BRIAN MAIENSCHEIN: I WANT TO GIVE TAXPAYERS THE MOST MONEY BACK
Q: From wildfires to sea level rise, the climate emergency is increasingly affecting California. What immediate steps should California lawmakers be taking to address it?
A: Bold action is needed to combat the climate crisis. California has been a leader in setting goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit our reliance on fossil fuels. But we also need to focus on immediate steps that can help us bridge the gap until we reach our longer-term goals.
The transportation sector accounts for half of our climate change impacts, yet electric and zero emission vehicles are still not feasible options for many families. We have made significant investments in public transit as a way to reduce vehicle miles traveled, but until safe and reliable public transit is truly an option for all San Diegans, we cannot have that be our only solution.
We need to accelerate the deployment of electric charging stations and provide financial incentives to help families, businesses and heavy-duty vehicle operators make the transition to cleaner technology.
As a state, we also need to build on the historic actions we have taken to reduce plastic pollution and improve California’s recycling infrastructure. We need to help make it economically achievable for businesses to move away from single-use packaging.
We need to double down on our efforts to bolster recycling infrastructure and keep recyclable materials out of our landfills. Combating the climate crisis is not going to be done in one single piece of legislation. It is going to take many small actions by each and every one of us that will have a tremendous collective impact.
Q: The governor’s pleas to reduce water use have been widely met with indifference. What, if anything, should state lawmakers be doing to address drought conditions?
A: I am pleased to see that the governor is pushing for reduced water usage. However, I believe more needs to be done as droughts are becoming a years-long occurrence in our state.
There should be increased emphasis on storage and conservation at the federal, state and local levels.
Q: What would you do to address the surging gas prices in California?
A: I voted against the gas tax increase in 2017, and I continue to stand by that. There are a lot of solutions on the table right now, and I am in full support of whatever puts the most money back into San Diego taxpayers’ pockets.
Q: How do you strike a balance between reducing the state’s dependency on fossil fuels and addressing energy affordability issues, including the high cost of gasoline?
A: The Legislature has been focusing on ideas that reduce consumption of fossil fuels by creating options that every Californian can afford.
For example, while I’ve supported the current financial incentives we provide for the purchase of an electric vehicle, an overwhelming number of Californians can’t afford a new vehicle of any kind. I think incentives could be more impactful on gasoline consumption if the incentives reduced the price of a used hybrid vehicle to $10,000.
That price point would enable Californians of modest means to both contribute to the fight against climate change and dramatically reduce their use of gasoline and the costs they currently are bearing.
Q: How would you bring down the high cost of housing, both for homeowners and renters?
A: The high cost of housing won’t be solved easily, or quickly, or in one grand effort. The problem developed over decades. We need to expand down payment assistance to those who want to become firsttime homebuyers. This will keep talented college graduates in California, free up rental properties and help young people begin acquiring wealth. California also needs to continue financing assistance for low- and medium-income individuals seeking housing.
Q: Homelessness is growing dramatically across the state. How would you address it?
A: I created Project 25 in 2010 as the homeless commissioner for the United Way of San Diego County to house our region’s chronically homeless individuals, which was one of the most successful programs in San Diego’s history.
I support expanding and fully funding this program. In addition, the Legislature has provided local governments significantly increased funding to help address homelessness over the past several years. I support continued state funding to localities in their efforts to combat homelessness.
Q: What, if anything, should the state do to make mass transit a viable option for commuters?
A: In this year’s state budget, we will increase funding for local mass transit. That said, in 2008, long before I was elected to the state Assembly, I voted against Proposition 1A, which began the funding of high-speed rail from Los Angeles to San Francisco.
I voted no because that project would serve far fewer commuter needs than spending money on regional rail transit would. That remains the case today and I have supported efforts to redirect state funding to do so.
Q: How will you balance public health with economic and educational concerns going forward in this pandemic or the next one? What specific steps and strategies, from lockdowns to mask mandates, would you recommend or rule out if there is a new surge in deaths and hospitalizations?
A: Fortunately, our region is emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic. I will continue to follow the guidance of our local public health professionals.
Q: California has the strictest gun laws in the nation yet has had some of the nation’s worst mass shootings this year. What more, if anything, should be done to reduce gun violence in California?
A: There has been a nationwide surge in gun-related violence and deaths since 2015. I believe we need to do more to get guns out of the hands of dangerous people. After the Poway Chabad shooting in 2019, I wrote a law that closed the loophole that enabled the shooter to obtain a gun. This year, I am authoring legislation to prohibit people who have been convicted of abusing children or seniors from possessing firearms. I support adequate funding and training for law enforcement to take appropriate measures to protect our communities and combat the growing epidemic of ghost guns.