Voter Guide: Where do SLO County candidates for California State Senate stand on issues?
Starting next year, San Luis Obispo County will be represented in the California State Senate by two people instead of one.
The southern and eastern portion of the county, including the Grover Beach, Oceano, Nipomo, the Carrizo Plain and Cuyama, is now part of District 21 — which extends into Ventura County.
The rest of the county remains in District 17, which also includes a portion of Monterey County along with San Benito and Santa Cruz counties.
In District 17, three candidates are challenging incumbent John Laird for his four-year seat: Republicans Eric Tao and Tony Virrueta, along with Libertarian Micheal Oxford.
In the March 5 primary election, voters will select two District 17 candidates to progress to the November general election.
Laird, a Democrat based in Santa Cruz, is running for his second term in the State Senate. He previously served as the mayor of Santa Cruz, a member of the California State Assembly and as the secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency.
Tao, based in Carmel, is the director of the Computer Science Online Program and the Institute for Innovation and Economic Development at CSU Monterey Bay. This is his first time running for an elected office, he said.
Virrueta, a veteran U.S. Army Ranger based in Salinas, is also running for elected office for the first time.
Micheal Oxford, an audio-visual technician from Ben Lomond, did not respond to The Tribune’s requests for comment.
In District 21, college student Elijah Mack is challenging incumbent Monique Limón.
Limón, a Democrat based in Santa Barbara County, is running for her second term in the State Senate. She previously served as a member of the California State Assembly and on the Santa Barbara Unified School District board.
Mack, a Republican from Santa Barbara, did not respond to The Tribune’s requests for comment.
Because there are only two candidates, both will progress to the November general election. That’s when voters will officially select their representative.
The Tribune sent the candidates a survey asking about a variety of issues — from how to develop affordable housing to their position on the state’s budget deficit. Some responses have been edited for length or clarity.
Here’s what they said:
District 17: Four candidates on the ballot
Who are your top 3 campaign contributors?
Laird: I have received equal maximum contributions from many organizations — including civil rights, labor, business and health care organizations.
Tao: Shirley Bee, University of East-West Medicine, Eric Tao
Virrueta: David Drew, Chris Shake, Butch Lindley
What is the most important issue facing your district today?
Laird: I believe the most important issue is climate change — both in lowering our greenhouse gas emissions and in mitigating the impacts in fire, sea level rise, water resilience, and the boom and bust cycle between drought and flood. I chaired a 12-senator working group on climate change that resulted in major legislation and budget investment. I authored significant legislation to set goals for our move to less greenhouse gas emissions, put the state’s fire policies into statute with annual goals for fire prevention, and established local planning against the effects of sea level rise. This is the existential crisis of our time, and we must marshal every force we have at our disposal to save our planet.
Tao: Affordable Housing: Implement affordable housing initiatives including subsidized housing projects, incentives for developers to include affordable units in new developments, reducing regulation to streamline the approval process, and revising zoning laws to allow for higher-density, cost-effective housing options in areas that do not impact the character of the established neighborhood. Homelessness: Address drug addiction alongside economic empowerment, housing reform and community support. Tackling addiction requires increasing access to treatment programs and integrating mental health services. This approach is grounded in Republican principles of personal responsibility and community involvement. Infrastructure: Upgreade transportation networks for better connectivity and invest in proven renewable energy projects to ensure long-term energy security.
Virrueta: Save our children. We need to improve the quality of their education immediately. They are our future!
What policies are needed to increase affordable housing in your district?
Laird: There are many policies needed, from supporting infrastructure such as roads and water that support affordable housing developments, as well as doing what the state can to help with policies to make housing projects have a measure of affordability. I also have been a leader in the state’s program to provide higher education housing for students, including helping to bring a 624-unit project to the district.
Tao: Implement affordable housing initiatives including subsidized housing projects, incentives for developers to include affordable units in new developments, reducing regulation to streamline the approval process, along with revising zoning laws to allow for higher-density, cost-effective housing options in areas that do not impact the character of the established neighborhood.
Virrueta: I spoke with some builders who lost money when they built affordable housing. Maybe we should assist the developers financially to keep them sustainable.
What is the primary cause of homelessness in your district and how can the state better address it?
Laird: There is no one cause of homelessness in the Senate district; it is a mix of items, such as the lack of affordable housing, high rent costs and co-factors such as mental health or substance abuse. The state must be part of the solution by supporting programs that get people housed with the goal of being placed in long-term housing as well as helping provide supportive services to unhoused residents.
Tao: Mental illness, drug addiction and housing costs are the primary causes of homelessness. For mental health, I support boosting funds for early, community-based mental health care. This means more local counseling and treatments, and for serious cases, providing places where people can stay and get help over time. On drug addiction, I’m focused on tightening border security to block illegal drugs from entering the country and taking strong actions to dismantle drug trafficking networks. Regarding housing, we should connect people without homes to the services they need, places to stay and mental health support. I also want to change foster care policies to help more kids find stable homes. Plus, I will push for better data on homelessness and make it easier to build new homes by cutting through red tape.
