The four candidates looking to represent the Santa Clarita Valley in the California Legislature discussed some of the key issues voters are facing ahead of the upcoming election at the Valley Industry Association’s candidate forum.  At the Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook University Center at College of the Canyons last week, Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, and her challenger, Republican Patrick Lee Gipson, put forth why they should represent the 40th Assembly District. Also making their cases were the candidates for the 23rd Senate District, Republican Suzette Martinez Valladares and Democrat Kipp Mueller.  The forum was hosted by Ed Masterson, a member of the VIA executive board of directors and former chairman of the board.  Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, participates in a candidate forum on Tuesday evening, hosted by the Valley Industry Association at College of the Canyons. Trisha Anas/ The Signal. Much of the forum focused on crime and public safety, with some questions about working in a bipartisan manner and ways to end veteran homelessness mixed in. The first question was about Proposition 47, which was passed by voters in 2014 and changed certain theft and drug possession offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. Masterson asked if ballot measures like that, officially labeled the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, should be publicized using less deceiving language.  All of the candidates agreed that the language should reflect what the proposition would actually do.  Valladares, who previously served in the seat currently held by Schiavo, said she would be interested in having the Legislative Analyst’s Office, a nonpartisan government agency, take over the ballot language instead of the Attorney General’s office.  “I was a founding member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus,” Valladares said. “And too often, partisanship gets in the way of good policy in Sacramento, which is why we founded the Problem Solvers Caucus. One of the key tenets when we launched that caucus was addressing this very fact.”  Gipson, a retired Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy, said he personally dealt with the consequences of Prop. 47 — he said he would see the same person released from custody and then arrested again soon after — and would like to see voters given a third-party view of everything on the ballot.  Patrick Lee Gipson, a candidate for the State Assembly in District 40, participates in a candidate forum on Tuesday evening, hosted by the Valley Industry Association at College of the Canyons. Trisha Anas/ The Signal. “You really need almost a law degree and a half, you know, to figure out what it’s saying,” Gipson said.  Mueller said he would be open to a shift in the ballot language process, while Schiavo said “tactics to make them sound kind of the opposite of what they really are” are problematic.  Another question looked at the current threshold of $950 for whether a retail theft incident is a misdemeanor or a felony. Assembly Bill 747, authored by Assemblyman Carlos Villapudua, D-Stockton, with support from Sen. Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, would have that threshold lowered to $450.  Agreeing that retail theft is a problem, Schiavo said one of her bills that was recently signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom as part of a package meant to tackle retail theft would hopefully help to curb the issue. She also pledged her support for Proposition 36, which would allow for certain drug possessions and retail thefts under $950 to be charged as felonies should the suspect have at least two prior drug or theft convictions.  Kipp Mueller during a candidate forum on Tuesday evening, hosted by the Valley Industry Association at College of the Canyons. Trisha Anas/ The Signal. “There was a problem where people would go in and steal $800, and then go somewhere else and steal $800,” Schiavo said. “And it’s always under $950, so then they’d never be charged with a felony. So, to allow those to be all added together to be able to charge with a felony is one of the things that our bill did.”  All four candidates agreed that Prop. 36 needs to pass.  That wasn’t the last time the entire panel agreed, either. When asked if they would be willing to go against their party and work across the aisle on an issue, everyone said that is the goal.  “I’m eager to,” Mueller said. “I think actually that’s one of the wonderful things about representing a region that has so many Democrats and Republicans, is you get the privilege of representing people, some of whom you align with, some of whom you less align with, some you kind of align with, and everything in between, and we get to talk things out and we get to find common ground.”  Schiavo said she has done this during her two years in office, while Valladares said CalMatters named her as one of the most moderate Republicans during her time in the Assembly.  Former Assemblywoman Suzette Valladares participates in a candidate forum on Tuesday evening, hosted by the Valley Industry Association at College of the Canyons. Trisha Anas/ The Signal. Veteran homelessness was another issue that saw the panel find some common ground, though their plans to end it were not exactly the same.  Mueller recalled when he was a kid in the 1990s walking around with his grandfather, a veteran, and he would point out all of the veterans on the streets who didn’t have a home.  “Here we are in 2024,” Mueller said, “and the problem’s worse, and we all agree it’s unacceptable … It should be a top priority, because we all agree it’s completely unacceptable. And the way that the state has certain carbon emissions goals in mind, we should have veteran homelessness goals in mind that say, ‘By a certain year, we’re ending veteran homelessness once and for all in California, and we’re going to find a means to that end.’”  Schiavo, the daughter and brother of veterans, currently chairs the Military and Veterans Affairs Committee and said she would support permanent supportive housing that addresses mental health needs as well as other things that veterans may need help with. She also pointed to the Santa Clarita Valley being one of the only areas where veteran homelessness numbers are dropping.  Attendees listen to state Assembly and Senate candidates give their platforms during a candidate forum on Tuesday evening, hosted by the Valley Industry Association at College of the Canyons. Trisha Anas/ The Signal. Valladares said more housing — California is about 3 million units short, she said — and adjusting taxes to allow for more veterans to be able to afford to live somewhere should be top priorities.  Gipson agreed that lowering or even killing certain taxes for veterans should be on the table to help them, along with mental health and drug abuse services.  “They took care of our family overseas; we need to take care of them,” Gipson said.  The panel also met with some of the guests after Selina Thomas, chair of the VIA executive board, thanked them for attending.  “It is a marathon, this process, it is not a sprint,” Thomas said. “And you guys are, you know, there’s that last leg and so I’m super impressed with your stamina and your ability to come here.”  The post State Legislature candidates speak at VIA forum  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.