Signal hosts first of 2 candidate forums
Two choices for the 40th Assembly District offered voters significantly different strategies for the office at The Signal’s candidate forum Tuesday at the Canyon Theatre Guild in Newhall.
Challenger Rickey Hayes, a Republican who described himself as someone who thinks Sacramento politics are out of step with reality and plans to get things done, is running against Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, who touted her record of delivering millions of dollars and dozens of bills that have helped countless Santa Clarita Valley residents.
Hayes acknowledged that he was a neophyte to politics, but as a lineman, former deputy and retired member of the U.S. Marine Corps, he was ready to make change in Sacramento.
“I’m here up on this stage in this race for one reason,” Hayes said during his opening. “It is … apparent to me that most people in Sacramento have no idea what they’re doing when it comes to fixing certain infrastructure things that affect every single one of us. It’s apparent by some of the laws, some of the bills that come down from there. It’s like, have you ever filled your tank before?”
Schiavo, a single mom, former small-business owner and a health care advocate, said she not only understood the struggle, but also how to get things done in Sacramento.
“We delivered $111 million, a record amount, $4 million into people’s everyday lives, whether it’s child care, housing, jobs, or many other issues we’ll discuss today. These are the things that are making a difference for people, and that I’m honored to be able to represent you and fight for in Sacramento.”
Some of the topics covered were crime, affordability, business growth, homelessness and Proposition 40, the so-called “billionaire tax,” among others.
On crime, Schiavo mentioned she had the endorsement of law enforcement, as she supported Proposition 36 as a member of the Organized Retail Task Force committee aimed at “smash-and-grab” thefts. She helped secure resources for crime victims through the SCV Child & Family Center, and brought back $1 million for deputy vehicles and additional cars, she said.
Hayes said he liked the fact that the Sheriff’s Department “got new toys,” but as a former San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy, he said he knew the solution was not more laws or vehicles, but “more guys to investigate and arrest the criminals,” adding the state should support that instead of cost over-runs on the high-speed rail project.
Widely considered one of the most contentious issues on the ballot, Proposition 40 is something that every homeowner in the SCV should be concerned about, according to Hayes, who said the language allows lawmakers to amend and extend it. It could easily become a “millionaire’s tax,” he said, referencing home values in the SCV, which had an average sales price of $828,000 last month.
Schiavo said closing the gaps in federal health care funding is not something the state can afford, and she’s campaigned on making billionaires pay their fair share. She said it was a voter initiative, but she was open to any other ideas on how to address the multibillion-dollar need so that people can get health care. She also said there’s no chance it would be extended, because of the Legislature’s difficulty in passing tax hikes.
When asked about the biggest issue facing Santa Clarita Valley families, both mentioned affordability, each taking a different approach.
Schiavo said she had heard from constituents who pay more for child care than their mortgage, which is why she was disappointed her surveillance pricing bill did not pass. It would have made it illegal for businesses to charge more based on what they think a customer will pay.
Hayes said that Santa Clarita is a commuter city, and so the biggest challenge facing the average person is easy: “gas, gas, gas.” Hayes said he was an expert in the field who fixes “energy and gas problems daily, and that is the No. 1 issue affecting us every time.”
Tuesday’s forum was co-hosted by the Valley Industry Association and emceed by Ed Masterson, a VIA board member and its vice chair of workforce development.
The event also invited both congressional candidates to appear and debate the issues: Rep. George Whitesides, D-Agua Dulce, and his Republican challenger, City Councilman Jason Gibbs.
Only Gibbs accepted the invitation, taking the opportunity to share the journey that brought him to the stage, why he’s running for office and what his campaign is about.
The mechanical engineer who’s served on City Council since 2020 said if the voters send him to the Capitol, he won’t forget what his job is.
“What I’ve learned in my capacity as a council member, though, is fairly simple: The vote will always belong to the people that elect you,” he said. “They don’t go to a party. Washington, unfortunately for me, I believe has it backwards. Too many of our members will arrive to the Capitol, and the first question that is asked is not, ‘What is it you’re going to do for the people who sent you there?’ But, ‘What is it the party wants you to do for them.'”
The candidate forums are available for viewing in their entirety at BuzzSCV.com. It’s also on The Signal’s Facebook page: bit.ly/4eeYkyr.
