4 questions for Senate District 1 candidates

Voters will decide between two candidates for the Senate District 1 seat on June 4. The two Republicans vying for the position are Brian Dahle and Kevin Kiley. The Journal asked each candidate four questions, their answers follow. 1. Since there are two Republican candidates, why would a Democrat vote for you? Dahle: I'm a conservative, but I strongly believe that many of our problems in California, especially in its more rural areas, aren't really partisan, and that working together gets a lot more done than banging on the table.So I have worked with Democratic Assemblyman Jim Wood to streamline forestry regulation and keep our homes safer from wildfires, as well as to improve access to health care in rural communities.I have worked with Democratic Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia to promote investment in broadband Internet in unserved regions.I have worked Democratic Assemblyman Kevin McCarty to fight the crisis of opioid addiction. ... Kiley: My opponent's campaign is being funded by hundreds of thousands of dollars from PG&E and other special interests at the state capitol. Democrats, Republicans and Independents who worry about the undue influence of special interests at the State Capitol and who want a Senator who will first and foremost represent the district, should vote for me. 2. Why should those who are Independent vote for you? Dahle: The number of Californians who decline to register with either political party has risen dramatically in recent years. I believe that is because of the public's frustration with so-called leaders who only think in terms of party labels. My record of working with lawmakers of both parties to solve real-world problems for my constituents demonstrates that there is a different way. Kiley: Sacramento special interests are spending a million dollars to defeat me because they know I will stand up to them and to the party leaders when they are wrong. 3. Why should a Republican vote for you? Dahle: Let me be clear: I am a conservative. I won't raise your taxes, and I support the Second Amendment. I support law enforcement and believe we need to hold criminals accountable for their wrongdoing.As the owner of an independent small business, I am painfully familiar on a firsthand basis with how the state's heavy regulatory burden drives up the cost of doing business in California, which in turn drives up the cost of living. I'll fight to cut regulations, which I have successfully done in forestry, and stop new ones. ... Kiley: I am the toughest on illegal immigration and border security. I am a former Deputy Attorney General. I have the highest rating, 100 percent, from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and I am endorsed by the Placer County Republican Party and former Governor Pete Wilson. 4. What are your views on climate change? Dahle: If we're going to reduce carbon emissions, we need to start by protecting the forests of the Sierra Nevada from catastrophic wildfires — which are a huge source of carbon emissions and a terrible danger to residents' lives and property. I have fought hard to direct money from the state's cap-and-trade fund to fuel reduction and forest health, which the Air Resources Board has found is one of the most cost-effective ways to sequester carbon. Last year as part of Senate Bill 901, which I helped negotiate, the state committed to spending a billion dollars to thinning forests to make our landscapes fire resilient and our communities safer. ... Kiley: Science and common sense tell us that the climate is changing. To combat it we don't need massive new taxes or outlandish "green new deal" regulations that would destroy our economy. Instead let's unleash the ingenuity of the American private sector to find innovative solutions and develop new technologies that will help us take better care of the environment.