Republicans Radanovich, Tangipa face off in California Assembly District 8 race
George Radanovich, a former congressman from Mariposa, and David Tangipa, a small business owner in Fresno and first-time candidate, will face off for the Assembly District 8 seat in the Nov. 5 general election.
Both are Republicans seeking to replace Jim Patterson, a Fresno Republican who is term-limited from running again. The pair were the top two vote-getters in the March primary election to earn a spot in the November runoff. Radanovich captured 36.1% of the votes to Tangipa’s 31.3%.
The sprawling Republican-majority district runs from north Fresno to communities in Madera, Mariposa, Tuolumne and Calaveras counties, then over the Sierra to include Mono and Inyo counties.
Radanovich, 69, served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1994 to 2010. While in Congress, Radanovich led the National Parks, Recreation and Public Lands Subcommittee, Water and Power Subcommittee, Western Caucus, and was co-chair of the Water Caucus and Wine Caucus. He is endorsed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers’ Association PAC, and the Republican Parties of Fresno, Madera, Tuolumne and Calaveras counties.
Tangipa is a 28-year-old field director for Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig. He has been endorsed by The Fresno Bee editorial board, Patterson, Magsig, Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp, Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, and former Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims.
The Fresno Bee submitted questions to each of the candidates and asked each to respond with answers of about 200 words. Their responses are offered here.
David Tangipa
- Party: Republican
- Age: 28
- Occupation: Field representative for Fresno Supervisor Nathan Magsig, and real estate agent/broker
- Education: Bachelor’s in political Science and criminology and master’s in business administration at Fresno State
- Campaign website: https://www.davidtangipaforassembly.com/
Water: How will you address water storage, access/availability and conservation in the Central Valley?
Conveyance, storage and recharge — the three most important issues with Water in California. In the Assembly I will advocate for the building of new water storage and recharge facilities using already appropriated funds. I will also ensure that our water is not needlessly dumped in the ocean. For too long, mismanagement has consistently caused periods of droughts and flooding because of inaction to update our water infrastructure.
Healthcare: How would you propose strengthening the Central Valley’s healthcare industry?
It is imperative that we reopen Madera’s hospital. We also need to pursue additional clinics for our rural Californians, like clinics and urgent care facilities. Encouraging doctors and medical staff to stay in the Valley is also a top priority.
Economic development/jobs: How would you work toward bringing higher-paying job opportunities that are accessible to a wide array of Fresno County residents?
Cut regulation. We need to reform CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) to open up building, development, and housing. By making a more business-friendly state, we can encourage small business to thrive and large job providers to come back to the state. Sacramento has taxed us enough. It’s time to limit the government interference and let the market create wealth and jobs in the Valley.
Housing: According to California Housing Partnership, median rent in California has increased 37% since 2000 while median renter household income has only increased 7%. How would you promote greater housing affordability in the Central Valley?
We need to build more housing. Not just affordable housing or apartments, ALL housing. By cutting impact fees and providing affordable material via proper forest management, we can increase the supply and reduce the cost.
George Radanovich
- Party: Republican
- Age: 69
Occupation: Former Congressman/Small Business Owner
Education: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
- Campaign website: / https://george2024.com/
Water: How will you address water storage, access/availability and conservation in the Central Valley?
The water crisis seems to worsen every year. Despite voters approving a multi-billion-dollar bond in 2014 and ongoing rhetoric from elected leaders, little to no progress has been made. You would think that recent drought years, which have caused the “Overdraft” phenomenon, would set off alarm bells and spur water storage projects. Unfortunately, it’s not happening.
California has not built any major water storage projects since the 1970s, yet the state’s population has nearly doubled. Repairing and improving water conveyance systems would increase reliability and improve California’s resiliency to drought.
Our local farmers and residents deserve better. It’s time to bring local stakeholders at the federal, state, and local levels together to build the water storage and conveyance infrastructure we need. The recent heatwave signals that another dry year is on the way. It’s time to act. The resources already exist. It just takes a leader to make progress happen. I will be that leader.
Healthcare: How would you propose strengthening the Central Valley’s healthcare industry?
First and foremost, the Central Valley loses too many doctors and medical workers to other parts of the state due to better pay scales, especially in rural areas. One quick way to address this is by investing in more medical training facilities at local universities to build a network of homegrown, highly trained medical professionals.
Medical reimbursement rates have long been an issue. We thought we were on the path to a solution, but Gov. Newsom reversed his decision to use MCO money (managed care organization tax) to fix the problem, choosing instead to address his budget failures. This is yet another example of how politicians in Sacramento lack fiscal restraint, diverting funds meant for vital services. By stopping the raiding of budgetary funds for political pet projects, we could have the resources needed to strengthen Medi-Cal and support the healthcare industry.
Economic development/jobs: How would you work toward bringing higher-paying job opportunities that are accessible to a wide array of Fresno County residents?
Fresno County has a higher unemployment rate than the rest of California because we don’t have enough public-private partnerships to attract new business investment.
Additionally, it’s time to prioritize new educational programs and training facilities in the Central Valley to develop a workforce that meets the needs of today’s economy.
Did you know that the average age of a new trade apprentice in California is 34 years old? We need to increase access to trade apprenticeship education programs to reduce that number.
I believe the Fresno area’s best economic days lie ahead and, with the right leadership, major companies will invest in our community.
Housing: According to California Housing Partnership, median rent in California has increased 37% since 2000 while median renter household income has only increased 7%. How would you promote greater housing affordability in the Central Valley?
The solution to our housing problems goes back to a basic economic principle — supply and demand. The first step is to increase the supply of housing, and we can do this by building more homes.
Nothing highlights the corruption in Sacramento better than the abuse of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in relation to construction. For years, politicians have seen the abuse of CEQA and ignored calls for reform while frivolous lawsuits hold up development projects. Meanwhile, they grant CEQA exemptions for their pet projects, like the Capitol Annex Project, while the rest of California suffers from higher housing costs and a lack of development. By reforming CEQA and increasing the supply of housing, we can bring down the cost of homes.
This story was originally published October 5, 2024 at 12:48 PM.
