Crawford to run for Assembly

Del Mar Mayor Crystal Crawford is running for state Assembly against incumbent Martin Garrick for the 74th district seat in November 2010.

“People are frustrated and tired of the status quo in Sacramento, and I am too,” Crawford said. “At some point, you have to stop complaining about what the problems are and you have to get out there and do something about it.”

Crawford, 51, is an attorney for Molsoft, a small biotechnology and software company. She was first elected to the Del Mar City Council in 1998 and planned to retire from the council after her third term expires in 2010. She said she wanted to continue serving the public in some way.

“The budget impasse in February was the turning point for me,” Crawford said. “I was so concerned, frustrated and upset about the legislative stalemate and what it was going to mean to San Diego, I started thinking it’s time for me to consider stepping up.”

Crawford, a Democrat, will challenge Garrick, a Republican, who plans to run for his third and final term in the Assembly, according to his chief of staff, Mike Zimmerman.

No one else had filed for candidacy as of press time. Brett Maxfield, a Democrat who ran against Garrick in 2008, does not plan to run again, Crawford said.

While registered as a Democrat, Crawford said working for 11 years as a nonpartisan councilwoman puts her in good stead to reach across the aisle in Sacramento. Also, she said coming from local government means she understands how much decisions in the state’s capital impact cities.

Crawford said she is looking forward to the campaign and talking with people from all over the 74th district, which includes Del Mar, Solana Beach, Rancho Santa Fe, Encinitas, Carlsbad, San Marcos, Vista and parts of Escondido and Oceanside.