Contributed Photo Das Williams
For the challenger, it’s a trial run. For the incumbent, it’s a tuneup.
But one thing the June 3 primary in the 37th Assembly District won’t be is decisive.
Because the campaign attracted only two candidates, there is no mystery about the outcome under the top-two primary format: Democratic incumbent Das Williams, of Santa Barbara, and Republican real estate broker Ron DeBlauw, of Ventura, will each finish either first or second and advance to the general election in November.
DeBlauw, 57, sees the primary campaign as an opportunity to introduce himself to voters and get a head start on what would appear to be an uphill challenge in the fall of taking on a well-funded, two-term incumbent in a district in which Democrats hold a 16 percentage-point advantage in voter registration (44 percent Democrats, 28 percent Republicans).
DeBlauw said he hopes to overcome those odds with shoe leather, passion and the power of what he believes is a single good idea.
“I told my wife when I bought these shoes I should have taken a picture,” he said.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Ron DeBlauw
He intends to walk streets in communities across the vast district that extends from Fillmore, through Santa Paula and Ojai to Ventura, then across the Santa Barbara County line from Carpinteria, through Santa Barbara to Lompoc. He has no intention of avoiding Democratic strongholds.
“I’m going to Isla Vista,” he says of the UC Santa Barbara community that has historically voted overwhelmingly Democratic.
Williams, 39, has been all around the district before. He is seeking his third term, the last for which he is eligible under California’s term-limits law.
Since he is guaranteed to advance to the general election, Williams is focusing this spring on his legislative duties. His emphasis has been on environmental legislation, particularly in the areas of renewable energy and recycling, and on higher education.
Williams believes his legislative record commends his case for re-election.
“I’ve delivered on what I committed to do — to help put the state’s finances back in order, to push for reinvestment in our public school system and work on renewable energy,” he said. “We’ve done three of the biggest moves on all three fronts in California history.”
PHOTO BY KAREN QUINCY LOBERG, KAREN QUINCY LOBERG
KAREN QUINCY LOBERG/THE STAR Ron DeBlauw
Williams cites the state budget turnaround from a $26 billion deficit to a surplus, the creation of a new school-funding formula that he says will ensure that “schools in western Ventura County will get more resources,” and passage of legislation that requires electrical utilities to acquire a third of their power from renewable sources.
As chairman of the Assembly Higher Education Committee, Williams has worked on efforts to expand access to community colleges and improve coordination among community colleges, California State University and the University of California to facilitate the transfer of degree-seeking community college students to four-year universities.
DeBlauw is a small businessman who’s run a trucking company, a dry cleaners and now a real estate firm. To him, there is one dominant campaign issue: “Truly, it’s about putting people to work.”
He proposes that the state offer a 50 percent tax cut to all businesses that can demonstrate that money they would have spent on taxes was spent instead on expanding their business, either by purchasing new equipment or hiring new workers.
“It’s a simple process,” he said. “You just put the money back into business. The business owner knows exactly what he wants to spend the money on. If every business owner bought one thing, it would spike the economy.”
DeBlauw believes the tax cut could be implemented without forcing the state to make budget cuts, on the theory that increased economic activity would generate enough additional tax revenue to make up for the tax cut.
“I wouldn’t cut welfare. I wouldn’t cut unemployment,” he said.
DeBlauw is a moderate Republican who believes Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown “is doing a good job.” And on the issue of illegal immigration, his views are to the left of moderate.
“If your feet are on the ground here, you’re an American,” he said. “You have the drive, you have the ambition, or else you wouldn’t be here. Guess what? We’re going to take care of you. We’re going to put you to work.”
Williams says he shares DeBlauw’s concerns about the need for legislators to reach out to assist businesses, and notes he has worked with employers in the area to seek ways to meet their needs for workforce housing.
Area employers are able to get talented new workers out of universities, Williams said, but have trouble retaining them when they reach the age where they are thinking of settling down.
As for DeBlauw’s idea about a 50 percent tax break, Williams calls it “the same Fantasyland narrative the right wing has used for years, and all it did was sink us deeper into deficit.”
He notes that the huge state budget shortfalls of the past were the combined results of lawmakers approving spending programs and tax cuts that weren’t sustainable. “I don’t think we should repeat that mistake,” he said.
DeBlauw has raised very little money to fund his campaign, while Williams’ most recent campaign finance report showed he had $235,000 in the bank.
DeBlauw said he has a plan to raise a little money later in the campaign if it becomes necessary. “I’ll sell my motorcycle. I’d rather run my campaign and make a difference than ride my motorcycle.”
Williams, an avid surfer, said he would be willing to sell a surfboard to raise campaign money if need be — but not his last surfboard. “Anybody who’s a surfer knows that you’d rather be homeless than sell your last surfboard.”
Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2014/may/05/two-candidates-in-37th-assembly-district-race-to/#ixzz30ucOs8jW
- vcstar.com
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