While midterm elections historically favor the party not in the White House, Tuesday felt more resounding than your typical political pendulum swing. The voters sent a reverberating message, and we must listen and respond with real solutions that make life better for Californians.
Elections aren’t something that happens to us, they’re how the people we serve tell us what they need. And if we’re honest, the message that voters sent this week was pretty clear.
This election, voters came to the ballot box searching for change and real results.
Across the nation, voters crossed party lines and picked the candidates they believed would deliver for them. Labels mattered less than results, as they should.
I spend a lot of time with people in our community. And, in a lot of ways, we aren’t different than most Americans.
We want to afford our lives, live in safe communities and see a bright future for our kids.
In the Santa Clarita, Antelope and Victor valleys, families commute long distances for work, and every trip to the pump costs more than it should. Throughout California, utility bills keep going up, groceries cost more and young couples who grew up here are looking at home prices and wondering if they’ll ever be able to buy a house in their community. Here in California, where costs exceed the rest of the nation, we are especially tired of being stretched thin to just get by.
Californians want opportunity, they want their leaders to understand and address their needs and they are tired of politicians promising one thing to get elected and changing course once in office. Parents want and deserve good schools that teach the basics well. Workers want good jobs that pay enough to build a future. Small business owners want a state that makes it easier, not harder, to open their doors. And everyone wants their kids to have a real shot at their own version of the American Dream. None of that is partisan. It’s just life.
That’s why I believe the most important thing any of us in Sacramento can do right now is listen. Real leaders show up and actually hear what people are saying, they want to know how policies passed in Sacramento impact daily lives of those they serve. Our message and our policies have to connect with the things people deal with every single day. That is our most important job as elected leaders.
Listening also means being willing to work with people across the political aisle. Lowering the cost of living shouldn’t be a Republican or a Democratic idea. Cheaper gas helps every family. More housing helps every young person trying to get started. Safer neighborhoods help everyone.
I’ve seen what’s possible when lawmakers put people ahead of party. As co-chair of the California Problem Solvers Caucus, I work alongside Democrats and Republicans who’ve set aside the scorekeeping and focus on practical solutions.
We don’t agree on everything and we don’t have to. But we’ve found real common ground on solutions for affordability, like our legislation to allow E-15, a cheaper, cleaner gasoline to be sold in California.
We aren’t party-focused, we are solutions focused. Californians are tired of the fighting and the pettiness of our current political environment. They want results, and they deserve them.
I’m the daughter and granddaughter of farmworkers. My family’s story is the story of the American dream: work hard, sacrifice, and give the next generation a better life than you had.
That promise is what makes this the greatest nation on Earth.
Right now, too many families feel that promise slipping away. It’s harder to buy a home, harder to get ahead, harder to believe the future will be brighter than the past. We can’t accept that. We owe our kids and grandkids a California, and an America, where the dream is still within reach.
Elections come and go. Our responsibility to the people we serve does not. It’s time to get back to work and answer the call of the voters. It’s the only reason we are here and it’s what I’m committed to.
Suzette Martinez Valladares represents the Santa Clarita Valley in the state Senate.“Right, Here Right Now” appears Saturdays and rotates among local Republicans.
