EAST COUNTY REALTORS ANNOUNCE ENDORSEMENTS FOR JUNE 5TH

East County News Service

May 21, 2018 (East County) – The Pacific Southwest Association of Realtors (PSAR), a real estate trade group with an office in El Cajon, has announced its endorsement of five candidates for the June 5 election.  The five include: Brian Jones for California State Senate 38th District; Ernie Dronenburg for San Diego County assessor-recorder-clerk; Eric J. Lund for San Diego County Board of Education District #3; Max Zaker for Chula Vista City Council District #2; Rafael Perez for San Diego Community College District #E.

Jones, currently a Santee City Council member, is running to succeed Joel Anderson, who is termed out. Jones, a Republican, served in the State Assembly for six years after eight years on the Santee City Council. In 2017, Jones was appointed to the Santee City Council to fill a vacancy created when Santee’s mayor, Randy Voepel, was elected to the Assembly. Jones is running against two other candidates. The top two vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, will advance to November’s general election.

Dronenburg is seeking re-election for a third term to the nonpartisan office. He was first elected to the office in 2010 and re-elected in June 2014, when he received 59 percent of the vote, resulting in no runoff election that year. His June 2014 reelection was won by a 28-point spread. As a California Certified Property Tax Appraiser for over 10 years, Dronenburg is the only candidate in the race who meets the legal requirement to hold the office of assessor-recorder-county clerk.

Lund has served as president/CEO of the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce since May 2013. He also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Grossmont College and Southwestern College. He is director of the San Diego East County Homeless Task Force. Lund is running as a challenger against the incumbent for the Board of Education District #3 seat, which encompasses East County. Because there are only two candidates in the race, the winner will be decided in the June primary election without a runoff in the November general election.

Zaker and Perez, both Democrats, also serve as PSAR board members.

Zaker, owner of a successful real estate brokerage, is running in a field of six candidates to replace term-capped Councilwoman Pat Aguilar. Chula Vista’s District #2. Zaker currently sits on the Chula Vista City Planning Commission and Growth Management Oversight Commission.

Perez, recipient of the PSAR 2017 East County Realtor of the Year award, has worked in real estate since 2004. As part of his involvement with PSAR, he played a key role in securing a grant from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) for a diversity initiative that involved both PSAR and the local chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP). Perez was a founding board member of the NAHREP San Diego chapter and served as chapter president in 2013.

PSAR’s Government Affairs Committee recommended the endorsements to the PSAR board of directors, who then ratified the recommendation. PSAR, a 2,600-member trade group for San Diego-area realtors, offers educational training, advocacy and other services and resources to its members. PSAR offices are located in El Cajon and Chula Vista.