Meet the candidates: CA’s 47th State Assembly District

Election day is just weeks away on November 8th.

One of the big races for State Assembly includes the newly drawn 47th district. It will include much of the Coachella Valley, except for Indio and Coachella. It will include Yucca Valley, Banning, Beaumont and Yucaipa. Riverside County makes up 76% of the district, while the other 24% is in San Bernardino County.

This year's candidates include:

• Christy Holstege, Democrat,  City Councilmember and Former Mayor of Palm Springs
• Greg Wallis, Republican, Chief District Advisor for an Assemblymember

During the primary elections, Holstege received 46.5% of votes and Wallis earned 34.5%.

We spoke with each candidate about a few of the major issues California is facing.

What makes you stand out from the other candidate?

Holstege (D): “I'm the only one who served in elected office, not only five years on city council, but I've chaired our regional Association of Governments for all nine cities of the Coachella Valley. And I think people have seen that I can get things done.”

Wallis (R): “I'm the only candidate in this race that has any experience working with state legislature. I've been in Assemblyman Mays office for the last eight years from day one. I'm going to be able to get things done for our district.”

What would you do to uplift the economy?

Holstege (D): “Expanding labor and union jobs, with benefits with good wages. We have worked to get local jobs and ensure that there's local hire for city projects, so that they're really going to our residents.”

Wallis (R): “We need to cut the gas tax, we can suspend the gas tax right away. We need to cut middle class taxes. And we need to do everything we can to support families and working families.”

What would you do to tackle homelessness?

Holstege (D): “We need to expand services, we need to get people into housing. And we need to get people into services and really address the mental health and drug abuse crises that are facing our region and our state.”

Wallis (R): “What we need to do is we need to build, you know, navigation centers to provide wraparound services. So just housing first isn't working... We need to invest those dollars into programs to help get people back on their feet.”

What is your stance on abortion?

Holstege (D): “We have to fight for our rights and fight for basic access to health care... to control our own futures and basic control over what happens with our own bodies.”

Wallis (R): “I support a woman's right to choose up until viability.... The conversation we need to be having is how do we help women? How do we help families? How do we make sure that they're not forced into making these decisions?”

What's your final push to voters ahead of election day?

Holstege (D): “I've been bold, leadership, and I'm ready to get things done and roll up our sleeves and just build a better region and a better future for all of us here.”

Wallis (R): “You want safer streets, you want more affordable California, you want better schools.… I'm the candidate that's going to do that.”

Cities in 47th Assembly District:

• Banning
• Beaumont
• Bermuda Dunes
• Cabazon
• Calimesa
• Cathedral City
• Desert Hot Springs
• East Highland
• Idyllwild
• Indian WellsJoshua Tree
• La Quinta
• Morongo Valley
• Mountain Center
• Oak Glen
• Palm Desert
• Palm Springs
• Rancho Mirage
• Thousand Palms
• Yucaipa
• Yucca Valley