The turnover in the state legislature will continue this November in the San Fernando Valley.
The 44th Assembly District’s incumbent legislator, Laura Friedman, D-Glendale, is not in the race, meaning voters will be sending a newcomer up to Sacramento to represent this wide swath of The Valley on Nov. 5. The district includes: Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Sunland, Tujunga, North Glendale, Montrose, La Crescenta, Shadow Hills, North Hollywood, Burbank, Toluca Lake and Valley Village.
While Friedman runs for Adam Schiff’s congressional seat, that leaves voters to choose between two very different candidates to fill her Assembly seat: Tony Rodriguez, 63, a Republican from Tujunga who works as a construction manager; and Nick Schultz, 35, a Democrat, who is a deputy attorney general and mayor of Burbank.
In the primary, the two top vote-getters advanced to the general election. Schultz was the top vote-getter with 31,121 votes or 28.3%. Rodriguez was a close second, with 28,280 votes or 25.7%. Schultz may gain back votes given to five other Democrat opponents in March.
As of July 5, according to the latest numbers available from the California Secretary of State’s website, there are 327,616 registered voters. Of those, 164,783 or 50.3% are Democrats, while 65,504 are registered Republicans or about 20%. Those with no party preference total 76,107 or 23.2%.
With more than half the voters registered as Democrats, this favors Schultz. But Rodriguez made a strong showing in the March primary and it remains to be seen if he can capture those independent voters as well as his fellow Republican voter base.
The two candidates provided written answers to a questionnaire sent out by this newspaper on key topics. Their views, received last week, are summarized below:
Homelessness
Rodriguez agrees with many in the field, saying prioritizing more housing is the first step. He added this should be made available “without pre-conditions such as sobriety or employment.”
Coordination of services with nonprofit housing groups and governmental agencies is key. “L.A. County needs to do a better job of coordinating among city, county and state organizations,” he wrote. More mental health and substance abuse services are also warranted.
Schultz is proud of Burbank’s successes in this area, including a 9.28% decrease in the homeless population in 2022. He pledged to support legislation that provides more resources to cities and counties for homeless treatment and prevention, with accountability.
“We should push for a shelter and wrap-around services in every California community,” Schultz wrote.
Affordable housing
While both candidates called the lack of affordable housing a top issue in the district, the question remains: How does California get more affordable housing built?
“As an assembly member, I will support legislation that reduces the administrative obstacles and costs to housing production,” Schultz wrote. That should include prioritizing affordable housing for low-income families, seniors on fixed incomes and those new to the workforce, he added.
Included in that plan is the strengthening of anti-discrimination laws and creating more transit-oriented communities.
On helping renters stay in their homes, Schultz would pursue eviction protection measures, giving renters facing eviction the right to an attorney, as well as relocation assistance.
Rodriguez said too often housing is built that is not really affordable for low-income residents. “There are so many fees added to a construction project for no reason,” he wrote. He wants more transparency to find out what these fees are used for.
On the issue of renter protections, Rodriguez doesn’t favor legislation on this issue. He indicated city and county leadership adds on to the cost of home builders and homeowners.
Gun violence
“I am a supporter of the Second Amendment,” declared Rodriguez. “I believe we need to go after the people that sell guns illegally,” he added.
He wants a crackdown on illegally sold firearms. “I think at times we are afraid of violating civil rights for people that do not obey the law, but we are quick to go after the people that obey the law,” he wrote.
Schultz pointed out that Burbank has one of the highest number of gun stores per residents in the nation.
“As a mayor and council member, I have worked with my colleagues to crack down on the proliferation of guns throughout the community,” he wrote. He helped pass a city-wide moratorium on new gun stores and added new security measures to existing gun stores, he added.
Schultz will work toward “common sense gun safety measures,” including stronger waiting periods for the sale of firearms and ammunition and requiring firearms to use new technologies to lock the weapon and only make it usable to its registered owner.
“As a deputy attorney general for the state of California, I have seen first-hand the devastation unregulated firearms cause in our communities, particularly the risk they pose to our most vulnerable,” Schultz added.
Climate change
Most scientists agree that higher temperatures and more intense wildfires are in part caused by climate change.
Schultz said this is true in the 44th Assembly District: “I would rank the most urgent environmental issues affecting AD44 as extreme heat, continued drought, and greenhouse gas emissions attributable to our transportation infrastructure,” he summarized.
Burbank hit a high of 114 degrees on Thursday, Sept. 5.
He is committed to mandating increased use and development of clean energy, as well as sustainable transportation, including more pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, in order to reduce greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.
He supports legislation that makes new commercial and residential construction energy efficient.
Rodriguez said he would not pursue environmental legislation to fight climate change. He wrote adding more electric vehicles in California is not working because of a lack of public charging stations.
“We need to look at maybe hydrogen power as a solution,” he wrote. Rodriguez also pointed out flaws in wind power, namely that wind turbines break down and can’t be recycled.
Women’s reproductive rights
Rodriguez indicated he personally is opposed to abortion but said he would follow the law in the California constitution allowing the procedure.
“The only thing the overturning of Roe v. Wade accomplished was that it left it up to the states to decide, That is the way it should be,” Rodriguez wrote.
He added that he is not in favor of taxpayers paying for non-California residents coming into the state to get an abortion.
Schultz wrote that reproductive rights are under attack across the nation. “I do not want a world where my children have fewer rights than my wife had at their age,” he wrote. He is endorsed by Planned Parenthood.
He would work alongside reproductive rights advocates “to further privacy and legal protections for healthcare providers and patients.”
Entertainment industry
“The entertainment industry is the backbone of our local economy,” wrote Schultz.
He supports the existing California Film and Television Tax Credit Program, enacted in 2009 as part of an economic stimulus plan to promote local productions. “As our region’s representative in the Assembly, I will fight to protect the CFTTC, expand program eligibility and make it a permanent fixture of our economic development strategy for the region,” he added.
He also wants to help small businesses that support the entertainment industry by streamlining the permitting process to open or expand business operations in AD44.
Rodriguez would lower taxes and fees placed on the local entertainment industry, he wrote. He favors tax incentives, rebates and grants to attract more film and television show productions in California.
Education
“Parental rights for all parents,” Rodriguez wrote. “I am not a fan of the government co-parenting with anyone.”
On K-12 education, Rodriguez wants more attention for special needs and at-risk students.
“We need more focus on math, English, science, social studies, arts, physical education, technology and extra-curricular activities,” he wrote.
Schultz wants to change the way K-12 schools are funded. Instead of re-jiggering their dollars by the average daily attendance, which goes up and down during the school year, he said it is better to fund public education based upon the total number of enrolled students.
“This will provide an added measure of financial stability for many school districts,” Schultz wrote. “I am committed to fully funding public education to address years of insufficient allocations.”
Hollywood Burbank Airport
The airport recently began construction on replacing a 1920s-era terminal with a new, 355,000-square-foot building with 14 passenger gates.
“I would not categorize the terminal replacement as an expansion, but more of a replacement/update,” Schultz wrote. He said the airport must get ready for connections to future mass transit, such as the High Speed Rail project.
He would let the Federal Aviation Administration know of any concerns raised about flight path changes and late night arrivals, he wrote.
Rodriguez does not support the project, calling it an expansion.
“The expansion is going to cause more commercial airlines to fly during the curfew hours, increasing noise pollution in the area,” Rodriguez wrote.
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