Garvey and Policies: Where The Senate Candidate Stands On Issues At The Beginning Of 2024

For most of his campaign since entering the race in October, U.S. Senate candidate and former MLB baseball player Steve Garvey (R) remained largely quiet and preferred to just make a few select appearances outside his Palm Desert home. His thoughts and stances on many issues continued to be a mystery, being a self-declared “moderate Republican” giving few hints on where he aligned himself.

In comparison, the big three Democrats of the race, Congressional members Adam Schiff (D-CA), Katie Porter (D-CA), and Barbara Lee (D-CA) have travelled all across the state and have made their stances on multiple issues known, including on inter-party divisive issues such where they stand on the Israel-Hamas war. But, with Garvey surging in the polls in December, and finding himself now in second-place in the primaries, he finally changed tune.

Throughout December, Garvey finally began to give more formal interviews, traveling more and making speeches on location, such as discussing the environment by the shores of the Salton Sea, and even visiting the U.S.-Mexico border. With a narrow lead over Porter for second in polling, and a more traditional campaign awaiting him in the first few months of 2024, where exactly Garvey falls on issues will make-or-break him in the primary. Many Republicans want to see more of a conservative stance. Moderates, as well as disaffected Democrats, want to see a more middle-of-the-road approach. Still others are focusing on one issue, with crime, homelessness, and the economy being big one-issue favorites.

With Garvey’s positions and plans continuing to emerge, the Globe looked into past interviews, newer interviews from outlets such as Fox and KTLA, as well as recent speeches and what he says on his campaign site to help zero in on where he currently stands as well as where he will be going on in the next few months.

Economy

“The challenges of hardworking Californians getting up every day and knowing that, under our economy now and inflation, that by the time the month’s over, they could be losing seven, eight, $900. And that’s when they’re even managing their daily lives well,” said Garvey last month. “The food and the gas and education for their children, clothing, all of these things are due to inflation that’s risen so much that it’s tough to stay above water.

“What I’ll focus on is getting back to a free market, capitalism, that will target small businesses. You know, there’s so many people that want to start businesses and small market businesses. Small businesses are the foundation of the business world, especially here in California. So many of those people who wanted to start small businesses have left California.

“Let’s be focused strictly on providing an economy for mom and dad with two children and two jobs, that’s going to allow them to save money, to be able to save for the future, to be able to provide their kids with the best schools available. I go to the gas station at 7:30 a.m. and there will be all the trucks there of the hardworking men and women. They’re not buying 10 gallons worth of gas anymore. They’re buying $10 worth of gas. Food is up 30 to 40 percent. So, at the end of the month, you’re down $800-900, and you worked as hard as you possibly could.

“What we need to do is stimulate the economy, free market capitalism. Let’s cut back on these entitlements, let’s stop printing money. Let’s put money back into the country, into the men and women who have paid their taxes, who deserve to get the benefits of their hard-earned money.”

His website also specifically states that “For the first time in history, more people are leaving California because they can’t afford to live in our great state. This is a direct result of our career politicians in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. continuously passing foolish laws and increasing taxes and fees, resulting in higher costs for our basic needs, such as food, gas, and shelter.

“By allowing the cost of living crisis to explode, we have failed our middle class and working families from experiencing the California dream. I will take a stand against out-of-control inflation and be a voice for the middle class and working families that are the backbone of our state.”

Crime

“Crime is just glaring here in California,” explained Garvey. “These steal-and-smash mobs that are going around are something that started in the last year or two. Not only is it about thievery, it’s about danger to people.

California’s hardworking police and sheriffs who are committed to serving the people and providing peace are putting their lives on the line, taking these criminals to the jails and getting them registered and doing the paperwork and looking out the window and seeing them walk through the parking lot because the DAs have let them go.”

“And it’s not just the streets of downtown and in other areas closer to town. It’s neighborhoods where people have to really question whether they can go out and walk at night or maybe sometimes in the daytime.

“For too long Sacramento has gambled the future of our communities with misguided laws. We need to return to common-sense policies that hold criminals accountable, protect our victims, and places the safety of our families before politics. Our police departments need to be funded, our communities need to be engaged, and we must do all we can to make sure our neighborhoods and schools are safe. Make no mistake, the best way to deter crime is to enforce our laws.”

Homelessness

“It’s important to understand what pathways those living on the streets have to being able to reconnect their lives when you know they’re going through physical, mental and spiritual challenges. I think we also have to deeply consider our own citizens who have to be protected on the streets. I think the best way to do it is start to develop programs that will get the homeless off the streets into a warm, secure area that’s going to be able to give them the psychological, physical and mental reunion with society.

“A lot of these homeless people are veterans. One of my focuses is gonna be getting back to taking care of these veterans, men and women who sacrificed their lives for our country, and not dismiss them once they’re out of service or trying to get back into society.

“There’s no greater failure for today’s California than the homelessness crisis. Hundreds of thousands are suffering and dying on the streets. Career politicians dodge responsibility and shift the blame to others. We must get real about addressing the underlying causes of homelessness, including health and drug addiction. We can solve this problem with accountability and compassion.”

Education

On his site, Garvey said, “A quality education is the single most powerful tool we can provide for the future generations. Unfortunately, in California, we have failed to live up to that promise and have accepted failing public schools that do not prepare our kids to succeed.

“We know how to fix the problem. The solutions are simple. We must empower parents and teachers who know what’s best for their children and students. We need to put the interest of all students first. We must give them a first-class education and teach them how to succeed. We must provide parents with more choices, reward great teachers, and bring back important trade skills to our education system. We must work together to make sure our schools are the best they can possibly be.”

In a recent speech, he added that “Parents are feeling that they’re not able to provide safety and a pathway for their children to be educated adults so that they can go out in the world and be productive. I think we need to get back to education that gets to core issues – core issues of preparing our children and getting away from social issues that have the tendency to confuse our children.”

Environment

While Garvey has gotten into alternative energy and broader parts of environmental regulations, a big part of his speaking points so far has been around the Salton Sea in southern California.

“People first. The ecology and environment second, and then the development of a potentially vast resource for building of batteries and eventually cleaner energy. Living in the Coachella Valley, I learned a lot about the ever-shrinking level of the lake and the increased salinization.

“For me, it’s making sure whatever is done here protects the people. The silt is blown south into Imperial County and west into the Coachella Valley. Make sure first, we protect the people, then look at the ecology and environment, then look at the geothermal growth here, the harvesting so to speak of the brine where the lithium comes from and the potential for this to be a tremendous resource.”

Immigration

“The perception is we have this crisis – what are we going to do about it? We talk about illegal immigrants. We talk about a path to citizenship. But at the end of the day, it’s humanity.”

Garvey is expected to make his stances on several issues clearer this month, including answering questions on issues that other candidates have already taken an established position on.