Elect Greg Wallis for Assembly District 47

The newly drawn Assembly District 47 spans from Calimesa and Yucaipa in the west to Palm Springs and Yucca Valley in the east.

Facing off to represent the district are Republican Greg Wallis, a staffer for independent Asm. Chad Mayes, and Palm Springs Mayor Christy Holstege, a Democrat.

While we believe both candidates are qualified for the position and bring to this race boths strengths and weaknesses, we on balance believe California government could benefit from Wallis’ perspective.

Wallis describes himself as a pro-choice Republican who supports Lgbt-rights. He also believes climate change is a serious problem that demands policy solutions. If elected, he would like to join the nonpartisan Problem Solvers Caucus so he could work across the aisle to tackle the problems of the state. Policywise, he favors reform of the California Environmental Quality Act to prevent abuses of the landmark environmental law to stifle development. He supports a nascent effort to establish a full-fledged California State University, Palm Desert. And, while he’s a critic of criminal justice reforms enacted over the last decade, he favors a greater focus on rehabilitation as a means of crime prevention.

This is a sensible balance of policy positions.

There’s much this editorial board sees eye-to-eye with Holstege.

Holstege doubts the viability of a single-payer health care system in California, noting the state’s calamitous experience with the Employment Development Department. On whether or not Proposition 13 should be reformed, she says, “the voters have spoken.” Holstege has also been a prominent critic of Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, which we appreciate.

However, we have some fundamental disagreements as well.

While acknowledging their problems, Holstege is favorably inclined toward matters this editorial board strongly disagrees with, namely, the high-speed rail project, Assembly Bill 5 and Assembly Bill 257.

While Wallis is more keen on tough-on-crime rhetoric than we prefer, his views are more aligned with our vision of a more restrained and pragmatic government. He has our endorsement.