California voters this year will do something they rarely do. That means choosing an entirely new person to represent the state in the U.S. Senate.
Steve Garvey, a former professional baseball player and Republican, and Rep. Adam Schiff, a Burbank Democrat perhaps best known for running against Donald Trump when he was still in the White House, are vying for the seat. . The two are vying for the seat long held by Sen. Dianne Feinstein until her death in September 2023.
Schiff, 64, is a longtime lawmaker who has represented the LA area since 2001. He first entered the Senate race after talking with Feinstein, a lawyer and former state senator who planned to retire at the end of his term. Schiff has raised his national profile in recent years by leading President Trump’s first impeachment trial, participating in the prime-time Jan. 6 insurrection hearings, and becoming an intelligence expert. I saw that there was.
Mr. Garvey, meanwhile, has been more politically active on the sidelines. He played 14 seasons with the Dodgers and finished five seasons with the San Diego Padres. But Garvey, 75, has been advocating for fitness legislation in Washington and considered a career in politics after retiring from baseball in 1987, but was sidetracked by issues in his personal life. Ta.
Garvey said that if elected to the Senate, his main focus would be “controlling inflation.” “I want to alleviate the affordability crisis facing so many hardworking families in California and across the country,” he said in a survey submitted by Southern California News Group.
“I oppose new federal spending, oppose tax increases and regulations that drive up the cost of living on everyday goods and services, and streamline burdensome regulations that can stunt economic growth and raise the cost of production,” Garvey said. said. “This includes removing over-regulation associated with new home construction, as increasing the supply of housing can support renters and buyers alike.”
Schiff also pointed out that housing costs are a burden for Californians. He said his top priority in the Senate is to “address California’s twin crises of affordable housing and homelessness.”
“Too many Californians cannot afford to rent or buy a home because so much of their paychecks go toward rising housing costs, and too many become homeless,” Schiff said. “The federal government can accelerate the construction of millions of new homes by encouraging local governments to cut through red tape and eliminate costly delays.”
“But it’s not enough to just prevent people from becoming homeless. We need to dramatically change the way we get and keep people in housing,” he added, adding that the provision of wrap-around services, He pointed to expanding access to mental health and substance abuse treatment for homeless people, and creating metrics to track that process. If the program is actually working to address homelessness.
As for the southern border, both Mr. Garvey and Mr. Schiff said they want to crack down on the trafficking of people, guns and drugs such as fentanyl into the United States. U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced they have seized 19,700 pounds of fentanyl. 2024 is a long way off.
“The surge in migrants fleeing persecution and seeking a better life also needs to be addressed with more efficient asylum and adjudication systems,” Schiff said. “But border enforcement must combine measures against ‘Dreamers’ with a path to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants already in the United States. There was bipartisan support for it, and I hope we can accomplish that once again.” “
Garvey said he supports modern surveillance and surveillance technology at the border and increasing the number of Border Patrol agents.
“We also have to end catch-and-release practices and get back to actually enforcing the law against people who cross our borders illegally,” Garvey said. “We can and should have a broader conversation about fixing our legal immigration system, but in the meantime we cannot continue to create a magnet at our southern border that will exacerbate this crisis.”
Both candidates said immigration reform is complex, but mass deportation plans are unrealistic.
Sign up for Down Ballot, our Southern California politics email newsletter. Subscribe here.
Schiff said instead we need additional border resources, judges and interpreters to adjudicate cases, and resources for border communities.
“I don’t think the answer is to cut America off from people who want a better life,” Garvey said. “The real problem is with the bad guys here in the United States. We need to take action to eliminate the criminals who are wreaking havoc in our communities. Extradition of terrorists and drug lords. It will improve public safety and restore confidence in our safety.”
Race situation
No, it’s not double. There are two votes in the U.S. Senate election.
Voters are being asked to choose a candidate to serve the next six years and finish out the remainder of Feinstein’s term. In theory, that means both Garvey and Schiff could win in November, but that chance is highly unlikely.
Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Sen. LaFonza Butler, a former labor leader and Democratic strategist, to fill the vacant seat. She will be sworn in on October 3, 2023, becoming the third Black female senator in history.
At the time of her appointment, the Senate race was already crowded. She chose not to run for the seat.
Democratic Party candidate Schiff is expected to win the election. A recent poll from the Public Policy Institute of California showed Mr. Schiff leading Mr. Garvey by 28 points (63% to 35%).
He has spent the time leading up to Election Day campaigning for Democratic congressional candidates, including Orange County’s Dave Ming and Derek Tran, and Coachella Valley’s Rep. Raul Ruiz.
Meanwhile, Garvey recently launched what his campaign is calling an “all-in Latino community strategy” in its final stages. The plan included at least $5 million in advertising buys, including on Spanish-language stations targeting Latino voters.
As for the money game, Mr. Schiff has spent nearly $54 million this election cycle and raised more than $39 million. Mr. Garvey raised about $11 million and spent about $7.7 million this election.
For more information on Mr. Garvey and Mr. Schiff, and the other candidates on the ballot, check out Southern California News Group’s Voter Guide. Both candidates were sent questionnaires detailing, in their own words, their plans on issues ranging from artificial intelligence to the environment, from the U.S. Supreme Court to crime and public safety. You can also find things in your playlist during the campaign.
Staff writer Hannah Kang contributed to this report.
