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2022 General Election · Essay

2022 Midterm Elections Guide

I will preface this guide with an assertion of my bias and an insight into my governing political philosophy to be clear about where and how the votes are decided.

Kody Fairfield··19 min read
Engraved gold ballot box before the U.S. Capitol dome

2022 General Election Voter Guide

By Kody Fairfield

Philosophy: 

I will preface this guide with an assertion of my bias and an insight into my governing political philosophy to be clear about where and how the votes are decided. You are free to use the information provided as you see fit, including criticism.

As an originalist, I believe in a limited government as established by the Constitution of the United States. My understanding, guided by the writings of the authors of the aforementioned document, is the establishment of our checks and balances was to be a constraint on the powers of government, not the freedoms of man. This being said, I believe that these freedoms also come with the responsibility of these free actions and that these two points are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they are symbiotic. 

I believe in strictly fiduciary fiscal policy. Balanced budgets, low taxes, pro-business growth and innovation, free market regulations, and most importantly, motility across the economic spectrum no matter the starting place. 

Socially, The government was never meant to be the arbiter of social life, as such, it has generally no business in what occurs between closed private doors between consenting adults, so long as you do not infringe on another person’s negative rights (click for a definition). There are a few exceptions to this general rule. 

Finally, while holding strong, principled positions, I am not under the illusion that the world works in absolutes of black or white, but rather that real life is a formation of grey in the middle. 

Understanding this, I try to take a pragmatic position when evaluating candidates. I am of the view that while personality can be ugly it is temporary but policy can be impactful for lifetimes. If we look for our candidates to be our moral betters, we will often be let down as they are at least as flawed as anyone else. So for me, if a candidate can represent liberty in a positive light, regardless of party affiliation, I am open to their consideration. 

I believe George Washington said it best when describing political parties, “However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterward the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.”

I think Thomas Paine nailed it when he said that “government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.”

California – Statewide/Federal Offices

California Officer Races

Governor of California: Brian Dahle 

Role of Office: Established in the Constitution of California, the governor’s responsibilities also include making the annual State of the State address to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced. The position was created in 1849, the year before California became a state.

Gavin Newsom has been an unmitigated, authoritarian, special interest-controlled disaster who believes in “rules for thee but not for me.” Newsom’s tenure has been so bad that in a state that has a D +25 voter registration, he was forced to defend himself in a recall election over his handling of COVID and its effects on the state’s citizens. 

Gavin “French Laundry” Newsom is responsible for the following:

It’s time for a change in CA, for the future of the people and the State. 

Lieutenant Governor of California: Angela E Underwood Jacobs 

Role of Office: In addition to largely ministerial roles, serving as acting governor in the absence of the governor of California and as President of the California State Senate, the lieutenant governor either sits on (or appoints representatives to) many of California’s regulatory commissions and executive agencies.

The role of a Lt. Governor doesn’t usually lend itself to the pageantry and name recognition like the top seat or other state officer seats do. Usually, they are the administrative side of the executive branch and the President of the State Senate. A reflection of the VP of the US, without the TV time. Its usually quiet role is why it is often used as a resume builder for those with higher ambition and politically connected friends and funding. If you google current Lt Gov Kounalakis headline after headline talks to this exact point. That Lt Gov Kounalakis appears dead set on using her office as a launching pad for higher office, and who can blame her when she is allied with Newsom who used his mayorship in San Francisco, to become Lt Governor to jump to Governor without a lick of success in his city and now uses his lack of success as Governor to launch toward the White House. 

Just a quick look into the website for Lt. Gov. Kounalakis will show a lack of depth or position or connection of her actual roles to the “issues” she mentions. By issues, I mean she has FOUR issue items laid out with simple and generic one or two-sentence responses.

By polling, Californians see Jobs/economy/inflation as the largest concern followed by the state homeless problems, housing/cost of living, environment, and droughts. On the current Lt Gov’s website, she only mentions education in regards to her support for adding more beds to colleges and Jobs with a claim that she stood up for small businesses during COVID even though her administration shuttered everything. 

Contrast this with her challenger Angela Underwood Jacobs’s page where she addresses 8 subject matters, all of which are major concerns to everyday Californians. Jacobs speaks as someone who wants to utilize the actual roles of the office to advocate for what the rest of us care about and comes across as someone content with the job she could be elected to do. 

Secretary of State: Rob Bernosky 

Role of Office: The secretary of state is California’s chief elections officer, overseeing all federal and state elections in the state and maintaining a database of registered voters.[2] The officeholder is also responsible for the disclosure of campaign and lobbyist financial information, under the California Political Reform Act of 1974.

Shirley Weber, the current appointed Sec of State, has a wildly progressive record as a former California Assembly Woman (79th). She has been dedicated to larger government her entire career and this has carried into her positions as the chief officer in charge of elections, businesses, and registries.

Sec of State Weber supported Gov Newsom’s devastating statewide closures during COVID which put over 40,000 small businesses out to pasture with many others dealing with significant debt. She also implemented the statewide universal mail-in voting which, in combination with ballot harvesting, has a huge tracing gap to ensure a secure process and vote. 

