RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KNX) — DeniAntionette Mazingo, a Hemet attorney, revealed Friday she plans to run for Riverside County supervisor.
Mazingo, a Democrat, is running against incumbent Supervisor Jeff Hewitt, a Libertarian, in the June 7 election. Also challenging Hewitt is Moreno valley mayor Yxstian Gutierrez. Hewitt, a first-term incumbent, currently represents the 5th District, including Hemet, Moreno Valley, San Jacinto, and San Gorgonio Pass.
Mazingo, a self-described progressive, ran in 2018 and 2020 for the 42nd Assembly District representing parts of the Inland Empire. She lost to incumbent Chad Mayes in 2018 and did not make it past the March 2020 primary. She also unsuccessfully bid for Hemet City Council in November of that year.
The attorney has placed housing affordability and homelessness at the forefront of her fledgling campaign.
"If we don't address our crisis in the housing industry, we're going to remain what we are," Mazingo told The Riverside Press Enterprise.
Riverside County should have a "small house industry" for purposes of housing the homeless and providing job training to the unemployed, "to get these people back in the community as contributing citizens," she said.
Mazingo's entry into the race sets up the 5th District contest for a possible November runoff between the top two contenders if no candidate amasses a simple majority of the vote in June.
The deadline to file to qualify for the 5th District race is March 11.
