Parse dense legislation and policy proposals and pick key issues to make a mark.
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Be patient because the Senate runs on seniority and new members can expect to have little power.
Background
Voters will choose a senator for both a two-month term and the standard six-year term (beginning in January). Here’s the full list of candidates. And it won’t be the current officeholder.
The back-story: In September 2023, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein died, and Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Laphonza Butler to replace her. Newsom then called a special election, concurrent with the regular election, to fill the remainder of Feinstein’s term, which ends in January. While it’s conceivable there could be different winners, it didn’t happen in the 2022 election.
And Butler isn’t in the mix, deciding not to run. Democratic U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff and Dodgers legend and Republican Steve Garvey advanced from the March 5 top two primary to the Nov. 5 general election and special election.
What are the issues?
Economy and inflation: While California and the rest of the nation hasn’t sunk into recession, inflation remains stubbornly high, rising to an annual rate of 3.4% in December from 3.1%. And polls show that despite some job growth and wage gains, Californians are still anxious about their personal finances and pessimistic about what lies ahead in 2024.
Immigration: The crisis at the border is affecting California. Local nonprofits have been overwhelmed by record numbers of migrants in San Diego and Imperial counties. Between last September and November, U.S. border authorities dropped off more than 42,000 people on San Diego County streets with no direction or assistance, according to county officials.
Foreign policy: The U.S. is deeply involved in supporting Ukraine repel the Russian invasion and backing Israel after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. The latter has become particularly controversial in California, as activists spent months calling for a ceasefire to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. As tensions rose, both U.S. Senate candidates offered their unequivocal support for Israel. Later, Rep. Adam Schiff — who previously resisted calls for a ceasefire — supported one after President Joe Biden called for a conditional one. Steve Garvey, who called student activists setting up encampments on California campuses "terrorists," spent a week in June in Israel to visit families whose relatives were killed in Gaza.
Former baseball player Steve Garvey speaks during a televised debate for candidates in the senate race on Jan. 22, 2024, in Los Angeles.
Steve Garvey
Professional Baseball Representative
Republican
Garvey, 75, was born in Tampa, Florida. His father was a bus driver, and his mother a secretary in an insurance firm. As a child, Garvey was a bat boy for the Brooklyn Dodgers, the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers.
Garvey played football and baseball at Michigan State University before joining the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1969 and then the San Diego Padres in 1982. He retired in 1987 and still holds the fourth-longest consecutive game streak in MLB history.
He started a marketing firm, hosted radio shows and starred in TV series. He also helped fundraise for GOP candidates, including Presidents George Bush and Ronald Reagan. He became a motivational speaker, charging roughly $25,000 in at least one case.
But his post-baseball career was overshadowed partly by scandals, lawsuits and financial troubles — problems Garvey deemed his “midlife disaster.” In 1989, he was romantically involved with three women at once and impregnated two, both of whom sued. Garvey told courts repeatedly he was deep in debt and was late on payments large and small to his gardener, caterer and attorneys, The Los Angeles Times reported in 2006.
Garvey, who flirted with a U.S. Senate run as early as 1981, has promised not to restrict abortion rights, supports private investment in transitional housing for homeless people and pledges to fight “out-of-control inflation.” A two-time supporter of Donald Trump, Garvey has refused to express an opinion on the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.
Key endorsements
California State Sheriff’s Association
San Diego Police Officers Association
Garvey on the issues
Click the plus button to see the candidate's response to each question.
Economy and inflation
As a U.S. senator, reducing inflation would be my primary focus as it helps the affordability crisis facing so many hardworking families across California and the nation. A few ways to combat inflation are to oppose new federal spending, stand up to higher tax increases and regulations that will drive up the cost of living on everyday goods and services, and streamline burdensome regulations that can stifle economic growth and increase production costs. This also includes eliminating excessive regulations as it relates to new home construction.
