Adam Schiff vs. Steve Garvey for US Senate: California candidates answer key questions
Californians will select their next U.S. senator twice in the Nov. 5 general election.
On the ballot are Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, and retired baseball all-star Steve Garvey, a Republican. There are two elections for U.S. Senate this cycle: one for a full six-year term that begins in January 2025 and one to complete the last several weeks of the current term.
That partial term is due to the death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. She had served California in the Senate from 1992 until she died in September 2023.
Currently, Sen. Laphonza Butler, D-Calif., is holding the seat; she opted not to run in the 2024 election cycle. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., is the state’s other representative in the chamber.
California hasn’t elected a Republican in a statewide race since 2006.
The Bee asked the candidates to fill out a survey. Their responses were checked and slightly edited for spelling and grammar.
Adam Schiff
Political party: Democratic
Age: 64
Birthplace: Framingham, Massachusetts
Residence: Burbank
Occupation: U.S. Representative
Education: Harvard Law School (Juris Doctor); Stanford University (Bachelor of Arts in political science)
Offices held: U.S. Representative (2001-present); California State Senator (1996-2000)
Campaign website address: adamschiff.com
What steps will you urge to improve cost of living and quality of life for people?
We need to lower housing costs by building millions of new homes, expanding tax incentives to make this construction viable, and incentivizing quicker decisions by local governments.
We need federal price gouging rules and better antitrust enforcement to lower food and gas prices. I support a windfall profits tax on oil companies that are gouging consumers.
We need to cap the costs of childcare for parents, expand early childhood programs, and increase the number of childcare centers and providers. We need to reduce child poverty by expanding the Child Tax Credit and making it permanent.
What changes, if any, do you support for immigration and border policy?
To improve security, we need to surge resources to the border for more staffing, better interdiction technology, and additional judges and interpreters to address the backlog of cases so they can be adjudicated more quickly. We must expand support for border communities and elsewhere in the country to provide humanitarian support to asylum seekers while they await decisions in their cases.
Immigration reforms need to be comprehensive, treat immigrants with dignity and respect, keep families together, and provide Dreamers and frontline workers with a clear pathway to citizenship.
Other than cost of living, immigration and the border, what is one of the greatest issues Californians are facing and what tangible measures do you propose Congress take to address it?
Too many Californians can’t afford a home anywhere near where they work, and too many others end up homeless.
To address these crises, I propose building millions of homes by expanding the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and incentivizing local governments to act with urgency in approving new housing.
To help people stay in their homes, I support creating a federal renters tax credit and expanding Section 8 vouchers.
To address homelessness, we need to expand mental health and substance abuse treatment for those unsheltered and develop metrics to determine which programs are working.
Steve Garvey
Political party: Republican
Age: 75
Birthplace: Tampa, Florida
Residence: Palm Desert
Occupation: Former Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres first baseman (1969-1987); currently businessman, motivational speaker
Education: Michigan State University (Bachelor of Science)
Offices held: None
Campaign website address: stevegarvey.com
What steps will you urge to improve cost of living and quality of life for people?
As a U.S. senator, reducing inflation would be my primary focus in helping ease the affordability crisis facing so many hardworking families across California and the nation.
I would oppose new federal spending, stand up to higher tax increases and regulations that will drive up the cost of living on everyday goods and services, and streamline burdensome regulations that can stifle economic growth and increase production costs.
This also includes eliminating excessive regulations as it relates to new home construction.
What changes, if any, do you support for immigration and border policy?
With the chaos on the southern border, the first and most critical need for Congress to act on is to strengthen our border security. We must keep criminals out of our communities and stop drug, weapons, and human trafficking.
The U.S. benefits from a merit-based system that prioritizes skills, education, and economic contributions. I shared the dugout with players from across the world. I don’t believe the answer is cutting off the U.S. from people seeking a better life.
We need to end the chaos at the border, streamline the immigration process, and reward those who are seeking citizenship legally.
Other than cost of living, immigration and the border, what is one of the greatest issues Californians are facing and what tangible measures do you propose Congress take to address it?
Homelessness is diminishing public safety, health and wellness, and quality of life in California communities. Our state and federal government spends tens of billions of dollars on homelessness every year with no results. I support a full audit of homelessness spending.
Drug and alcohol addiction and mental health issues are the biggest driving factors of homelessness. I support allocating resources to expand mental health and substance abuse treatment, federal support of local organizations with workforce development programs, and having law enforcement work hand-in-hand with homeless service providers.
This story was originally published October 6, 2024 at 4:55 AM with the headline "Adam Schiff vs. Steve Garvey for US Senate: California candidates answer key questions."
