Andrew Hayes, a Republican and Lakeside school board member, is running for the open 75th Assembly District seat to represent a vast swath of East County. To help inform voters, the San Diego Union-Tribune asked all the candidates a series of the same questions about their priorities, positions and campaigns. Their emailed answers have been lightly edited for clarity. Why are you running, and what makes you the best candidate? Sacramento politicians are crushing California families. Look around you. Homelessness has skyrocketed after “historic” investments by Sacramento politicians. Families young and old can’t afford to live here with constant tax increases, unattainable housing and high energy costs. Rampant crime and the continual dumping of sexually violent predators in neighborhoods. A fentanyl crisis encouraged by failed immigration policy and a wide-open border. Failing public schools where 50% of students are unable to read. It’s no wonder Californians are fleeing in droves. I’m staying to create better lives for the district where I grew up. As president of the Lakeside School District, I’ve defeated tax increases, fought crime, improved outcomes for our kids and fought for parents. I’ve delivered — and that is what I’ll do in Sacramento. What are the top 3 issues facing this district and California generally? I was born and raised in this district, and my roots run deep. I’ve seen how the problems in Sacramento affect us every day. Cost of living: California is too expensive for the working families in my district. My commitment is to lower taxes (like the gas tax), make government efficient and effective and ease the financial burden on our district’s residents. Inflation: Inflation is out of control, especially in California. I will enact policies that stop inflation from rising and make it affordable for working families again. Public safety: Crime is on the rise across our state, and something must be done. Rampant homelessness, escalating crime rates and disproportionate placement of sexually violent predators in my district demand an urgent response. I will work closely with law enforcement to address these issues head-on — that’s why I’m endorsed by police and firefighters. What are the first 3 things you would do in your first term in the Legislature? I’ve always believed as an elected official that it is my job to make government work for you. My job will be to roll up my sleeves and get to work on solving problems for my district. On Day One, I’ll introduce a package of bills entitled the “California Taxpayer Protection Initiative” to address our affordability crisis. The first two bills will be to immediately lower the gas tax, the second to prevent the implementation of the mileage tax. I’ll immediately get to work on calling out the insurance commissioner for not doing his job and creating the fire insurance crisis that residents of my district suffer from every day. Lastly, I’ll work closely with law enforcement to address the disproportionate share of sexually violent predators placed in my district and demand the governor ensure they are managed by the state in state correctional facilities. What would you do to curb climate change and its effects on California, including the fact that those effects are often borne disproportionately by communities of color? I support market-based solutions that incentivize innovation in clean energy without burdening our economy and destroying the livelihoods of hardworking Californians. The fact is dysfunctional Sacramento is not doing this. Their solutions are to ban diesel trucks, get rid of cars, ban natural gas appliances, ban lawn mowers and leaf blowers, import dirty oil from South America instead of using California’s clean oil technology, make it harder to get solar, increase the gas tax and drive up the cost of energy and water through convoluted energy regulations with hidden fees — all things that make the lives of working families in my district more difficult. Preventing and stopping wildfires, which are a major emission source of greenhouse gasses, is top of mind for me in my district. Forest and vegetation management is critical as well as adding more firefighters and equipment. Do you agree with the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Grants Pass v. Johnson, allowing cities to criminally penalize homeless people with nowhere else to go for sleeping in public? Do you support the governor’s executive order directing agencies to clear encampments on this basis? Why or why not? I support the ruling because it balances public safety with the need to address homelessness compassionately. I believe cities should have the ability to manage public spaces while ensuring homeless individuals are directed to shelters and services. I support clearing encampments. Homelessness should not be criminalized, but neither should communities suffer from unchecked encampments that harm public safety and quality of life. What more would you do to combat California’s housing, affordability and homelessness crises? Housing is expensive because government makes it harder to build. I want to unshackle our economic engine and responsibly build housing from condos to starter homes — it creates local jobs and a path to prosperity for Californians who, like me, believe that homeownership is part of the American dream. California is too expensive for the working families in my district. My commitment is to lower taxes (like the gas tax) and defend important taxpayer protections like Proposition 13. Every Californian deserves a path off the street, and what we’ve been doing hasn’t worked. We’ve dumped $20 billion into “solving” homelessness and we have more people homeless. We must address the root causes of the mental health crisis. Nonprofits, charities and faith-based programs that have benchmarks and emphasize a compassionate evaluation of the causes of homelessness, such as mental health challenges, substance abuse issues and cost of living, are the path forward. Do you support or oppose stricter gun laws and background checks? Which, and if you support them, to what extent? I believe that the ownership and the safe use of a firearm in defense of one’s life, their property and their family’s lives are a pillar of our constitutional rights. Our communities are facing rising crime and increased violence. Unfortunately, California isn’t even willing to enforce the current laws we have on the books to curb crime and hold criminals accountable; let’s begin by enforcing the existing laws we have available. How would you evaluate the record of Proposition 47 in the decade since voters enacted it? Should voters scale it back by passing Proposition 36? Why or why not? Proposition 47 has been an unmitigated disaster for Californians and for law enforcement. When it is OK to walk into a store and steal over $900 of merchandise with no punishment, you know we’ve lost our way. The message that Prop. 47 has sent to criminals is California is open for business, and of course that is reflected in the increased crime rates. I fully support repealing Prop. 47 in its entirety and restoring law and order to our communities. I’m in full support of Prop. 36 and will be campaigning hard for it to pass. Proposition 3 would enshrine same-sex marriage in the California constitution by repealing the state’s 2008 ban, which has been unenforceable since the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage but still remains on the books. Will you personally vote for or against Prop. 3? These kind of ballot measures continue to distract Californians from the pressing issues plaguing our state, like the high cost of living and crime. I’d much rather our efforts be focused on critical challenges like homelessness, crime, the affordability crisis and a dysfunctional state government that isn’t working for regular Californians. Our politics and political leaders should be focusing on those kinds of issues, not rehashing decades-old ballot measures that have already been ruled moot by the Supreme Court.