To her credit, however, she did hold strong when the Newsom campaign failed to list themselves as a Democrat during the recall election. It would seem that even with the difference of opinion on the size of government, she does have the backbone to stand up to those in her own party, including the Governor. 

State Controller: Lanhee J Chen

Role of Office: The State Controller is the Chief Fiscal Officer of California, the sixth-largest economy in the world. She helps administer two of the largest public pension funds in the nation and serves on 78 state boards and commissions.

Lanhee Chen is the first Republican to be openly endorsed for statewide office by the LA Times in a long while. In their endorsement, the LA Times also realizes that one party control of the state is leading to bloated and wasteful budgets. 

Chen, one of the nation’s top policy wonks and Hoover Institute Professor on Public Policy,  will be a perfect watchdog on Sacramento, as the LA Times mentions. He has also been the most successful Republican to garner media and cross-aisle endorsements, with the following under his belt as well. 

LA Times (Newspaper), Sac Bee (Newspaper), SF Chronicle (Newspaper), OC Register (Newspaper), SD Tribune (Newspaper), Andrew Yang (D), Joe Liebermann (D), and many more are listed here. 

I am rarely excited about a controller candidate, but Chen is the man for the job and I trust he will ensure that taxpayer money is cared for and spent correctly. On his website he makes this commitment to the voters, “If you honor me with your vote for Controller, I promise to fight for you, the California taxpayer, each and every day. I will be accountable only to you and committed to advancing the values of fiscal responsibility, transparency, and independence. Our state deserves new leadership, and I hope you will join me in this fight.

State Treasurer: Jack Guerrero

Role of Office: The Treasurer provides financing for our schools, roads, housing, levees, public health facilities, and other crucial infrastructure projects that better the lives of all Californians.

Again, a rare time I am enthusiastic about an office other than the top seats. Jack Guerrero is someone who I have met on numerous occasions at OC Liberty Caucus meetings and other liberty-style conferences. He is kind as he is talented. He is an economics MBA grad from Harvard and a current CPA. He was the Mayor of Cudahy and has spent his career as a VP of large banks and consulting for fortune 500 companies. He has the dream qualifications for a role like treasurer and can be trusted to account for every taxpayer dollar. 

Take a look at his list of fantastic endorsements

State Attorney General: Nathan Hochman 

Role of Office: The Attorney General’s responsibilities include safeguarding Californians from harm and promoting community safety, preserving California’s spectacular natural resources, enforcing civil rights laws, and helping victims of identity theft, mortgage-related fraud, illegal business practices, and other consumer crimes.

Crime in California, and the nation really, is on the rise, there is no question about it. Soft-on-crime individuals like current LA District Attorney Gascon have allowed the most predatory criminals a soft landing and thus influence more behavior. 

According to The Public Policy Institute of California, violent crime rates have led the way in the increase since 2021.

  • California’s violent crime rate increased by 6.0%, from 440 per 100,000 residents in 2020 to 466 in 2021. While robberies fell somewhat (by 1.9%), aggravated assaults jumped by 8.9%, and homicides and rape increased by 7.7% and 7.9%, respectively.
  • In 2021, aggravated assaults were 67% of reported violent crimes; 24% were robberies, 8% were rape, and 1% were homicides.
  • California’s violent crime rate in 2020 (the latest nationwide statistics available) was higher than the national rate of 387 per 100,000 residents and ranked 16th nationwide.

Needless to say, we need someone who will enforce the law appropriately following appropriate convictions. We need to ensure that the victim’s families are put before the assailants and that the punishments for violent crimes are actual deterrents to behavior. Under Rob Bonta, as proved above, this has not occurred. You don’t get a redo with the safety of CA neighborhoods and families.

Insurance Commissioner: Robert Howell

Role of Office: The state insurance commissioner regulates the insurance industry in California, including the auto, home, and life markets.

What is important in an Insurance Commissioner is someone who is willing to be an effective watchdog to ensure nobody gets taken advantage of. This means being of high character and integrity. Unfortunately for current IC Ricardo Lara, this isn’t the case. Lara is the subject of numerous scandals and even has a full website linking to nearly every article discussing each one. He appears to have utilized his position as a pay-to-play scheme.

In contrast, Robert Howell is an Eagle Scout, has pledge not to take donations from ANY insurance company, and is not an insurance agent making him an independent eye on overall insurance happenings. It is time to bring some integrity back to this office. 

United States Senator (Full Term): Mark Meuser

Role of Office: The Senate takes action on bills, resolutions, amendments, motions, nominations, and treaties by voting. However, the office was originally meant to be a position elected by the State Legislatures as a bulwark against the Federal Government toward the specific state. 17th Amendment ruined this process, essentially making their role similar to the House of Reps with a bit more authority.

Alex Padilla is connected to the most radical wing of the Democrat party, often aligning himself with Bernie Sanders and AOC. He has taken radical approaches to abortion and has taken stances that mirror the “Defund Police” movement. He is a big government guy and isn’t afraid to use it to push his agenda. For someone who wasn’t elected, but appointed to this role, he is far too radical to earn an elected term. 

