The two Democratic front-runners in California's Gubernatorial race visited San Diego Monday.
Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom spoke to constituents as a guest of State Senator Toni Adkins.
Former Mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, spoke alongside San Diego City Council member David Alvarez, and tried to draw a distinction among potential supporters.
"I think the biggest point of separation is that I'm focused on creating more middle-class jobs. Jobs that give people a life of dignity and respect," Villaraigosa said.
Both he and Newsom focused on the issue of affordability. Though they had different themes in their talks.
Villaraigosa tied the issue to growing middle-class job opportunities across the state. Newsom linked it to affordable housing, a topic of note here in San Diego.
"Affordability, I think, is going to be the single most determining factor of where people go in this election," Newsom said.
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Last week, Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Assemblymember Todd Gloria announced a bill to cut red tape for low and middle-class housing units being built near Public Transit.
This race is virtually a tie right now. The latest poll by the Public Policy Institute of California shows Newsom with 23 percent of support. Villaraigosa has 21 percent and a quarter of those surveyed are still undecided.
Newsom has the experience of being lieutenant governor, however, Viallaraigosa believes his link to Southern California will be an advantage.
"I'm winning here in Southern California," he said. "People like to say that Southern California is the largest part of the state but doesn't vote. That's just not true."
Both candidates will look to gather some momentum to take heading into the California Democratic Convention. That happens this weekend, here in San Diego.