Good-paying jobs are employment opportunities that offer competitive wages and benefits, ensuring blue-collar workers can afford food and to keep a roof over their head, while also offering opportunities for career advancement. Three things we can do to attract businesses back to California would be to eliminate burdensome regulations that make it difficult for businesses to operate, reduce the state’s corporate income tax rate, and provide incentives for new small businesses, like reducing taxes for their first year. I will also support federal incentives for research and development activities to ensure California remains at the forefront of developing cutting-edge technology.
Criminal justice
We need to support our law enforcement to ensure they are able to effectively keep our communities safe. Additionally, we need to build and strengthen the relationship between federal law enforcement and state and local law enforcement so they can work together, not against each other. Prosecutors also need to support the law, not push a partisan agenda. Strengthening the southern border and giving additional support to border patrol to do their job should also be a priority.
While I support the right to bear arms, I acknowledge that some restrictions and common-sense measures, like background checks before purchasing guns, help ensure weapons are kept out of the hands of criminals. It is important that rather than just continuing to compound additional gun control restrictions, like we have seen at the state level here in California, we gauge how certain policies are working and adjust based on results. We can keep guns out of the hands of criminals while also protecting Second Amendment rights.
Immigration
First, we need to strengthen our southern border to keep criminals out of our communities, stop drug and gun trafficking, and promote the legal path to citizenship in the United States. Second, we need to respect the citizenship process and ensure those who are trying to become citizens legally are at the front of the line. Lastly, I am a supporter of a merit-based immigration system that prioritizes skills, education, and contributions to the U.S. economy. We need to end the chaos at the border, streamline the immigration process, and reward those who are seeking citizenship legally.
We need to prioritize those who are seeking a path to citizenship legally. We also need to make the legal immigration process easier. Many have waited patiently in line for years to get their chance at becoming a U.S. citizen and we need to reward those individuals for following the law.
Labor
California has one of the highest minimum wage rates in the nation, much higher than the federal minimum wage. Each state and its voters have the ability to raise their minimum wage, as California has multiple times, beyond the federal minimum wage.
We need to stop businesses from fleeing California by creating a better business climate with lower corporate taxes. This will allow businesses to offer their employees better benefits and increased pay. Additionally, California needs to support the agriculture and tech industries, two key industries that are pivotal to California’s growth. Supporting these industries will lead to more jobs and income revenue for the state.
Housing and homelessness
Unfortunately, drug and alcohol addiction, along with mental health issues are the biggest driving factors of homelessness. It is not compassionate to let these people suffer and die on the street and we need to do more to get them the help they need.
The housing affordability crisis is due to short supply. However, California makes it difficult for home builders to quickly construct new housing with burdensome regulations. We can tackle this by reducing regulations on new home construction, changing the zoning laws to allow for more types of housing to be built, and to increase the height of buildings to allow for more higher density housing in urban areas. The federal government can also establish financial incentives, such as tax credits or grants, for developers who focus on building affordable housing units.
Foreign policy
The civilian casualties we are seeing on both sides of this conflict are heartbreaking and I hope to see an end to this conflict as soon as possible. However, Israel has the unequivocal right to defend itself from terrorists. Until Hamas is destroyed, Israel must be able to continue their anti-terrorist operations.
I believe in peace through strength. When the United States is at its strongest, both militarily and economically, we do not need to intervene in the affairs of other countries because our negotiating power and stability carry weight.
I support increasing the federal budget on defense and national security. Modernizing the United States military and ensuring our men and women in uniform have the resources they need to protect American interests is extremely important. Further, increasing the federal budget for defense and national security promotes more job creation across the United States.
Climate change
Climate change is real and is happening across the globe. Here in California, we see the effects of climate change with persistent drought, increased wildfires, and sea level rise. We must strike a balance between protecting our environment without destroying our economy and jobs. Increasing infrastructure for electric vehicle charging stations is important, especially in rural areas. Additionally, we should increase federal investment in research and development of carbon capture and storage, as well as other innovative solutions. Lastly, the federal government should support sustainable land management practices, like reforestation, to sequester carbon and enhance ecosystem resilience.
I support energy policy that includes a diverse mix of energy resources. We cannot rely too heavily on just one method of energy, such as solar or wind energy, that is reliant on the weather. A mix of energy resources is the most prudent approach to reducing the likelihood of future power outages and rolling blackouts. As the nation works to transition to clean energy, we must ensure we have the infrastructure available before instituting any extreme mandates.
