Nearly 1 million people live in California’s District 40, where Mara Elliott and Kristie Bruce-Lane are competing to replace termed-out state Senator Brian Jones. The district includes San Marcos, Escondido, Poway, Santee, northern San Diego neighborhoods and unincorporated communities such as Fallbrook and Ramona. Voters are weighing candidates’ positions on some of the biggest issues affecting the district, including housing, electricity costs, homeowners insurance and homelessness. Elliott is a Democrat and former San Diego city attorney from Scripps Ranch and Bruce-Lane is a Republican nonprofit leader who lives in 4S Ranch. Here’s where the candidates stand on some of the biggest issues facing San Diego voters. Housing affordability California’s high cost of living is driven in part by a severe housing shortage. The state is pushing cities to build more affordable homes, but the candidates have different approaches to how that should happen. Elliott said rules need to be clearer while communities maintain more control. “I want to get back just to basics where people know what the expectation is, this is what its going to cost me. I can get it done in so many years. And we are nowhere close to that right now.” Bruce-Lane did not respond to requests for an interview, but the candidate told the San Diego Union-Tribune that she would reduce regulations and permit fees for builders. On her campaign website, Bruce-Lane says, “I am fiscally conservative and will fight to eliminate wasteful spending and reduce our tax burden.” She adds, “I will protect you from increasing property taxes by protecting Proposition 13 and fighting against new fees and taxes coming out of Sacramento.” Utility bills District 40 residents are also facing high electricity bills. One reason is San Diego Gas Electric’s fire mitigation costs, which are passed on to customers, along with fuel prices and broader living expenses. Elliott said investing in new technologies could help, like “mixing our fuel and changing ethanol standards.” She also pointed to the danger of utility lines during wildfires. “We’ve suffered through two horrific fires, so we are well aware of the dangers associated with not protecting your utility lines,” she said, adding, “I’m not suggesting that this be run by municipalities, there are other sources of energy that might help us get to where we need to be.” Bruce-Lane told the San Diego Union-Tribune that, if elected, she would seek to lower the cost of living by passing a law mandating every government agency to benchmark its regulations to the lowest-cost state. She also says she would repeal the cap-and-trade program and low-carbon fuel standard. Homeowners insurance High wildfire risk is making homeowners insurance harder to obtain and afford in communities including Alpine, Lakeside and Scripps Ranch. Some insurers are dropping customers, while others face premiums they say are unaffordable. Elliott said Proposition 103, the 1988 law requiring state approval for insurance rate increases, needs another look. “Absolutely we need to have insurance companies here and we are seeing them leave, although slowly they are trickling back, which indicates to me we are starting to do something right, but that conversation has a long way to go.” Bruce-Lane told the San Diego Union-Tribune, when asked about the overall cost of living, that as an elected official, she would stop utility and insurance rate hikes by reforming costly mandates. Homelessness Another visible sign of California’s affordability crisis is homelessness, with people living on the streets in communities across the state. Many are also struggling with mental illness or addiction. Elliott said her experience as San Diego city attorney showed her the need for more behavioral health resources. “We need behavioral beds. We need behavioral resources, or counseling to make sure that they get the assistance they need.” She added: “If we don’t provide somewhere for them to go, they’re gonna go back to the same place they came to us from.” Bruce-Lane describes homelessness as a humanitarian crisis and says shelters should be used as a tool, not a goal, along with wraparound services. She also points to the work of her nonprofit, Thumbprint Project Foundation, to help homeless children. The two candidates have different experiences and different approaches, but both say California needs to become more affordable. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less