CORBIN SABOL: I WANT TO RESEARCH THE CONCEPT OF CLOUD SEEDING
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:
Very few people deny
that the climate of the Earth is changing. It has been changing since recorded history. The debate is over how fast the climate is changing, and if humans are responsible for the changes. In the early 2000s, it was predicted that polar bears would be extinct by the year 2012, because of climate change. It is now 2022 and the polar bear population has increased.
With that being said, it is one thing to have a desire to be a good steward of the Earth, as we all should be, and another thing to be a climate alarmist and have a desire for government to excessively tax the people in order to solve this problem. We must pursue commonsense solutions in good faith to allow all people the means, ability and access to be a good stewards of the Earth.
For wildfires, it must be understood that not only will we never be able to stop wildfires from ever occurring, naturally occurring wildfires provide some benefits. As National Geographic reported in 2019, “[N]aturally occurring wildfires play an integral role in nature. By burning dead or decaying matter, they can return otherwise trapped nutrients to the soil. They also act as a disinfectant, removing diseaseridden plants and harmful insects from an ecosystem.”
However, there are measures we can put in place to reduce the likelihood of wildfires from occurring: allowing for and expanding clean-up services of dead brush in our forests and unincorporated areas; controlled, prescribed burns, and increased funding to the current chipping program for unincorporated areas. Furthermore, planting drought-resistant trees and plants can help with the climate crisis by capturing carbon and produce more oxygen.
I would also like to see a creation of education services in conjunction with the forestry department for migrant camps. We must focus on helping migrants understand the dangers of unattended camp fires as we all want immigrants to be safe in our country.
Finally, I would encourage and support localities to pursue community gardening. It makes no sense why we can have a liquor store on every corner in each neighborhood but few to no community gardens, which would give each community healthy sources of nutritious foods and bring people together to help heal our political divide as a nation.
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:
It is time for California
lawmakers to stop punishing the people for using water, a basic human right, and start finding real solutions to our water shortages.
Californians have done a tremendous job of reducing their water consumption over the years — so much so that water districts and municipalities have been increasing their water rates significantly over the last decade to cover their costs.
Many cities have initiated a water recycling program, toilet to tap, to redistribute used water for irrigation purposes.
It is time for California to repair and build the dams and reservoirs they have already voted and reserved the funding for. It is time to build more water storage facilities. It is time to invest in desalination plants.
I would also make capturing rain water by Californians for future use to water lawns, plants and trees, and legalize again and encourage and/or incentivize the installment and use of lowflow faucet aerators in government facilities.
Finally, I would look to research responsible and ethical uses of cloud seeding that do not harm the environment or the public with potentially harmful additives.
Q:
What would you do to
address the surging gas prices in California?
A:
I would first support
Assembly Bill 1638, suspension of the gas tax which would save drivers 51-cents-per gallon of gas.
Second, I would then look into what other taxes or fees can be eliminated or suspended.
Third, I would look into what regulations that are in place making it difficult for the gas companies to supply gasoline to the people of California and see what regulations can be suspended or altered to make gas cheaper.
Fourth, I would look to suspend the addition of unnecessary additives to gas in California, which increases the price.
Fifth, I would look to the gas companies themselves to ensure they are not artificially inflating the price of gasoline for extra profit.
Finally, I would look for ways on how we can produce more gas to increase the supply which would lower costs.
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:
Transitioning to
zero-emission sources of energy is a noble goal, but it must be based in common sense and good faith and not impede the independence of the people.
I am not sure if we will ever be able to do away with the need for fossil fuels completely, but it could very likely happen organically over time. By incentivizing companies to invest more in alternative sources and forms of energy, such as nuclear, geothermal and hydroelectric, Californians would reduce our overdependence on fossil fuels.
Furthermore, as more alternatives to petroleum products are available, the demand for those products will decrease naturally over time as will our dependence.
Q:
How would you bring
down the high cost of housing, both for homeowners and renters?
A:
Home prices are
skyrocketing, making it difficult to live in our amazing state.
Who can afford to rent a room for $1,300? That is a real asking price for a room to rent in the 79th District that I am campaigning to represent. This is outrageous, but why is this so?
The reasons are that the demand for homes far exceeds the supply, investment firms out-bid first time homebuyers and it is difficult to build homes.
First, we must cut regulations, red tape, taxes and fees as much as we can to make it easier, cheaper and quicker for people to build new homes. Home prices are skyrocketing because the demand exceeds the supply. Reducing regulations, eliminating or reducing taxes and fees and streamlining the process will make it easier to build more homes. Permitting fees can be very expensive for new construction homes and can be slashed, just to name one example.
Second, we must investigate investment firms buying homes. They oftentimes out-bid the average person, therefore making it near impossible for anyone to buy a home. Therefore, I would look to level the playing field between the people and the investment firms with deep pockets.
Third, we could provide tax credits for first-time homebuyers and incentivize high-paying jobs to come to California instead of instituting high tax and high regulation policies which drive them away.
Should taxes in California be increased? If so, which ones?
No.