Mark Pazin, former Merced Sheriff and Cal OES chief, says he will run for state Assembly

Mark Pazin, former Merced County Sheriff and former chief of the governor’s Office of Emergency Services, will run as a candidate for the new 27th Assembly District seat, which includes portions of Fresno, Madera, and Merced counties.

A Republican, Pazin is listed on the California Secretary of State’s website as having filed paperwork for the seat, and he confirmed the news with The Fresno Bee on Friday.

Pazin said in a text message he decided to run for the seat having “worked well with two governors, numerous state Assembly members and I believe I can still contribute at the Legislative level.”

His announcement follows news that Assemblyman Adam Gray, a moderate Democrat who has represented the areas around Merced in the state Legislature since 2012, said in January he would make a run for Congress in a district that covers his hometown and parts of Stanislaus County.

The announcement by Pazin also means the race could pit him against Fresno City Councilmember Esmeralda Soria. A Democrat, Soria launched her bid for the 27th Assembly District seat last month.

Soria is termed out of her Fresno City Council seat representing District 1, which stretches from Shaw Avenue south to the Tower District and west past Highway 99.

Fresno Councilmember Mike Karbassi, who is a moderate Democrat, said he’s exploring a run for the 27th Assembly seat, Karbassi is in his second term on the Fresno City Council, and earlier this month said he started to explore a run after getting calls from others in his party.

Pazin was Merced County Sheriff from 2003 until 2013. He retired to serve as chief of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, first under Gov. Jerry Brown and then under Gov. Gavin Newsom. Pazin retired from his position at the Office of Emergency Services in December and was succeeded by Donald O’Keefe.

This story was originally published February 25, 2022 at 6:51 PM.