Chris Ward | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait,c. 2025 | |
| Speaker pro tempore of theCalifornia State Assembly | |
| In office December 5, 2022 – July 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Kevin Mullin |
| Succeeded by | Cecilia Aguiar-Curry |
| Member of theCalifornia State Assembly from the78th district | |
| Assumed office December 7, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Todd Gloria |
| Member of theSan 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 | (1976-08-03)August 3, 1976 (age 49) |
| 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 theCalifornia State Assembly for the78th district. Prior to his election to the State Assembly, Ward served as a member of theSan Diego City Council, representing the 3rd Council district. He is aDemocrat.[1]
Ward was born inGermany in 1976.[2] He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree atJohns Hopkins University and a Master in Public Policy and Urban Planning at theHarvard Kennedy School.
He worked as an Environmental Planner at the firm EDAW, working with local government to developland use plans and conduct environmental review, and as a Researcher at theLudwig Cancer Research at theUniversity of California, San Diego. He then served as the chief of staff to State SenatorMarty Block.
Chris is an active member[3] of the San Diego chapter of theTruman National Security Project.
In 2016, Ward ran for an open seat on theSan Diego City Council representing District 3. District 3 includes theneighborhoods ofBalboa Park,Bankers Hill/Park West,Downtown San Diego,Golden Hill,Hillcrest,Little Italy,Mission Hills,Normal Heights,North Park,Old Town, andUniversity Heights.[4] Incumbent council memberTodd Gloria ran formayor of San Diego. Ward was elected in the June primary with a majority of the vote.[5]
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.[6]
In January 2019, the City Council approved a measure proposed by Ward that bans, for environmental reasons, the use ofpolystyrene (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.[7]
On January 24, 2019, Ward announced that he would be a candidate for the California State Assembly in district 78 to succeed AssemblymanTodd Gloria, who was running for mayor ofSan Diego.[9] Ward received the most votes and was elected to the Assembly in 2020.
Ward ran for reelection in 2022. He won by a 37 percentage point margin against Republican Eric Gonzales.[10]
Ward was involved ingun violence reduction legislation that was signed into law in 2022 that enables lawsuits against gun manufacturers and retailers fornegligence.[11] He authored another bill that was signed into law in 2022 that changes procedures for altering gender and sex identifiers on government documents.[12]
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.[13]
Ward had advocated for consumer protections. In 2025, he introduced one bill that would ban the sale of user location data toICE, and another that would banprice discrimination in retail stores.[14][15]
Ward is a member of theCalifornia Legislative Progressive Caucus.[16]
Ward is gay.[17] He and his partner Thom are homeowners inUniversity Heights, where they live with their two children.[18]
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Ward | 24,512 | 58.5 | |
| Anthony Bernal | 11,492 | 27.4 | |
| Scott Sanborn | 5,800 | 13.9 | |
| Total votes | 41,804 | 100.0 | |
| 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 | 123,755 | 56.2 | |
| Democratic | Sarah Davis | 96,486 | 43.8 | |
| Total votes | 220,241 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Chris Ward (incumbent) | 76,917 | 68.2 | |
| Republican | Eric E. Gonzales | 35,857 | 31.8 | |
| Total votes | 112,774 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Chris Ward (incumbent) | 118,215 | 68.6 | |
| Republican | Eric E. Gonzales | 54,234 | 31.4 | |
| Total votes | 172,449 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Chris Ward (incumbent) | 79,090 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 79,090 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Chris Ward (incumbent) | 175,178 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 175,178 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| California Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Speaker pro tempore of theCalifornia Assembly 2022–2023 | Succeeded by |