U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., speaks during a televised debate for candidates in the senate race to succeed the late California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Monday, Jan. 22, 2024, in Los Angeles.
Adam Schiff
U.S. Representative
Democrat
Born in Massachusetts in 1960, Schiff settled in Alamo, California, with his father, a Democratic clothing salesman, and his mother, a Republican real estate agent. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Stanford University and a law degree from Harvard.
Schiff had a brief career in law after graduating, clerking for the judge who presided over the Pentagon Papers case and prosecuting a former federal agent for sharing secret intel with a Soviet Union spy for sex and cash.
Schiff ventured into California politics in 1996 as the youngest state senator at the time. In 2000, voters sent him to Congress. Starting as a member of the centrist Blue Dog Coalition, the 63-year-old has rebranded himself as a progressive in recent years, vowing to improve housing affordability, protect labor rights and provide undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship.
He hasn’t been immune from controversy: For years, Schiff has claimed primary residence for both his home in Potomac, Md., and a condo in Burbank, CNN reported. His spokesperson said he claimed both for loan purposes, to distinguish them from vacation properties.
Key endorsements
Media
Los Angeles Times
La Opinión
Supporters
Nine statewide unions
U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi
Former U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas
Schiff on the issues
Economy and inflation
First, we must attack the increased cost of goods in each sector of our economy by addressing scarcity: Dramatically expanding our supply of affordable housing by increasing housing federal investments and tax credits, boosting the production of renewable sources of energy, expanding the number of healthcare professionals, and increasing the supply of affordable childcare. Second, we need to increase competition. Increased antitrust enforcement against consolidation will help bring prices down. Third, we must lower the costs of medicine by letting the government negotiate the prices of all prescription drugs, allowing the reimportation of prescription medication, and passing Medicare for All.
A good-paying job is one that allows workers to afford to live close to where they work, access quality healthcare, childcare and generous leave, and the ability to retire with dignity. In the Senate, I’ll fight to pass the PRO Act so workers have access to strong union jobs, secure SBA funding so that more businesses start here and stay here, support the innovation economy so critical to California’s future, expand childcare investments, and push for an Apollo project-like initiative to create millions of green jobs. And I will work to bring jobs lost overseas back to the United States.
Criminal justice
Support for law enforcement that goes hand in hand with a greater investment in community violence prevention and substance abuse and mental health services is the most effective combination to keep our communities safe. I will continue my work to eliminate rape kit backlogs and support using DNA evidence to solve violent crime. We can crack down on organized crime like smash and grab robberies by expanding the use of federal, state and local task forces. I also support an increase in funding to combat the devastating fentanyl crisis, interdicting drugs at the border and going after drug smuggling organizations.
We must ban assault weapons and large capacity magazines, crack down on ghost guns, expand background check requirements and make them universal, raise the age to buy weapons of war, implement more gun buyback programs, and hold the gun lobby, manufacturers, and dealers accountable. My bill to repeal the gun industry’s immunity from liability is a top priority — which President Biden has said may be the most important effort to prevent gun deaths. Finally, we must ramp up mental health services to attack one of the top causes of gun deaths among young people — suicide.
Immigration
First, we need comprehensive immigration reform. We should pass the U.S. Citizenship Act and create a pathway to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants, including Dreamers, TPS holders, and farmworkers. Second, we need to surge resources to address the challenges at the border, and invest in more staff, judges, and interpreters to address the immigration and asylum case backlog so that cases can be adjudicated more quickly. And third, we must provide resources for communities along the border and elsewhere in the country so they can provide humanitarian support to asylum seekers while their petitions are resolved.
Yes. We must pass comprehensive immigration reform to keep families together and treat immigrants with fairness, dignity, and respect — not as political bargaining chips. Dreamers and frontline workers should have a clear path to citizenship. I support the U.S. Citizenship Act which would create a pathway to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants, including Dreamers, TPS holders, and farmworkers. I also support the American Dream and Promise Act to create a permanent path for “dreamers.” In the Senate, I’ll fight tooth-and-nail to pass comprehensive immigration reform.