Virrueta: Laws are soft on criminal drug distributors. Many homeless people are unfortunately severely addicted to harmful drugs. They need services to assist in their addictions.
How would you support working parents while in office?
Laird: The state provides child care, nutrition and health care support for working parents based on income. I support this assistance, and have worked to stabilize these services financially so parents can remain in the work force and provide quality support for their children.
Tao: I will adopt family-friendly policies and flexible work arrangements. The policies not only benefit employees by helping them balance work and family responsibilities, but also offer advantages to employers due to higher employee satisfaction and productivity. My policy priorities include enhancing family support, ensuring economic parity and providing affordable healthcare.
Virrueta: Great question! When my wife and I were working, we depended on strong salaries to best support our children’s education.
How should the state Legislature address the $68 billion budget deficit?
Laird: There must be a mix of cuts, delays, small borrowing and dipping into reserves to lower the deficits in the future years as well as balancing the budget now. The state offers a social safety net and provides public safety, education and environmental protection — which are vital services that should be protected as much as possible. If the deficit is as high as 25% this May, every program will be affected.
Tao: I support providing continued funding for education and safety while avoiding unnecessary spending on projects that don’t provide immediate benefits. We should carefully review big projects and contracts to get better deals for California. This includes looking at high pensions, infrastructure projects that only benefit a few, and moving some climate-change projects that do not have immediate benefits to the future. I believe in putting Californians first, focusing spending on services for state residents. Using technology can make our processes more efficient and save money. We also need to make sure we’re not overpaying for goods and services. The budget issues we face are partly due to policies that drive businesses away. To fix the budget problem in the longer run, we need to stop the overspending habits that create structural deficits in the future and we need to make policy changes to grow our economy and income. These are the major reasons why I’m running for State Senate.
Virrueta: Immediately! We need to stop this bleeding ASAP. It will definitely take time though.
Do you support Assembly Constitutional Amendment 1? Why or why not?
Laird: I support Assembly Constitutional Amendment 1 to set the voter approval level for certain local bond and tax measures at 55%. This has been the level for school bonds for the last 25 years, which has worked, and I believe it is a fair threshold for voter approval.
Tao: I’m against Assembly Constitutional Amendment 1. It could lead to higher property taxes, putting extra financial strain on California residents, who are already facing some of the highest taxes in the country. More borrowing by the government under this amendment could jeopardize our state’s financial health, making us all vulnerable to increased debt without guaranteeing that the funded projects are essential or well-managed. Raising taxes further risks driving businesses out of California, which could harm our job market and reduce the overall tax revenue, worsening our financial situation. We need to prioritize responsible spending and ensure that taxpayer money is used effectively, rather than opening the door to potentially unchecked government spending.
Virrueta did not respond to this question.
What are key ways the state can better manage its water resources in light of climate change?
Laird: I believe in an “all of the above” water supply strategy, including developing more water recycling, better groundwater management, more surface and groundwater storage, and making water conservation a way of life. The state water bond approved by voters in 2014 provided support for these efforts, and we must continue that support at the state level.
Tao: As the future state senator, I will advocate for expanding our water storage, encourage the reuse and recycling of water, and utilize efficient farming practices to conserve water. Additionally, upgrading our infrastructure to better capture storm water and recharge groundwater is crucial. Educating the public on water conservation will also be key in managing our resources amidst climate change challenges.
Virrueta: My immediate answer would be to manage water waste and improve storage like dams. Even this year we are having record rainfall. It should not go to waste.
District 21: Elijah Mack vs. Monique Limón
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
Limón: Community members, workers, and women leaders
What is the most important issue facing your district today?
Limón: Healthcare, climate change, cost of living, housing and homelessness are among the top issues. I have worked to increase opportunities to expand our labor force in child care and have added 200,000 early childcare slots in the state over the last years. On healthcare, I have authored a number of bills to improve access to care including SB 535 and SB 496 to remove prior authorization for biomarker testing for metastatic cancer. I know how important it is to protect the environment and, as a state, continue to lead in this space. I have authored several bills (AB 1328, AB 585 and AB 1057) to ensure we advance environmental protections while also limiting the financial costs to taxpayers and local governments. As the vice chair of the California Legislative Central Coast Caucus, I have worked with colleagues to ensure greater awareness and understating of the policy and budgetary issues facing the Central Coast.
What policies are needed to increase affordable housing in your district?
Limón did not answer this question.
What is the primary cause of homelessness in your district and how can the state better address it?
Limón: Homelessness is a multifaceted issue impacted by a lack of housing, mental health, jobs, health and cost of living. I have worked to secure funding for local communities addressing housing and working with our unhoused populations through programs like the Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention Program and Project Home Key.
How would you support working parents while in office?
Limón: As a working parent myself, I know how important it is to have education, childcare, after school programs and support services for our children and students available in our communities. Prior to being in the State Legislature, I spent 14 years working with students and families along the Central Coast to ensure we created educational and career pathways and programs for our students. I have worked to expand college access and affordability and have worked to expand childcare while in the California Legislature.
Limón did not respond to the questions about the state’s budget deficit, Assembly Constitutional Amendment 1 or the water supply.
