Santa Barbara County 2nd District Supervisor Gregg Hart wasn’t necessarily looking for something different, but when he saw redistricting’s impact on the 37th Assembly District, he said he decided to run for the state-level seat.
“I enjoy my job at the county Board of Supervisors. We have lots of ideological differences, but we manage to work well together and get things [accomplished]. I wasn’t looking for a change, but when the district was changed I saw issues for our county and south San Luis Obispo County that I’ve been a part of for the last three decades,” Hart said.
The 37th District—which used to include Santa Barbara and Ventura counties—now contains all of Santa Barbara County and southern San Luis Obispo County. Hart’s running against Mike Stoker—a former Santa Barbara County Supervisor and an attorney—in the June primary race after fellow candidates Gabe Escobedo, Bruce Wallach, and Jonathan Abboud stepped down, Hart explained.
“I’m proud to have the opportunity to represent my community in Sacramento. All of the issues we grapple with at a local level have parallels in Sacramento and a lot of the policies and constraints are determined in Sacramento. I think I can bring our community voice to that process and have a strong voice for the Central Coast,” Hart said.
If elected, Hart’s priorities include adjusting the budget for education, enhancing public safety during wildfire season, working with law enforcement and probation to ensure safe neighborhoods, and resolving the housing and homelessness issues, he said.
“I know folks are very concerned about housing and increasing homelessness. These are serious, daunting challenges, and I can bring practical solutions by being a part of the conversation in Sacramento,” Hart said. “Being a part of housing projects in the county and the city of Santa Barbara give me the understanding of resolving those issues and having the state be a partner to solve those problems.”
Stoker said he believes the state is heading in the wrong direction, and it needs a change in leadership away from those already in office.
“My opponent is a good man, a friend, and he’s a good guy, but he thinks California is heading into the right direction [whereas] I don’t think it’s going in the right direction,” Stoker said.
Stoker worked as a land use environmental law attorney, and was a county supervisor from 1986 to 1994. During that time, he also served as the chairman of the county Air Pollution Control District and director of the Southern California Hazardous Waste Management Board, according to his campaign website.
After consulting his wife, Debi, and a lot of reflection, he decided to run for election again, he added. This time around, his priorities include decreasing income and sales taxes, supporting law enforcement, resolving the homelessness issue, and fixing California’s water shortage, he said.
“I’ve been saying we don’t have a water shortage problem, we have a storage problem. We have not built a storage reservoir since Gov. Edmund Brown in the ’60s. The reason we have a shortage is we haven’t kept up in building capacity with the population, and it’s caused gridlock,” Stoker said. “It’s a very top priority of mine with a specific five-point plan that’s going to be announced during a separate media event.”
Stoker said he’s glad this race provides the public with options and gives voters the chance to voice their desires for the state’s trajectory.
“That’s what campaigning is about, how it really should work is to have two candidates with two different perspectives who are willing to own those perspectives. We can both be nice people but it’s a question of what direction you want for California,” Stoker said. “If you believe California is heading in the right direction under Gov. Newsom, vote for Gregg [Hart] and that’s OK. If you think California’s heading in the wrong direction and want a new direction, then I’m your guy.”
This article appears in Apr 21-28, 2022.
