- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Assembly candidates participate in MATH forum
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Middletown residents had a chance to hear from the two candidates in the District 4 Assembly race at the Middletown Area Town Hall's October meeting.
Charlie Schaupp and Cecilia Aguiar-Curry spoke to the group for just under an hour Oct. 13. The forum for the two Assembly candidates begins at the 13:00 minute mark in the video above.
Schaupp and Aguiar-Curry are running to succeed Assemblyman Bill Dodd, who after one term in the Assembly is now running for State Senate.
Schaupp, a Republican, is from the farm town of Esparto in Yolo County, where his family began farming in the 1880s. His family's 3,600-acre farm depends on water from Clear Lake and Indian Valley Reservoir.
He went to Yuba College, where he got to know many people from Lake County, before going on to get two degrees – in agricultural business and agronomy – at California State University, Chico.
Schaupp then went on to join the US Marine Corp, serving 28 years total on both active duty and as a reservist. He's a veteran of Desert Storm and the Battle of Fallujah, retiring in 2009 at the rank of lieutenant colonel.
“I'm not a professional politician,” he told the group, explaining that he will tell people the truth, not just what they want to hear.
He said there are “huge differences” between he and Aguiar-Curry, a Democrat and the mayor of Winters, and he would seek to emphasize those during the question and answer session.
Aguiar-Curry recounted experience that includes working on her local planning commission, chairing housing and resource commissions, and involvement in bringing more than $200 million in economic development to Winters, a city of 7,000 surrounded by valley farmlands.
Part of that economic development success was in helping bring a $75 million Pacific Gas and Electric training facility to the Winters area. “It's revitalizing my downtown,” she said, noting there are now two new hotels being constructed there, with new restaurants also bringing in more service jobs.
Like Schaupp, she said she's not a politician, but someone who cares about the community.
The first question asked of them at the meeting related to water and what they would do to help safeguard Lake County's water resources.
Aguiar-Curry touted the state's new sustainable groundwater management plan as a way to give Lake County residents control over their own water. She also said she wanted to find out why there can't be a project to protect Clear Lake like the “Keep Tahoe Blue” project.
Additionally, she said she wants to work with local and state agencies, and get them to sit at the table and work together on solving water issues. She added that she will go to the state capitol and find out who is running the shop on water, and will be a voice for the entire region and state.
Noting that he studied water in college, Schaupp said he supports building new dams and reservoirs in order to prevent the water in rivers from running out into the ocean.
He said 20 percent of the water in the Colorado River goes to the Pacific Ocean, while 80 percent of the Sacramento River's water runs to the ocean.
The Sites Reservoir, which is planned to be built in Colusa County, will provide more water for Yolo County and take some of the pressure off of Clear Lake, Schaupp said.
Schaupp said water rights need to be protected, and new sources of water found for the Central Valley and Southern California. That's because the amount of water available used to total an acre foot per family. It's now half that, he said.
He said he would fight to protect the watershed and criticized Aguiar-Curry for her support of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument because he said it gave control of the water to the federal government.
The candidates were then asked about cannabis, and whether it offered a threat, an opportunity, or both.
Schaupp said he's not voting for this November's Proposition 64, which would legalize recreational use of marijuana. He explained that there is a 20-acre marijuana farm next to his where there are pit bulls, fences, people in tents and the overwhelming smell of pot.
“Why would we want to legalize something that the federal government still considers on the narcotics list?” he asked, adding he's concerned about children and what kind of society they'll live in as a result.
Aguiar-Curry said she will honor whatever the voters say. “Do I have concerns? Absolutely.”
She said that if Proposition 64 passes, she expects to see “a lot of cleanup” being done at the Assembly, adding that she is worried about public safety issues like driving under the influence.
Asked about how they would bring in revenue to communities in need, Aguiar-Curry said she would work with local officials to focus in on local needs, and emphasized the availability of the Internet to everyone as a way to help the economy.
Schaupp said he has a different way of doing things, and would let the county do the supervising when it came to determining its needs.
“What my job will be is to go to the Assembly and get the money down to your supervisors,” he said, adding that local control is always the best.
Regarding their priority issues if elected to the Assembly, Schaupp said he wanted to put people back in charge and have transparency in government; improve fire and public safety services, and public education; and increase fiscal responsibility, adding that on the latter restrictions need to be taken off of farmers and businesses.
Aguiar-Curry said she's traveled to Lake County some 40 times over the past year, and some of the key concerns brought to her attention include housing, transportation and infrastructure issues, jail issues, homelessness and veterans' needs.
One of the questions asked the candidates was if sustainable groundwater management looks at future water needs while assessing business needs.
Aguiar-Curry said farmers need to be given credit for using water the best way possible. “If they can find a better, smarter way to do it, they do it.”
She said California doesn't monitor groundwater use and that data on water use is needed.
Schaupp said the push on groundwater sustainability comes from the Democrats and the governor, who he said want to control water above and below ground. “I believe your local county needs to do what's best,” he said.
He added, “It's not good government to come in and control what you've got left.”
They also were questioned about their campaign financing.
Aguiar-Curry said that in all of her years serving as a Winters City Council member, she had only raised $800.
However, in running for the State Assembly, independent expenditures came into play. She explained that independent expenditures are not under her control, and those funds paid for a commercial about her that she knew nothing about until it was aired.
On her own she said she's raised $138,000 through approaching farmers, her family and friends, and thanks to a Mother's Day letter she sent out requesting donations.
Schaupp said about $2.2 million was spent through independent expenditures in the Assembly campaign by those wanting to control the agenda and make sure the candidate endorsed by the state Democratic Party – Dan Wolk – got pushed out.
He said no such funding has been spent on him, and he would have told them to “pound sand” had they tried it, noting he's ran his campaign on $17,000 through the primary.
MATH Chair Fletcher Thornton then asked Aguiar-Curry what she was going to do to change the direction the state is going, pointing out that Democrats have been in charge of the state for 46 of the last 52 years.
Aguiar-Curry said she considers herself a moderate, fiscally conservative Democrat who has worked to help Winters weather rough fiscal times in a responsible manner.
She raised the issue of the state's unfunded liabilities – such as pensions – and said she plans to work across the aisle to solve such problems.
At the same time, she said many people feel left out and underrepresented, and they need to be at the table and have their voices heard. “I work with people,” she said.
Whoever is elected, she said, will need a bigger budget, more money and representation to help Lake County address its needs.
Schaupp, who wanted a chance to respond, said he chose to become a Republican because it fits with his values and beliefs about local control, limited government and personal accountability.
He said he can work with anyone, and again guaranteed community members, “I'll always tell you the truth.”
In her closing comments, Aguiar-Curry told the group, “I'm here for you,” and cited her many local endorsements, as well as her endorsement from Dodd.
She said she welcomes people to the table, and said she will want to draw on the help of community members and their knowledge if elected.
Schaupp emphasized the need for political “nonsense” to stop.
He said people need to be able to get back to work so they can buy homes and prosper.
To learn more about the candidates, visit their Web sites, http://charlieschaupp.com/ and http://www.ceciliaforassembly.com/ .
The MATH Assembly candidates' forum was followed by another forum for District 1 supervisor, which can be seen beginning at the 1:08:05 mark in the video.
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