Senate district, which includes a large portion of central Orange County and a sliver of Los Angeles County, pits incumbent Democratic Sen. Tom Umberg against Republican Rhonda Shader, the mayor of Placentia. Umberg won a slim victory in 2018 over a well-known local Republican, but redistricting has given Democrats a 26-point advantage there.

Obviously, Umberg is viewed as a shoo-in even if Republicans enjoy the wake from a national election wave. Umberg has been on the Orange County political scene since the Pleistocene Era. He served two stints in the Assembly, with the first one going back to the George Deukmejian administration. He also served as a deputy drug czar under President Bill Clinton.

By contrast, Shader is a relative newcomer to politics. She’s a small- business owner who was propelled into politics following a City Hall embezzlement scandal — first winning election to council in 2016. So voters have a choice between a seasoned lawmaker and a citizen legislator — with all the plusses and minuses either choice brings.

Continue reading at: The Orange County Register