There are two candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot running for this four-year state Senate term: Republican state Assemblymember Kelly Seyarto and Democratic analytics consultant/businessperson Brian Nash. Here are Seyarto’s answers to a 14-question survey The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board emailed candidates.
Q: Why do you want this job and what would be your top priority?
A: I have been a public servant in Southern California for almost four decades. I’ve most recently served in the state Assembly, and I’m ready to take on the next challenge of becoming a state senator for our region. I want to continue to be a voice for the residents of the 32nd Senate District who, in general, feel as though they are not being heard in Sacramento. As a state senator, I will fight against state policies that contribute to making inflation and our skyrocketing cost of living worse.
Q: What is the biggest accomplishment of your career?
A: My career was in the fire service, so my biggest accomplishment was being promoted through the ranks to battalion chief. If you are referring to my political involvement, that is not what I consider a career. I don’t believe individual achievement has a place in politics, whether it is at the state level or the local level. Too many people are involved in creating outstanding communities and good public policy for any one person to take ownership of any accomplishments.
Q: Assess what the state is doing now to address the changing climate. What would you support to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in California?
A: California leads the way in legislation aimed at curbing climate change. Often this is at the expense of the consumer and small businesses. I believe that in order for us to ultimately be successful in addressing changes in our climate, technology needs to dictate the speed at which these changes can be implemented without causing a lot of collateral damage or, in some cases, making the situation even worse. Greenhouse gas emissions can be lowered by a combination of methods, but in order for things like carbon sequestration to work, technology has to improve. We will need to improve our water supplies, and we will need to develop better and more dependable energy solutions for the state.
Q: Assess what the state is doing now to address the drought. What would you do differently?
A: The state likes to talk about addressing the drought, but the reality is that there hasn’t been a significant investment in new water storage in decades. It’s time to be proactive and address water shortages over the long term by creating more storage, instead of waiting for the problems to become a disaster. Our water storage and distribution system is outdated and inadequate for today’s California. If we don’t start addressing these water infrastructure needs now, we are going to have some very difficult years ahead of us.
Q: The California Air Resources Board has adopted a policy that would ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles in the state by 2035. What would you do to ease the transition to electric vehicles and ensure affordability, equity and practicality?
A: Just four days after the California Air Resources Board approved the policy to ban all new gas-powered vehicles by 2035, the California Independent System Operator asked electric vehicle owners to conserve electricity and not charge their vehicles during the heat wave. This is the problem when government tries to influence behavior. Often times it takes no responsibility for the cause and effect. The transition to alternative and cleaner emission vehicles is something that has been in the process for decades; however, when government tries to dictate behavior, we often end up with poor planning and costly mandates. California’s energy grid is already strained, and there is little plan to increase capacity. Government should take a step back and allow this market to evolve naturally. It will make the transition to alternative vehicles easier.
Q: What can the state do to get more people to use public transit?
A: It shouldn’t be the state’s job to get more people to use public transit. If there is a need for public transit, then the consumers will demand it be created and used. The entire 32nd Senate District is simply not in a place where people can rely on public transportation to get them where they need to go in a timely manner. While our urban cores like Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco are certainly at a point where public transit is a viable alternative for commuters, this region is still trying to build the roadways that are needed to get commuters to the job centers and connect our growing communities.
Q: Housing affordability is a huge issue in California. What can you do to help renters or homeowners who are struggling now?
A: The best way to help solve the affordability issues is to increase the supply of housing. Government mandates and regulations add years and costs to new construction projects. We need to clean up the red tape and prioritize creating supply. While many in the Legislature seem to recognize this simple concept (supply and demand), they continue to support and pass legislation that raises the costs of building a residential dwelling while using the issue to erode local agency planning and control. We also have to address our future water and energy needs if we want to continue to create more housing supply.
Q: More and more resources are being dedicated to the homelessness issue, yet California has more homeless people than ever. Do you see progress? What solutions are working?
A: Despite spending billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money, the homeless population is continuing to explode. Just throwing money at the problem isn’t going to solve it because there is no one-size-fits-all solution. We need to build the local infrastructure needed to assess each individual’s reason for being homeless and address those needs individually. There has been little to no progress in our urban cities. In our suburban communities, many cities are working with a variety of nonprofit agencies that target specific issues. Some of these programs seem to be making an impact. The state needs to ensure that programs that are helping people rise out of homelessness can have access to funding since they are much better at helping and being effective with our taxpayer dollars than the state is.