Labor
We absolutely need to increase the federal minimum wage to keep up with the realities of inflation and years of stagnant wage growth. I have been on the frontlines of the fight for $15 in Congress. Although each state does not have the same economic circumstances, I support a $20 minimum wage, indexed to inflation. I also support increasing the minimum wage for healthcare workers to $25 an hour. In order to accomplish this, we’ll need to abolish the filibuster and elect more Democrats to the Senate.
First, I’m going to fight to pass the PRO Act — the most pro-labor union legislation in a generation — so that unions are better able to collectively bargain, get a fair contract and enforce it. Second, I will work to ensure that as technology continues to transform the workplace, workers are not left behind, and change tax policies so that we bring good jobs back home. And third, I will insist that federal infrastructure dollars go to creating good paying union jobs with project labor agreements, prevailing wages, and local workers.
Housing and homelessness
The twin crises of housing affordability and homelessness are inextricably tied together. A lack of supply of affordable housing is the single biggest driver of the homelessness crisis, even as it is also the single greatest challenge to working and middle-class families when they try to afford a place to live anywhere near where they work. We need to build significantly more housing and we need to do it expeditiously and more cost effectively.
First, we need to increase the supply of affordable housing by expanding the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and making a significant new federal direct investment in affordable housing. Second, we need to reduce the regulatory burden and the time it takes to build affordable housing by making sure local, state, or federal agencies respond promptly and prioritize applications to build new housing. And third, we need to strengthen protections for home buyers and remove barriers to homeownership for first-time buyers, as well as crack down on discriminatory practices that keep renters and home buyers out of the housing market.
Foreign policy
I support humanitarian pauses in the fighting to allow aid into Gaza and to get hostages out, but cannot support a permanent ceasefire that would perpetuate Hamas terrorist control of Gaza while they are threatening to attack Israel again with the kind of barbarism we saw on Oct. 7, and while Hamas continues to hold hostages, including Americans. I also support the Biden administration’s efforts to urge Israel to make greater efforts to avoid civilian casualties and mourn the loss of innocent Palestinian civilians. The two-state solution will not be possible while a terrorist group continues to control Gaza.
Military involvement should be the last recourse and only when vital U.S. interests, and the security of our people, are implicated. Preventing fighting is far more important than intervening when war has broken out. Development assistance is also critical to reducing the conditions that give rise to conflict. The U.S. still plays an indispensable role in the world in promoting democracy and basic human rights, and we cannot retreat from the world, especially when a rising tide of autocracy threatens freedom everywhere. Our values must drive our decisions, and diplomacy and strategic engagement play the most important role.
I support efforts to right-size the Pentagon’s budget and ensure that the systems we invest in are ones the country truly needs — not ones that merely benefit the contractors who make or supply them. That’s why I have supported amendments to cut 10% of the Pentagon’s budget as well as the elimination of weapons systems the administration doesn’t need or want. At other times, I have opposed the defense bill altogether, because the spending was exorbitant, it depleted resources that might be devoted to other domestic priorities, or because it contained extreme partisan policy riders.
Climate change
First, I’ll fight to dramatically increase incentives to develop renewable energy and new technologies that make America the unrivaled leader in the green economy, and that end incentives for the fossil fuel industry that is killing us and the planet. Second, I will fight to pass the Green New Deal by getting rid of the filibuster, which will help us secure hundreds of billions more in funding for renewable energy, create millions of green jobs, and end our reliance on fossil fuels. And third, I will fight to reform the partisan Supreme Court that is hell-bent on gutting environmental protections.
Absolutely. California has led the way, building our renewable energy sources quicker than expected, and creating a lot of new jobs in the process. We must move away from fossil fuels and transition to clean, renewable energy. The Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law made historic investments in clean energy infrastructure, but we must view these investments as just the first step. I will fight to invest in new green technologies, next generation batteries, more efficient solar systems, grid technology that incentivizes the transition to clean energy, and more.
