California’s 42nd Assembly District Preview

The general election is weeks away and local candidates are revving up their efforts to appeal to voters. California's 42nd district state assembly seat is up for grabs.

Current Assemblyman Chad Mayes is running for reelection after having served 6 consecutive years in the state legislature. San Jacinto Mayor Andrew Kotyuk is running against Mayes, and has entered the race as a Republican. Mayes, who decided to leave the GOP in December, has entered by shifting to No Party Preference.

"One of the best decisions that I’ve made is to register as an Independent. I know that I’ve talked to people all over this district- they’re tired of the partisanship, they’re tired of the division in this country, they’re tired of the division in this state. They want their elected officials to just get down to business and work for them," said Mayes.

The former Republican believes the new party preference could work to his advantage. On the other hand, his opponent sees it another way.

"There is no independent in Sacramento right now. There’s only Democrats and Republicans they have in office, so they only have their groups they meet with- that’s how they get things done. So if you’re alone on an island how are you going to be getting anything done," said Kotyuk.

Both candidates are now vying for the same position, but with different priorities.

"One, we've got to figure out these fires. Yes there’s issues with climate change, but there’s also issues with fuel management, with wildfire mitigation, with vegetation management. We’ve got to start spending the money we need to spend to start cleaning up our public lands and we haven’t done that in the last couple years," said Mayes.

"My background- I’m very proud of, blue collar to white collar, experiences of being a veteran and coming back to normal, civilian lifestyle. The challenges of work and then building a business and the challenges associated with that and right now it’s probably one of thee most challenging times for businesses and we really need leadership," said Kotyuk.

The two candidates found common ground on the topic of reopening the economy up safely.

Meanwhile, Mayes plans to focus heavily on healthcare.

"We’ve got to do cost containment, we've got to bring down the cost of prescription drugs and we’re going to continue to keep doing work on that," said Mayes.

He also vowed to focus on helping solve the Salton Sea crisis, and housing affordability.

"The State of California is a place where kids grow up here, they go to high school, they go to college they get out, they get a good job, but they can’t afford to be able to attempt to buy a house here and really that’s unacceptable," said Mayes.

On the other hand, Kotyuk plans to focus on public safety and homelessness.

"Public safety is one of my highest priorities which is connected to homelessness, the economy and Coachella Valley. Driving that is part of my focus as well as taxation in the desert as well. There’s some very large tax issues that are coming forward on businesses and on residents as well as small employers," said Kotyuk.

Kotyuk, who is also a Navy veteran, believes there should be COVID-19 relief on the state level. He also plans to revitalize tourism in the valley in a way, he believes, has not yet been done since the pandemic started.

"Why aren’t we working with-- not only the state but the federal [government] to say, 'hey we’re going into a timeframe of tourism for snowbirds-- this is vitally important for our region where people come, they own homes in the Coachella Valley.' This is that vital part of our economy that we need to drive, and as a businessman I get those components so I would produce legislation, partnership with other cities, the governor," said Kotyuk.

Both candidates are hoping to make a change in very different ways.

"I’m going to fight for the people, it doesn’t matter what the party preference is," Kotyuk said.

"When you have the experience of serving in the legislature for 6 years, you understand how the mechanics work in Sacramento, you understand how to get things done," Mayes said.