New Orange County Assembly members lay out legislative priorities

Five new Assembly members have made their way to the Capitol to represent Orange County residents for the next two years.

They join incumbent Reps. Phillip Chen, Sharon Quirk-Silva, Cottie Petrie-Norris and Laurie Davies, who won reelection this year to represent parts of Orange County, in the legislative chambers.

Here’s a look at the newest Assembly members representing Orange County residents in the Capitol.

Avelino Valencia

For Avelino Valencia, running for elected office came in an organic way. The former Anaheim City Council member thought he wanted to be a Division I football coach and briefly pursued a career in the National Football League after college.

“Growing up, I never planned on being an elected official, nor did I want to be an elected official,” Valencia said.

But after he realized there are a lot of similarities between coaching young individuals as part of a team and public service, he never looked back.

“Football and politics are both contact sports,” Valencia said. “In this case, I view the state Assembly as a team, all 80 members. Whether we agree with the play that’s been called or not, at the end of the day, the goal is to win collaboratively, and you do what you have to do to make sure that that’s the end goal.”

His first bill aims to create an independent redistricting commission to redraw Orange County district lines in the decennial redistricting process following the census. Currently, the Board of Supervisors has control over the redrawing of the lines.

“I’m not saying that there was any malicious intent that took place in the last round here in Orange County,” he said. “But I think it’s best for democracy and empowers voters to have an independent body making that decision.”

Raised in Orange County, Valencia said he is well aware of the unique challenges in his 68th District, which covers Anaheim, Orange and Santa Ana.

“Although we are Orange County, we’re definitely not what folks may first think of,” he said. “We’re definitely not Newport Beach or South County, so we have some challenges that need to be addressed.”

One of his priorities includes pushing for the expansion of green space in his district, Valencia said. Another is strengthening the state infrastructure, from traffic to energy needs to workforce, he added.

Diane Dixon

Former Newport Beach Mayor Diane Dixon said she looks forward to serving her coastal community in the state Capitol. Her district, the 72nd, runs along the California coast, spanning multiple beach cities.

Dixon, a Republican who served on the Newport Beach City Council for nearly a decade, ran on a platform that addressed California’s affordability and public safety issues.

“Priorities? Well, there’s a long list,” she said. “There’s just a lot to fix to restore California to be the great state that it can be.”

One bill she has already filed would allow the governor to suspend a potential increase in the gas tax, which is adjusted annually based on inflation and rose last year. GOP lawmakers nationwide have castigated high prices at the pump, especially during this time of inflation. Dixon maintained the gas tax is regressive, especially for low-income families.

“Even though the price of the gallon of gas has been reduced, Californians still pay about $1.80 more than the cost of gas in another state,” she said. “The annual increase needs to be suspended, at least temporarily.”

Another bill addresses public safety and requires the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to make available its calculations for an inmate’s date of release to the public.

“I believe in transparency across all four levels of government and activities,” Dixon said. “I think it’s important to know how they come to their decision to release early a prisoner who may have been sentenced for 10 or 25 years and is now released after five years.”

Early release proposals became a topic of contention after a suspect connected with a shooting in Sacramento that left six dead was released after serving less than half of his sentence for a separate conviction for domestic violence and assault.

But above all, Dixon said her top priority is for Californians to be able to afford to buy a home and not have incomes be heavily taxed. And she brings a unique edge by having been in business for several decades, she said.

“Business experience, I think, is rare in the state legislature,” Dixon said. “And so it’s good training to bring a disciplined fiscal management point of view because everything costs money and there needs to be more accountability and see if we get the results that a particular program is designed to create.”

Her goal whenever her time serving in the state legislature comes to an end? To have a long list of legislation she authored that got bipartisan support.

“Good change is often incremental change, and I hope that I can amend existing law in ways that address some of the fundamental issues we have in California,” Dixon said. “And I look forward to working in a constructive, bipartisan manner with my colleagues of both parties so that we can drive positive change for California.”

Kate Sanchez

Kate Sanchez, former vice president of American Ground Transportation, has introduced two legislative proposals as part of the Assembly Republicans’ slate of proposals.

One bill would seek to ensure that the same prosecutor handles all stages of a human trafficking case. With a “vertical prosecution” system, Sanchez said, the victim would not have to relive the traumatic experience over and over again by retelling it to various prosecutors.

The other focuses on education. Sanchez, a mother, said she wants to ensure education dollars are spent effectively.

“My focus will definitely be on education and making sure that the money from grants goes directly to the child, to the school and personnel to make sure that each child in our community — because the 71st district is so diverse and has different needs — receives a quality education,” she said. “Your zip code should not determine your child’s educational outcomes.”

The 71st district is anchored in Riverside County but includes the Orange County cities of Rancho Santa Margarita, Mission Viejo and Silverado to its west.

Some of her other priorities include making California more affordable and keeping her constituents safe.

“I want to make sure that we repeal and reform certain laws that have made California so unlivable and unaffordable,” Sanchez said. “And I look forward to promoting real public safety measures.”

She said working with the new legislators — Democrats and Republicans — has been a welcome experience.

“We are all energized. We want to make California more affordable. We want to make sure we have a safe environment and make sure our children are protected,” she said.

Tri Ta

Prior to throwing his hat in the ring for Assembly, Tri Ta served as mayor of Westminster for a decade — gaining experience he said will help him best serve the community in Sacramento.

“I want to make sure that all the concerns from the residents who live in my district are heard in Sacramento, and I want to improve the quality of life for everyone who lives in the state of California,” Ta said.

Ta’s 70th district includes the city of Los Alamitos and the triad of Garden Grove, Westminster and Fountain Valley, cities that house substantial Vietnamese populations.

Among his priorities are public safety, homelessness and the steep cost of living in California. And these are all issues he’s already dealt with at the local level, he said.

Ta is among the new Republican representatives from Orange County to introduce legislation as part of “California Promise,” a set of legislative proposals spearheaded by Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher.

His first bill aims to ensure that people who commit felonies while armed with or using firearms serve longer sentences.

“When I campaigned for the seat, I promised the people in my district that I will focus on public safety, homelessness and making California affordable,” Ta said.

Blanca Pacheco

Former Downey Mayor Blanca Pacheco became the first Latina to serve in the position when she was elected in 2020. She’s also an attorney specializing in municipal law and estate planning.

Pacheco, who has been deeply involved in her community through her work with organizations such as Gangs out of Downey and Kiwanis, was backed by the California Latino Legislative Caucus and Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-Downey. Pacheco now represents the 64th Assembly District, which is anchored in Los Angeles County and includes La Habra in Orange County.

Pacheco said she was not available for an interview for this story.

Source: Orange County Register