Holstege expects second time is charm

Editor’s Note: The 2024 Presidential Election will be Tuesday, November . Besides the races for President and the U.S. Senate, to succeed Diane einstein, there are many local races which will determine who epresents the Hill in the State Assembly and the U.S. Congress.

The Town Crier will be writing about the races for the U.S. Congressional District 41, California Assembly Districts 36 and 47, and the Idyllwild Water District.

The two candidates for the AD 47 seat are incumbent Republican Greg Wallis and Democrat challenger Christy Holstege.

California’s 47^(th) Assembly District encompasses Idyllwild, Pine Cove and north. It also includes the desert cities and Yucaipa and Yucca Valley in San Bernardino County. Valle Vista, Beaumont, and Banning are on the western edge of the District.

The two candidates on the November ballot are quite familiar to the District’s voters. Greg Wallis (R- Bermuda Dunes) is the incumbent and his challenger is Christy Holstege (D – Palm Springs).

In the 2022 election, Holstege and Wallis paired off in one of the closest Assembly races in decades. Wallis was the victor by less than one percent of the vote, less than one-tenth of a percent. He outpolled Holstege by 85 votes out of nearly 170,000 ballots cast. The election was not decided until December.

When asked how she would campaign differently in this year’s contest, Holstege noted that she did not wait until 2024 to begin her campaign. She announced her intent for a rematch with Wallis last summer – less than a year after the previous race.

More importantly, she stressed that the voter turnout in 2022 was only 55 % and that was a major reason for her loss.

“I expect turnout in a Presidential election to approach 80% or even higher,” she said. “That will benefit our campaign.”

As of July 1, 40% of registered voters in AD 47 identified as Democrats. The Republican registration total was 34% and nearly 18% had no party preference. For the November election, total registered voters in AD 47 exceeds 315,000

Demonstrating her reliance on turnout, Holstege and her crew have been assiduously knocking on doors in evenings and weekends. “I’m the poster child for the phrase, ‘Every vote matters.’ It’s the inspiration for our story,” she added.

Holstege pointed to several issues that are important to District voters. Before getting specific, she stated that for every issue, especially monetary, she will focus on getting a fair share of State resources for AD 47.

“We need State money for infrastructure, healthcare, public education, housing, and public safety,” she stressed. “There will be a change having me as the District’s champion in Sacramento.”

Specific issues

Just last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a package of bills addressing housing and homelessness as well as beginning construction funding authorized by Proposition 1, passed in March. She is not emphasizing new laws. Holstege stresses the need for state funding of local projects. She highlighted the Navigation Center Housing for Homeless in Palm Springs.

“We need to directly deliver money to this region,” she emphasized. “The big cities get millions, but the smaller cities have to compete for those dollars.”

“We need to get resources to the District – the Inland Empire and the mountains, not just the areas were these types of funds have traditionally flowed. And focus on results,” she added.

Holstege recognizes how prices have grown and, especially, gasoline which has a significant effect on the District.

“Many of our constituents drive long distances, such as to Los Angeles or Orange County,” she said and encouraged the Assembly’s Special Session to approve some legislation to address this issue.

While the State budget dwarfs the size of Palm Springs’ budget, Holstege is proud of how the City Council found ways to balance it. She will work for that result in the Assembly, she promised.

“The State budget is similar but on a much larger scale, but we need people who will protect programs, such as public education and public safety,” she said.

Regarding public safety, she stressed its importance to voters and her experience dealing with it on the Palm Springs City Council. In February, she gained the endorsement of the Palm Springs Police Officer Association

“They’ve seen my work firsthand,” she stressed. “Prop 36 is important for the community. We need those tools for public safety which is a top issue.”

The Hill

“I’m really excited to represent Idyllwild. You need a champion advocating for your area,” Holstege declared. “I will focus on wildfire safety and planning, clearing brush, and ensuring the infrastructure of roads remain open to transport residents out the region when risks occur.” Both Cal Fire’s Local 2881 and the Palm Springs’ Professional Firefighters Association have endorsed Holstege.

She emphasized that she is familiar with the importance and problems associated with short term rentals from serving on the Palm Springs Council.

“We have reasonable regulation in Palm springs that don’t allow for proliferation,” she added. “Short term rentals had an impact on our housing. We enacted regulations to limit them and looked at their concentration. We regulate them not only to bring revenue to the city but also to maintain safety in a controlled way.”

Funding

Holstege said this is one of the top races in the State, consequently it will be costly.

“It’s the top priority of the Californian Republicans to re-elect Wallis. And it’s the top priority of Democrats to flip the seat red from blue,” Holstge said explaining why so much funding has come to her and Wallis.

She had more than $665,000 on July 1 and contributions since have directed another $600,000 to her coffers. She attributes much of her contributions are coming from individual donors. But the State party has been quite fruitful too.

“It’s a tight race,” she acknowledged.

Holstege is a 37-year-old mother of a three-year-old son. She is still a member of the Palm Springs City Council and served a term as Mayor — the first woman to serve as mayor in the history of Palm Springs. Before her involvement in elective politics, she was an attorney. Her practice has been focused on providing community aid to individuals who need help.n providing community aid to individuals who need
help.