Senate District 23 includes High Desert communities in both Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. It stretches from Santa Clarita in the west, through Lancaster and Palmdale and to the Victor Valley communities of Adelanto, Hesperia and Victorville in the east.
Five candidates — three Democrats and two Republicans — seek to claim the open seat. Among the candidates is former Republican Assemblymember Suzette Valladares.
Candidates are listed in this article in the order in which they will appear on the March 5 ballot, as determined by the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters. We asked all candidates the same questions. Below are their responses.
Bianca Azucena Gomez, Democrat
Occupation: Victorville City Council member
Website: No website as of Feb. 7
Campaign donations: $0 as of Feb. 7
Gomez did not respond to repeated requests for comment for this story.
Kipp Mueller, Democrat
Occupation: Workers rights attorney
Website: KippForSenate.com
Campaign donations: $620,558.75 as of Feb. 7
If elected, what would you do to respond to the housing crisis in the district?
“Ensuring people can afford their homes and don’t fall into homelessness must be a priority. That’s why I believe we need to build far more housing than we are — instead, each year we fall behind further on demand, driving up housing prices and putting more people on the street. And it’s not good enough to simply build more housing — we need to build affordable housing in all areas of our state, not just in areas that have historically attracted low-income communities.”
What would you do in the Legislature to address crime in the district?
“We must ensure those who are properly trained to deal with mental health, homelessness, domestic violence, and other circumstances are the ones responding to those calls, and officers are freed up to focus on stopping violent crime. We also must stop crime before it starts, which happens when we address the root causes like poverty and housing instability. Finally, need to give our public safety officers the resources they need to respond quickly and decisively when crimes do take place.”
What would you do, if elected, to improve the district’s employment and job prospects?
“We must reestablish a strong middle class for the 21st century. We can support workers and small businesses by building a green energy economy here in our district and rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure. We must also build a Cal State University or University of California, which will create a bustling local economy and put thousands to work. As a small business owner, I’ll help build a robust middle class so that jobs are available, businesses are thriving, and all of us can pay our bills.”
James “DJ” Hamburger, Republican
Occupation: Teacher / Army officer
Website: VoteHamburger.com
Campaign donations: $68,513.25 as of Feb. 7
If elected, what would you do to respond to the housing crisis in the district?
“Well meaning regulators and policies from Sacramento have unfortunately caused the affordable housing market to become unprofitable for developers. As a result, no one wants to build anything other than luxury properties. CEQA reform is a good bipartisan first step in lessening the burden on developers wishing to build greater housing supply.”
What would you do in the Legislature to address crime in the district?
“We need to allocate funding for more county sheriffs, better training and equipment for them, and address the underlying problems contributing to crime. The biggest problem I am witnessing as a teacher is because entry-level labor is so expensive at the moment, our young people are resorting to more dangerous and illicit methods to earn income. So we need to address the underlying factors contributing to poverty writ-large.”
What would you do, if elected, to improve the district’s employment and job prospects?
“We, in our district, want to work. Yet the government refuses to invest in better roads or traffic alleviation with alternate routes, and increases taxes on everyone from producers to consumers. We first must get the government to stop causing more hardship. Allow individuals to keep more of what they earn and stop punishing producers to provide valuable jobs to our community.”
Ollie M. McCaulley, Democrat
Occupation: Businessman / Educator / Minister
Website: JimMcCauley.podia.com
Campaign donations: $0 as of Feb. 7
If elected, what would you do to respond to the housing crisis in the district?
“The housing crisis in our district has a lot to do with the slumlords that own many of the rental properties in the district. There is also a large group of management companies that do nothing to ensure that they provide a safe environment for families to live in. I would work to ensure that we hold these two groups of people to a much higher standard than they are held to now.”
What would you do in the Legislature to address crime in the district?
“I would find a pathway forward to ensure that law enforcement and the community understand that they need each other. At present most of the community does not trust anyone wearing a badge and feel threatened when they see anyone in uniform. I would work tirelessly to change this perspective of law enforcement. At the same time, I would work to ensure that law enforce understand not all criminals look the same no matter their car, skin color, or clothing appears to be.”
What would you do, if elected, to improve the district’s employment and job prospects?
“This can only improve with a buy in from the local city governments. I would work with local city governments to find out they need and what efforts they believe should be put forward to improve their local communities.”
Suzette Martinez Valladares, Republican
Occupation: Small Business Owner
Website: SuzetteValladares.com
Campaign donations: $559,012.04 as of Feb. 7
If elected, what would you do to respond to the housing crisis in the district?
“We need to stand up to politicians like Gavin Newsom who have made the crisis worse by over-taxing and over-charging Californians. When voters elected me to the state Assembly I voted to give homeowners more options. I was given an “A” for my votes to protect homeowners and lower costs.”
What would you do in the Legislature to address crime in the district?
“San Francisco billionaires spent millions electing soft-on-crime district attorneys like LA’s George Gascon. The result is people feel unsafe, and businesses leave the state. We can stop this madness by keeping violent criminals in jail, prosecuting smash-and-grab mobs, and stopping child sex trafficking. Too often elected leaders pretend solutions don’t exist.”
What would you do, if elected, to improve the district’s employment and job prospects?
“I’m a small business owner, and I can tell you firsthand there are too many fees. We also need to show businesses that we will prosecute criminals who rob and steal. That begins by strengthening laws against retail theft — and providing law enforcement the resources to put thieves behind bars.”
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