35th and 37th Assembly Districts

It’s an unusual contest, even by today’s increasingly bizarre political standards.

On one side is a kindergarten teacher who is running a low-key campaign as a Democrat while trying to steal a traditionally Republican seat in Ventura County.

On the the other side is a 28-year-old self-described “true conservative” given to walking precincts with his father and mother and who was married at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

Welcome to the 37th Assembly District, which represents Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Oxnard and Camarillo.

Roz McGrath is the Democrat, a member of a prominent farming family who is a teacher by day and a candidate by night and who is pressing Democratic leaders for big bucks to fuel her candidacy. By the most recent reporting date, Oct. 17, she had raised $105,000.

The Republican is Tony Strickland, a former top aide to Assemblyman Tom McClintock (R-Granada Hills) who had raised $452,000 by that date.

Once this part of Ventura County favored Democrats but the outward movement from Los Angeles has sent more suburbanites in the costal parts of the area to the other side. The Times recently asked both candidates a series of questions reflecting local and state concerns.

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Question: Proposition 5 would sanction casino-style gambling on the state’s Indian reservations. Do you favor or oppose it and why?

McGrath: Because I support and respect the sovereignty of Native American tribes, I am in support of Prop. 5.

Strickland: Prop. 5 is not about the expansion of gambling. It is about Indian sovereignty. Therefore, I support Prop. 5, which would simply allow Indians self-reliance on their sovereign land.

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Q: Do you support Proposition 9, which would rewrite the state’s electricity deregulation law to require a 20% rate cut and prevent utilities from charging customers $28 billion for the cost of nuclear plants and long-term purchase contracts?

McGrath: Because Prop. 9’s passage could result in higher taxes and higher electric rates for working families, it could ultimately result in cuts to our schools and police and fire services and would undermine incentives to develop alternative energy sources. I am opposed to this initiative.

Strickland: Prop. 9 hurts families and would increase utility rates. We also must keep our contract with the electrical industry. After we passed deregulation in Sacramento, the industry posted bonds. If Prop. 9 passes, the taxpayer would have to pay back those bonds. Prop. 9 hurts taxpaying families.

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Q: Do you believe parents should be given vouchers to help them afford private schools for their children?

McGrath: Our mission is academic excellent in every public school. Vouchers are not the answer because they take needed funds from our already underfunded school system. I support charter and magnet schools, which give students and parents more options.

Strickland: I believe in opportunity enrollment for all students. Like our community colleges, we can allow students and parents to choose the best school for their needs. This saves tax dollars and allows us to pay our best teachers more through a merit pay system. Expanded opportunity is best for the children.

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Q: Do you support more rigid gun-control laws?

McGrath: I support the right of law-abiding citizens to possess firearms. However, I favor banning assault weapons and I favor requiring trigger locks that can help save children’s lives by preventing unintentional discharge. I also support the 10-20-life proposals calling for more prison time for using a gun to commit a crime.

Strickland: I support the punishment of criminals. I supported 10-20-life proposals, which add from 10 years to life to the sentence of a criminal who uses a firearm. I also support truth-in-sentencing and expanding the death penalty to include serial rapists and child molesters.

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Q: Do you support a woman’s right to an abortion in all cases?

McGrath: People must take personal responsibility for their own lives and actions. This decision must be made by a woman with her God and her family. It is personal, private and the most important decision a woman might ever have to make. I oppose government interference with the right to choose.

Strickland: I do not support abortion. I support a common-sense approach, like parental consent and opposing government funding. When a teenager has to get parental consent for a pierced ear, they should also have to get permission for an abortion. I also oppose the gruesome practice of partial-birth abortion.

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Q: Do you support Measure B, the Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources (SOAR) initiative that would prevent--through 2020--farmland and open space outside cities in Ventura County from being rezoned for development without voter approval?

McGrath: We must plan wisely for growth while protecting agriculture, open spaces and Ventura County’s unique lifestyle. However, Measure B would backfire and prevent affordable housing for working families. I support a more moderate approach: no city boundary changes or unincorporated area development without voter approval, for 10 years.

Strickland: The open space we enjoy in Ventura County is precious. It’s one of the reasons many of us live here. So we cannot allow Ventura County to become another large metropolitan area. We must continue to find ways to preserve open space while ensuring property owners are fully protected.

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Q: How would you--or would you--reform the state’s managed care or Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) industry?

McGrath: Our health care system needs reform. I support a return of health care decision-making to doctors / patients instead of corporate profiteers; patients’ rights to second opinions; greater access to specialists and doctors of one’s choice; adequate hospital stays; increased home care service; stricter regulation of long-term care facilities and timely appeal for denied claims.

Strickland: We must ensure that doctors and health care professionals--not accountants and insurance companies--make health care decisions. People must have the absolute right to choose their own doctors. I support medical savings accounts. We must have the best medical system in the nation for children.

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Q: The state’s population could climb to 50 million in the next 25 years. What should the Legislature be doing to plan for this predicted population explosion?

McGrath: The Legislature needs a “general plan” for 21st century California. We need a long-term approach to school funding, increasing police protection, reforming health care and providing long-term care for seniors and the disabled. We need a vibrant economy so we can lower taxes for working families and seniors.

Strickland: Throughout history, societies have prospered when individuals are allowed to succeed with as little government interference as possible. We must empower the people to ensure a growing economy and a sustainable planet.

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Q: What special qualities would you bring to the Legislature as a member of the Assembly?

McGrath: As a member of a fourth-generation Ventura County family, a teacher, farmer and small-business owner, I am deeply committed to our community. I will fight for a family agenda that will protect kids, punish criminals, preserve our quality of life and keep government out of our private lives.

Strickland: With term limits, we need a representative who can deliver from Day One. Through my extensive experience as legislative director for Assemblyman Tom McClintock and Assemblywoman Paula Boland, I have fought for constituents and changed government for the better. As your assemblyman, I can do much more.