Steve Garvey and Adam Schiff are the two main candidates for the California senator election.
Steve Garvey of the Republican Party is 75-years-old, born in Tampa, Florida. Previously, he was the owner of a marketing firm and a major league baseball player. Garvey currently has $10.9 million raised for his campaign, and he’s supported by the California State Sheriff’s Association and San Diego Police Officers Association.
“[Garvey] focused a lot on the economy,” said senior Danielle Bluvshteyn. “Keeping the big businesses in California, and lowering taxes, which I feel like [is] a pretty Republican ideal, versus the [Schiff] who was focusing more on helping those in need and those struggling, which I thought was interesting. I like that [Garvey] talked about the affordability crisis for hardworking families, and I thought that was really important. Inflation has been making it difficult for families in America to get the basic needs.”
Adam Schiff is the Democratic candidate, aged 64-years-old, and is currently the U.S. representative for California’s 30th congressional district. Schiff got his bachelor’s degree in political science from Stanford University and a law degree from Harvard. He became involved with California politics in 1996 as the youngest senator during that time. Schiff has a total of $38.7 million raised for his campaign, and is supported by the Los Angeles Times, U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, former U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer and others.
“When you talk about experience, it is nice to have people like Adam Schiff, who are career politicians,” said junior Oscar Nicolson. “A lot of people say it’s a bad thing. I think in some ways it can be, but it is nice to have people that have the experience. They know what’s going on, and they’ve worked with different people over time. They’ve seen how the government’s changed, and they’ve been a part of that change. Equally, it’s nice to have someone like Garvey, who’s bringing that fresh, new mindset.”
Garvey and Schiff plan on taking slightly different approaches to climate change.
Garvey focused on expanding electrical vehicle charging stations, researching how to capture and store carbon and assist land management practices.
“Climate change is real and is happening across the globe,” Garvey said, according to CalMatters. “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.”
Schiff’s focus was on encouraging the creation of renewable energy, taking out the filibuster and fighting for environmental protection in the Supreme court.
“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,” Schiff said, according to CalMatters. “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.”
Senior Lauren Tazbaz is interested in what these candidates have to say about climate.
“As someone who is interested in environmental science, I was focusing more on their position on climate change,” Tazbaz said. “[Based] off of Schiff’s statements, it seemed like he had a lot of good ideas about passing things through Congress. He gives you more specifics in his explanations, like when talking about climate change he specifically references the new Green Deal that he was trying to pass through Congress … I think that’d be a good change to see in California.”
Some students have decided to vote in this year’s California Senator race.
“[Schiff] seemed like he had more of a plan and a strategy, especially with his prior career and his work as a representative and as a politician,” Bluvshteyn said. “I feel like he has more of a grip on what’s going on in California and how to address our concerns. But I still need to do more research, because I did like some of the points that the Republican candidate made, and I thought it was definitely worth keeping in mind.”
While other students have decided not to vote in this election, some still have an opinion about it.
“In general, I’m very in the middle, because I would say I’m fiscally more Republican, and socially, more Democrat,” said senior Brook Barson. “So it makes it hard for me to choose one, especially when there’s such traditional roles for these two senators. I would say, because we’re in California, I’m leaning towards the Democrat, just because of the social values [he discussed].”
The deadline to vote is on Nov. 5.
