He worked as an environmental planner at the firm EDAW, working with local government to develop
land use plans and conduct environmental review, and as a researcher at the
Ludwig Cancer Research at the
University of California, San Diego. He then served as the chief of staff to State Senator
Marty Block. Chris is an active member of the San Diego chapter of the
Truman National Security Project.
San Diego City Council Elections In 2016, Ward ran for an open seat on the
San Diego City Council representing District 3. District 3 includes the
neighborhoods of
Balboa Park,
Bankers Hill/Park West,
Downtown San Diego,
Golden Hill,
Hillcrest,
Little Italy,
Mission Hills,
Normal Heights,
North Park,
Old Town, and
University Heights. Incumbent council member
Todd Gloria ran for
mayor of San Diego. Ward was elected in the June primary with a majority of the vote.
Tenure As a councilmember, Ward worked to identify measures that will significantly reduce San Diego's overall homeless population. These included three temporary shelters to house 700 individuals, an additional storage facility to serve 500 clients, and a proposed centralized homeless navigation center. In July 2017, the City Council unanimously approved an Equal Pay Ordinance that was proposed by Ward. The ordinance requires companies that do business with the city to pay their employees equally regardless of gender or race. In January 2019, the City Council approved a measure proposed by Ward that bans, for environmental reasons, the use of
polystyrene (Styrofoam) for most retail uses including food service, egg cartons, and coolers. The ordinance also stipulates that single-use plastic items such as straws and eating utensils be available only on request. According to Ward, San Diego is the largest city in California to take this action.
Committee assignments • Active Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (Vice Chair) • Economic Development and Intergovernmental Relations Committee (Chair) • Land Use and Housing Committee (Vice Chair) • Rules Committee
California State Assembly Elections On January 24, 2019, Ward announced that he would be a candidate for the California State Assembly in district 78 to succeed Assemblyman
Todd Gloria, who was running for mayor of
San Diego. Ward received the most votes and was elected to the Assembly in 2020. Ward ran for reelection in 2022. He won by a 37 percentage point margin against Republican Eric Gonzales.
Tenure Ward was involved in
gun violence reduction legislation that was signed into law in 2022 that enables lawsuits against gun manufacturers and retailers for
negligence. He authored another bill that was signed into law in 2022 that changes procedures for altering gender and sex identifiers on government documents. Ward has been characterized as a "pro-housing" legislator. In 2022, he pushed for legislation that would have prioritized dense urban development while limiting sprawl. Ward had advocated for consumer protections. In 2025, he introduced one bill that would ban the sale of user location data to
ICE, and another that would ban
price discrimination in retail stores. Ward is a member of the
California Legislative Progressive Caucus. == Personal life ==