By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO — Former U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-California) made it official on Thursday: She’s endorsing Marni von Wilpert’s candidacy in California’s 48th Congressional District.
At a news conference in Palm Springs, Boxer thus joined a group of San Diego County’s Jewish politicians who previously endorsed von Wilpert’s bid to defeat Republican Darrell Issa in the 2026 election.
Already in the von Wilpert camp are former state Senator Marty Block, San Diego City Councilwoman Dr Jen Campbell, San Diego Unified School Board Trustee Shana Hazan, and San Diego County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer.
Two local Jewish elected Democrats in San Diego who are as of yet undeclared are San Diego City Councilman Sean Elo-Rivera, and Congresswoman Sara Jacobs.
Jacobs and Ammar Campa-Najjar, who is another Democrat seeking to topple Issa, dated in the past but their relationship at present is unknown to this columnist.
Campa-Najjar of Palestinian and Mexican parentage has the endorsements of two other Democratic members of San Diego County’s congressional delegation: Mike Levin and Scott Peters.
Boxer said that von Wilpert is the only Democrat in the race with a proven record of winning tough elections. In 2020, von Wilpert, a deputy city attorney, placed first in a primary election in the San Diego City Council’s 5th district and defeated Republican Joe Leventhal in the general election. She ran unopposed for reelection in 2024.
In contrast, Campa-Najjar was defeated in 2018 in a bid to unseat Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter and lost again in 2020 to Issa, Hunter’s Republican successor. In 2022, Campa-Najjar ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Chula Vista.
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The Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California (JPAC) has scheduled a meeting for Thursday evening, Feb. 26, in Los Angeles at which leading candidates for governor will be asked their positions on:
–Antisemitism prevention
–The California-Israel relationship
–K-12 education and ethnic studies
–Jewish community safety
–Social safety net programs affecting Jewish social service agencies.
The forum is co-sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Bay area and the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles. Further details, including the venue and registration information, to follow.
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Former U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland celebrated his 73rd birthday today (Thursday, Nov. 13)
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State Attorneys General Dana Nessel of Michigan and Phil Weiser of Colorado, joined by their counterpart in Arizona, Kris Mayes, will participate in a Wednesday, Nov. 19, webcast at 10 a.m PST about how attorneys general of various states are “defending democracy and combating antisemitism.” The webcast is sponsored by the Jewish Democratic Council of America, with its CEO Halie Soifer serving as moderator. Sign up via this link.
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Brian Romick, president and CEO of Democratic Majority for Israel, agreed on Thursday “with Israeli President [Isaac] Herzog’s and military officials’ forceful condemnation of the escalating settler violence in the West Bank that injured Palestinians and IDF soldiers. We are encouraged that the Israeli police have already made some arrests. The perpetrators must be held accountable. As Secretary of State Rubio said, there is ‘concern’ that this violence could undermine the already fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. It’s critical that American leaders do everything they can to help ensure these settler attacks stop and the ceasefire remains intact.”
Donald H. Harrison is publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World.