The candidate roster for the Republican nomination for the 33rd District Assembly seat has been bumped back up to four.
On Oct. 21, longtime San Luis Obispo resident Matt Kokkonen filed papers to run for the position, which is being vacated in 2010 by Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee (R-San Luis Obispo) due to term limits.
Locals might recognize Kokkonen’s name from the 2008 ballot—the financial planner aimed to push U.S. Rep. Lois Capps’ (D-Santa Barbara) out of her congressional seat, but came up short.
In an interview with the Sun, Kokkonen said he was “asked to run by a number of people.” And that concept, he said, was bolstered by a poll taken last week that reportedly put his name recognition at the top of the list of current Republican candidates.
The No. 1 issue on his list, Kokkonen said, is “fixing the state’s budget mess.”
“Constituents want a fiscally conservative representative,” he said. “They want someone who can cut the spending. We have to stop the open spigot.”
Kokkonen said that just as families must live within their means, the state government can’t spend more than it takes in. California’s financial woes, he said, are caused by too much spending, not a lack of revenue.
As a small business owner and employer, Kokkonen said he understands the importance of job creation and will “reward work, not welfare.”
To improve business and create jobs, he said, the state has to remove unnecessary regulations and make sure taxes are low.
“California currently has the highest corporate income tax, and it’s driving businesses out of the state,” he said
But if the state changes that, businesses that left California will return and bring the jobs with them, he said.
Kokkonen is a member of the Republican Central Committees of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties. He has also organized Tea Party and Town Hall Meetings on health care, and formed a nonprofit organization that holds an annual barbecue on Sept. 11 to support the troops.
Kokkonen emigrated by himself at the age of 16 from Finland, and later became a naturalized citizen.
“I came from a socialist country, and I don’t want socialism in my country,” he said. “The government is intruding itself into all aspects of our lives. It kills incentive and profit.”
For more information about Kokkonen and his campaign, cal 886-1880.
This article appears in Oct 29 – Nov 4, 2009.
