It’s officially election season again for voters who live within the boundaries of the 36th State Senate District.
Ballots were mailed to registered voters in the district on Monday, Jan. 27, about a month ahead of Election Day, Tuesday, Feb. 25.
Four candidates — two Republicans and two Democrats — are competing for the open seat, which covers communities in Orange and Los Angeles counties. The top two vote-getters, regardless of party, will advance to the April 29 general election — unless one candidate is able to receive 50% plus one vote in February’s primary election, thus becoming the winner.
Ahead of the election, the Southern California News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates — Republicans John Briscoe and Tony Strickland and Democrats Julie Diep and Jimmy Pham — to help voters, our readers, get to know the people vying to represent them better.
The candidates answered questions ranging from how to help cities meet the state’s housing mandates to what affordability issues the state legislature should address to how to tackle the state’s fiscal challenges. We also asked the candidates where they like to eat in the 36th State Senate District.
Candidate questionnaires
Briscoe, a former Ocean View School District trustee, said he would like to see the legislature focus on lowering grocery and gas prices. State gas taxes should be cut, Briscoe said in his questionnaire, and “the consolidation of grocery operators must be examined for the impact on retail prices.”
“The 36th State Senate District is not a high state financial payment recipient,” he said. “We give more than we pay.”
Strickland, too, wants to see cuts to the state gas tax — and he suggested tax cuts as a way to help local economies.
“(Gov.) Gavin Newsom’s constant push for higher taxes and bigger government has led to many Californians, and their businesses, leaving the state,” said Strickland, a Huntington Beach council member. “To protect these cities’ local economies, we can begin by trying to keep more of our taxpayers from leaving by creating a more tax-friendly environment. We need to be looking to cut taxes, instead of raising them, and rolling back the recent gas tax increase is a great place to start.”
Meanwhile, Diep, an Anaheim Elementary School District trustee, said she would like to look into how the legislature could expand access to local news and information resources.
“Many residents, especially in underserved communities, lack access to accurate, timely updates about their cities and state policies,” she said when asked about what bill she’d like to champion right off the bat if elected. “This bill will fund grants to support local news organizations and support multilingual platforms to reach diverse audiences. We need these efforts to empower residents to stay informed and engaged.”
And Pham said a lack of housing in more commercial areas has led to longer commutes and greater traffic as people who work in places like beachfront stores and hotels have to live further away from their jobs just to find housing they can afford.
“One way to address the housing crisis, reduce traffic and contribute to the economy simultaneously would be for the state to incentivize the construction of housing units in commercial areas, as well as fund reliable public transit,” said Pham.
What else to know about the special election
Vote centers will open on Saturday, Feb. 15.
And while Feb. 10 is the last day to register to vote in the 36th State Senate District primary election, conditional voter registration will be open from Feb. 11 to Election Day. This allows eligible voters to register and cast a ballot, which will be processed and counted only after the county election office has verified their voter registration.
The 36th State Senate District was most recently represented by Republican Janet Nguyen, who vacated the seat after she was sworn in as an Orange County supervisor in December.
The coastal district stretches from Seal Beach down to San Clemente, jutting inland to include at least portions of Buena Park, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Los Alamitos and Westminster in Orange County. It also includes Artesia, Cerritos and Hawaiian Gardens in Los Angeles County.
The most recent voter registration data showed Republicans with the advantage. Republicans account for 37.11% of registered voters while Democrats make up 33.93% and no party preference 22.61%.