Chris Ward (California politician)

Chris Ward
Speaker pro tempore of the California State Assembly
In office December 5, 2022 – July 3, 2023
Preceded by	Kevin Mullin
Succeeded by	Cecilia Aguiar-Curry
Member of the California State Assembly from the 78th district
Incumbent
Assumed office December 7, 2020
Preceded by	Todd Gloria
Member of the San Diego City Council from the 3rd district
In office December 12, 2016 – December 7, 2020
Preceded by	Todd Gloria
Succeeded by	Stephen Whitburn
Personal details
Born	August 3, 1976 West Germany
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Thom Harpole
Children	2
Education	Johns Hopkins University (BA) Harvard University (MPP, MUP)

Christopher Ward (born August 3, 1976) is an American politician serving as a member of the California Assembly for the 78th district. Prior to his election to the assembly, Ward served as a member of the San Diego City Council, representing the Third Council District. He is a Democrat.

Early life and education

Ward was born in Germany in 1976. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Johns Hopkins University and a Master in Public Policy and Urban Planning at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Career

He worked as an Environmental Planner at the firm EDAW, working with local government to develop land use plans and conduct environmental review, and as a Researcher at the Ludwig Cancer Research at the University of California, San Diego. He then served as the chief of staff to State Senator Marty Block.

Chris is an active member of the San Diego chapter of the Truman National Security Project.

San Diego City Council

Elections

In 2016, Ward ran for an open seat on the San Diego City Council representing District 3. District 3 includes the neighborhoods of Balboa Park, Bankers Hill/Park West, Downtown San Diego, Golden Hill, Hillcrest, Little Italy, Mission Hills, Normal Heights, North Park, Old Town, and University Heights. Incumbent council member Todd Gloria ran for San Diego Mayor. Ward was elected in the June primary with a majority of the vote.

Tenure

As a councilmember, Ward worked to identify measures that will significantly reduce San Diego's overall homeless population. These included three temporary shelters to house 700 individuals, an additional storage facility to serve 500 clients, and a proposed centralized homeless navigation center. In July 2017, the City Council unanimously approved an Equal Pay Ordinance that was proposed by Ward. The ordinance requires companies that do business with the city to pay their employees equally regardless of gender or race.

In January 2019, the City Council approved a measure proposed by Ward that bans, for environmental reasons, the use of polystyrene (Styrofoam) for most retail uses including food service, egg cartons, and coolers. The ordinance also stipulates that single-use plastic items such as straws and eating utensils be available only on request. According to Ward, San Diego is the largest city in California to take this action.

Committee assignments

• Active Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (Vice Chair)
• Economic Development and Intergovernmental Relations Committee (Chair)
• Land Use and Housing Committee (Vice Chair)
• Rules Committee

California State Assembly

2020 California State Assembly

On January 24, 2019, Ward announced that he would be a candidate for the California State Assembly in district 78 to succeed Assemblyman Todd Gloria, who was running for mayor of San Diego. Ward received the most votes and was elected to the Assembly in 2020.

2020 California's 78th State Assembly district election

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Chris Ward	69,125	55.6
	Democratic	Sarah Davis	34,410	27.7
	Democratic	Micah Perlin	20,741	16.7
Total votes			124,276	100.0
General election
	Democratic	Chris Ward	121,083	56.7
	Democratic	Sarah Davis	92,442	43.3
Total votes			213,525	100
	Democratic hold

2022 California State Assembly

Ward ran for reelection in 2022. He won by a 37 percentage point margin against Republican Eric Gonzales.

Tenure

Ward was involved in gun violence reduction legislation that was signed into law in 2022 that enables lawsuits against gun manufacturers and retailers for negligence. He authored another bill that was signed into law in 2022 that changes procedures for altering gender and sex identifiers on government documents.

Ward has been characterized as a "pro-housing" legislator. In 2022, he pushed for legislation that would have prioritized dense urban development while limiting sprawl.

Personal life

Ward and his partner Thom are homeowners in University Heights, where they live with their two children.