Central Valley’s newest Assembly members are young, Republican, and hopeful | Opinion

Meet the millennial Republicans from the heart of the San Joaquin Valley who became the youngest members of the state Assembly on Monday at ages 30 and 28.

Assemblymember Alexandra Macedo, the oldest of the two, represented the Central Valley at the 2018 Miss California Pageant, where her platform was agriculture and her talent was auctioneering.

Assemblymember David Tangipa, who will celebrate his 29th birthday on Dec. 9, was a tight end/fullback on the 2018 Fresno State football team known for its 19-16 overtime victory over rival Boise State in the Mountain West Conference championship game.

Macedo and Tangipa were sworn into office Monday afternoon along with 23 new colleagues. Macedo, a fourth-generation livestock auction professional, represents the agriculturally rich 33rd Assembly District. Tangipa, a real estate professional and former field director to Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig, represents the sprawling and forested 8th Assembly District.

They follow Republican incumbents in GOP-safe districts. Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, appointed Macedo one of two deputy whips.

Macedo and Tangipa are the youngest members of the new crop of state lawmakers. Macedo is the second youngest Republican Assembly member in state history; Tangipa is the youngest GOP Assembly member since Tony Strickland was elected in 1998. She is of Portuguese descent; his mother is from the island nation of Tonga.

The Central Valley is known for selecting young state lawmakers. Democratic state Sen. Melissa Hurtado was 30 when she was elected to the state Senate in 2018. The eight Assemblymembers representing the region between San Joaquin and Kern counties average 40.5 years of age.

Macedo and Tangipa are young, but that does not mean they lack experience when it comes to politics. Macedo, as CEO of Macedo Environmental Consulting, has regularly appeared before state agencies and commissions to lobby on behalf of agriculture. Tangipa served as chief of staff to Magsig until noon Monday.

In talking with The Fresno Bee Editorial Board last week, both expressed a willingness for a bipartisanship approach. Democrats hold a 60-20 advantage, so Macedo and Tangipa will have their work cut out to push their priorities.

“We have over 30 new legislators being sworn in on Monday, and we get to decide the culture in Sacramento,” said Macedo, whose father served twice as mayor of Tulare. “I want to be a part of the movement that we are putting California first, putting the Central Valley first.”

Macedo wants solutions to water for ag

Macedo believes she and Tangipa represent a new generation of state lawmakers who will look beyond partisan politics in solving issues like housing, inflation and crime.

“It’s really representative of the vitality and the energy in the Republican party that the people who have come before us have created opportunities and opened doors,” said Macedo. “Having that ability to bring new energy and new excitement and having David (Tangipa) alongside to also share that excitement, motivation and energy” will ensure “the Central Valley’s voice is being heard.”

Macedo’s district includes parts of Kings, Tulare and Fresno counties, where agriculture is an economic behemoth. She believes too many regulations and rules are “driving people out” of the business.

“It is driving up the cost of business in an industry that already has incredibly small margins,” said Macedo, who added that cutting back on some regulations will benefit the economy through lower food prices. She wants to educate lawmakers from the Bay Area and Southern California on the economics of agriculture and how regulations impact truckers and others who rely on farming. “If agriculture is not here, we don’t have an economy.”

Water should not be a partisan issue, she said. “Republicans and Democrats have to eat, they need access to water,” said Macedo, who added she also wants to focus on cleaner drinking water for communities that have suffered from wells that have either dried up or have become tainted.

Macedo said solutions exist, but that federal and state governments need to work together.

Her legislative priority will be to push the California Air Resources Board for transparency in providing the actual costs of new clean air standards that are expected to raise gasoline prices by as much as 65 cents a gallon. “I am very pro-transparency in our government, and not making choices without weighing the possible costs that the general consumer will have to accept.”

Tangipa’s focus is on better forest management

Tangipa, who defeated former congressmember George Radanovich, 69, by more than 7 percentage points, believes voters are willing to go with a younger candidate providing that person “can prove that we are educated in the subject, are responsible, and have the trust of a lot of people who came before us.”

“They were willing to take a chance because we can’t keep doing the same thing and expect different results,” said Tangipa, who grew up in the Sacramento area.

He recalled being poor as the son of a fully disabled veteran father, and helping his mother with immigration paperwork. At one point, Tangipa was also homeless.

His district runs from north Fresno to communities in Madera, Mariposa, Tuolumne and Calaveras counties, then over the Sierra to include Mono and Inyo counties.

Tangipa, who replaces termed-out Assemblymember Jim Patterson, said his priority will be on successful forest management that will help the environment by reducing potential fire hazards.

“There are some studies that state that in our Sierra we have 500% to 1,000% more trees than what the area can actually service when it comes to resources available,” said Tangipa.

“I don’t think we should be stuck in the 1950s wood famine era that led to hundreds of thousands of acres being clear cut; and, I don’t think we should be stuck in the 1960s and 1970s (Environmental Protection Agency) era where we just removed everybody from the forests.”

Reduced fires due to removal of dead trees and those thinned out to create a healthier forest will translate into fewer carbon emissions, he said. Additional lumber will lead to more affordable housing material, Tangipa added.

His first legislation will focus on establishing a safe easement between roads and forest to avoid accidental fires. “If you’re driving on Highway 49, that is one hot break or one RV chain spark away from igniting the entire area. We really want to do an easement clearance of 5-to-15 feet because that is what saved all of the lives during the evacuation period of the Creek Fire where we had to evacuate 36,000 people.”

The high likelihood of forest fires has driven up house insurance costs to more than $1,000 a month in some areas, said Tangipa. That has made buying or selling a house nearly impossible, he said.

Tangipa said he wants to work with Valley colleagues to give the Central Valley “a very large voice. The Valley deserves the same amount of attention as the coast or LA because all of their food comes from here, and they should really focus on our general area as a highly vital area to the health of California.”

Their words sound hopeful for the Valley. Their success will be the Valley’s success.

This story was originally published December 2, 2024 at 4:12 PM.