By The Signal Editorial Board
Scott Wilk has had an excellent run as a legislator representing the Santa Clarita Valley, first in the state Assembly and, currently, as state senator.
But, due to term limits, Wilk’s time in Sacramento is almost up. He has endorsed former Assemblywoman Suzette Martinez Valladares to be his successor.
We wholeheartedly concur with the senator’s endorsement.
Valladares has the right combination of experiences — in business, in the nonprofit world, in the Legislature, in life — to represent the interests of the 23rd Senate District, a slightly redrawn version of Wilk’s current 21st District after redistricting based on 2020 Census data. The district includes the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys, extending east to Victor Valley as well.
Valladares’ stances on multiple key issues are consistent with ours, including public safety, education and the onerous tax burden imposed on California families.
On public safety, Valladares has been an outspoken advocate for crime victims and an opponent of the pro-criminal policies of soft-on-crime district attorneys, including L.A. County’s George Gascón. As a result, she has drawn numerous key endorsements from the law enforcement community, including the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the California Association of Highway Patrolmen and the California Correctional Peace Officers Assocation.
Valladares has a strong and diverse base of support within the district, too. Her other key endorsements include L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, all five Santa Clarita City Council members and 11 council members from the cities of Palmdale, Lancaster, Victorville and Adelanto.
Other key issues on Valladares’ platform include:
• Homelessness: She advocates moving the homeless “who refuse to move from unhealthy and dangerous public sidewalks into care facilities and housing capable of treating addiction and mental illness.”
• Cost of living: She opposes new taxes and fees that increase the already hefty burden of California taxpayers.
• Health care choice: Valladares has vowed to fight to preserve individuals’ rights to choose their own doctors and specialists and “to stop an extreme government takeover of your health care.”
• Energy independence: She advocates a diverse portfolio of energy sources: “California can continue to meet our climate goals and be a world leader by turning to our homegrown energy sources like wind, solar, and American and California oil.”
• Education: She’s a vocal advocate of parental choice and parents’ rights, and when she was in the Assembly she co-authored the bill, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, that established full-day transitional kindergarten (TK) to all 4-year-olds in California.
And, that TK bill brings us to bipartisanship: Like Wilk, Valladares recognizes that, as a Republican in a Democrat-dominated Legislature, especially coming from a “purple” district, it’s important to work across the aisle. With this in mind, when she was in the Assembly Valladares was a founding member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, of which Wilk is also a member.
“Our goal is to create a group of legislators committed more to progress than to ideology,” Valladares and her fellow caucus co-founders wrote in a 2021 commentary for CalMatters. “Compromise is not a bad word. We intend to be a forum where bipartisan solutions are rewarded. If a solution makes sense, we will do everything in our power to get it over the finish line no matter who came up with the idea.”
It’s a refreshing approach, one that we hope to see continued when Valladares returns to Sacramento.
In the March 5 primary, and again in the November election, we encourage you to cast your vote for Suzette Martinez Valladares, and return her experience and fair-minded approach to Sacramento as the next senator for the 23rd District.