Q: California’s crime rate is going up. Do you blame recent criminal justice reforms, other factors or some combination? How would you keep Californians safe?
A: Burgeoning crime in California is a combination of several factors, including some failed attempts at social justice reforms. If the message being sent is that there will be no consequences for unlawful behavior, then there is apt to be more unlawful behavior. That is essentially what we are doing with many of our attempts to reform our justice system. Probably the most concerning statistics are that violent crimes such as homicides continue to climb. However, we have all seen the videos of brazen thieves walking into department stores, vandalizing them and stealing products without a care of accountability. All these problems are a direct result of bad government policy.
These trends started to increase when then-Gov. Jerry Brown implemented a system that moved criminals from state prisons to undersized county jails, which led to overcrowding. These prisoners were then released into local communities without serving their sentences. Additionally, then-Gov. Brown pushed for measures to change sentencing rules to reclassify certain crimes to give them less strict sentencing. Now criminals view the system as toothless and without accountability. We need to reassert that unlawful behavior will have consequences. We need to give judges more authority over sentencing rules and prioritize public safety once again.
Q: How would you help California students who suffered from learning loss associated with the COVID-19 pandemic?
A: We have to equip teachers and parents with the tools they need to address their individual learning loss needs. This could be anything from choosing a different school or supplying teachers with additional resources and tutoring. We must give teachers more resources to identify students who need extra help. Having teacher aides in each class may help in developing more teachers and also help give more individualized and focused help to students who have fallen into the learning loss abyss. We also need to identify where those losses are most impactful and perhaps focus our curriculum on those needs in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to get kids caught up.
Q: The state has had giant surpluses in recent years yet there are worries about a potential recession. How would you ensure the state is prepared to weather an economic downturn? What will you do for Californians who are struggling economically now?
A: The California state budget has had a significant amount of one-time funds added to the general fund during the pandemic which has artificially created a major budget surplus. Even the most optimistic economists believe a significant economic downturn is on the horizon. We must restrict state spending and stop government handouts and pet projects that increase government spending.
For Californians who are struggling economically, we need to get them into the workforce for long-term help. Provide job training and skill development so that they can get themselves back on their feet and be self-reliant.
The amount of reserves set aside for the proverbial “rainy day” is woefully inadequate given the size of our last two budgets. Instead of focusing on paying down debt, taking care of critical projects like water storage and ensuring that we have adequate energy sources, the state is spending money on one-time handouts and incentives to buy overpriced homes and cars. Our current reserves would be gone in a few months if a recession were to hit, which is inevitable. If we all managed our finances the way the state does, we’d all be broke.
Q: California has the nation’s most strict gun laws and among its lowest gun death rates. What is your philosophy toward gun legislation? Have you or your family been directly affected by gun violence?
A: The real danger facing our communities today is the rising number of shootings using illegally obtained and untraceable guns. These guns aim to circumvent California’s strictest gun laws in the nation and are a significant threat to public safety. Currently, most of the gun policies are directed at law-abiding citizens instead of seizing guns and holding non-law-abiding citizens accountable.
I have been directly affected by gun violence during my career as a firefighter. I served as a firefighter/paramedic during the 1980s in a community in Los Angeles with a high per capita murder rate. I tried, sometimes in vain, to save the lives of victims of violent crimes, including those by guns. Most of those shootings were from gang violence.
Q: What is your position on Proposition 1, which would establish the rights for Californians to an abortion and to contraceptives in the state Constitution?
A: I am opposed to Proposition 1. These rights already exist under state law, and we don’t need to amend the state Constitution to include them.
Q: Why should voters elect you over your opponent?
A: For 35 years, I was a public servant as a firefighter. I was promoted through the ranks until I retired at the rank of battalion chief. As a firefighter, I responded to every call for service the same, regardless of race, religion, party affiliation, gender or economic status. This is something missing from today’s political arena.
But my service to the public didn’t stop there. While working full-time, I decided to run for the Murrieta City Council, on which I proudly served for 13 years. In a growing city, we made a lot of great decisions to better the lives of our community. In 2020, during the first year of the pandemic, I was elected to the state Assembly. There is no question that I have qualifications to lead this district that my opponent simply can’t match. I have the combination of experience and the record of results, and I would be honored to serve in the state Senate.
