SPRING VALLEY, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) -- Two Democrats, Dr. Lashae Sharp-Collins and Colin Parent, are vying for the District 79 assembly seat, representing roughly half a million voters in the communities of La Mesa, La Presa, Spring Valley, El Cajon and Lemon Grove. Both candidates laid out their top priorities for California. “If we don’t get education right, we won’t get anything right. We have to have true accountability and transparency across the board when it comes to the education system,” said Sharp-Collins. Meet the candidates running for mayor of San Diego “We need to make sure homes are more affordable for renters and also that there are homes that people can buy for the first time," said Parent, a La Mesa city councilman. "So many people think that’s not going to be an option for them in this region and we need to change that." Sharp-Collins is endorsed by Democrats and says her local roots run deep in the 79th. “It comes from me being able to say I’ve walked a mountain in a number of people's shoes, and I can relate to their experiences both positive and negative in regards to what we need to do across the state to get things done," she said. Parent said he’s ready to serve leaning on his previous experience. “I’ve been in elected office for eight years," he said. "I was the first Democrat to be elected in my community in La Mesa. So I know what it’s like to make decisions on behalf of a community and listen to a very diverse and robust community." While the candidates did agree on the majority of issues, one dividing point was the controversial Proposition 36, which if passed would stiffen penalties for some minor crimes. Sharp-Collins is against it. “We’ve done work to not have mass incarceration now we are trying to do things to put back mass incarceration, and to me that’s not the answer,” said Sharp-Collins. However, Parent is for Prop. 36. "Fentanyl is running amok in our communities, shoplifting is making it impossible for businesses to operate and for customers to engage in those businesses,” he said.