Mark Meuser is a constitutional authority and someone who intimately understands, not only the role of the government but that the Constitution is a restriction of the governmental body, not the citizens. He has shown he will prioritize the economy, education, infrastructure, safety, and government restraint.

United States Senator (Partial Term): Mark Meuser

SEE ABOVE

US Representatives (By District): 

3- Kevin Kiley

22- David Valdado

27- Mike Garcia

39- Young Kim

45- Michelle Steel

State Senator (By District):

32- Kelly Seyarto

Member of the State Assembly (By District):

55- Phil Chen

Non-Partisan Offices:

Judge of the Superior Court Office No. 30 – Peggy Huang

Peggy is a current Deputy Attorney General and member of the Yorba Linda City Council. She has a history of dedicated public service, which is defined by her focus on returning local control of housing issues to the people of Yorba Linda, public safety, and support for small businesses, especially during the pandemic.  I trust her to carry this forward community-first approach to the Superior Court Bench. 

Superintendent of Public Instruction – Lance Ray Christensen

Role of office: The superintendent oversees the California Department of Education and, by extension, all of the state of California’s public schools. He or she executes the policies of the California Board of Education, which is the school system’s primary governing body.

Under Superintendent Thurmond, California’s public schools have plummeted to the bottom of the pack in the US. In fact, California is consistently ranked in the worst 10 states for K-12 education (see links below). According to Lance Izumi, Senior Director of Education at the Pacific Research Institute, in a conversation with the California Globe, explained the following:

“Izumi said 8th grade really is the most important year of test scores to look at because students have been in school for many years, and it’s a solid assessment how they have done cumulatively.

Izumi said each demographic group, white, African American, and Hispanic students, had significant math proficiency decline from 2019 to 2022.

  • White students dropped from 47% proficiency to 34% proficiency;
  • African American students dropped from only 10% proficiency to 7% proficiency;
  • Hispanic students dropped from only 15% proficiency to 11% proficiency.
  • Izumi said the study also looked at income levels:

Low income students (eligible for free school lunch program) scores dropped from an already low 16% proficiency to 11%.

  • Affluent students scores dropped from 50% proficiency to 41%.

That’s a huge math deficiency decline, Izumi said. “Math is more complex than reading, and the Covid shutdowns really undercut that type of learning,” he said.

Izumi said with the push for STEM education (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) in California’s and the nation’s high tech economy, these scores are not good.

Izumi said reading is a different type of learning skill, and 8th grade California students didn’t do as poorly as they did in math.

  • White students dropped from 45% in reading proficiency in 2019 to 39% in 2022;
  • African American students increased reading proficiency from a low of 10% to 15%;
  • Hispanic students were almost static, increasing slightly from 19% to 20%.
  • Low income students increased slightly from 18% reading proficiency in 2019 to 20% in 2022;
  • Affluent students decreased from 47% to 45%.

Note the “high scores” of 2019 in math: White students only had 47% proficiency in math; African American students only had 10% proficiency, and Hispanic students only had 15% proficiency in math.

Reading wasn’t much better in 2019: White students had only 45% in reading proficiency, African Americans had only 10% reading proficiency, and Hispanic students had only 19% reading proficiency.

According to the NEAP, California students performed in Reading:

  • In 2019: the average score of eighth-grade students in California was 259. This was lower than the average score of 262 for students in the nation.
  • In 2022, the average score of eighth-grade students in California was 259. This was not significantly different from the average score of 259 for students in the nation.

According to the NEAP, California students performed in Math:

  • In 2019, the average score of eighth-grade students in California was 276. This was lower than the average score of 281 for students in the nation.
  • In 2022, the average score of eighth-grade students in California was 270. This was lower than the average score of 273 for students in the nation.

The key Izumi says is to look at actual proficiency scores – California students should be proficient in reading and math. Proficient merely means they should be able or competent at reading and math.

“This is a condemnation of the policies Gov. Newsom and his sycophants were foisting on parents and children,” Izumi said. “No one is looking into the guts of these actual numbers.”

It’s very clear that Tony Thurmond is failing 6 million California K-12 students, and the trend is worsening, not getting better. It’s time for a change of direction.

CA Statewide Propositions

Definitions-

Initiative statute is a new law that a state adopts via the ballot initiative process. The most common form of initiated state statute is when groups collect signatures and once those signatures are collected, election officials place the measure on the ballot for a vote. A less common form is the indirect initiated state statute. While there are important differences between an initiated state statute and an initiated constitutional amendment, they are not always clearly distinguished, and often both are referred to as simply “initiatives” or “propositions.”

Initiated constitutional amendment is an amendment to a state’s constitution that comes about through the initiative process.

Of the 26 U.S. states that have some degree of direct democracy, eighteen (18) of them have a provision for initiating constitutional amendments. In several of these states, including Illinois, Massachusetts, and Mississippi, the requirements for placing a proposed amendment before the people through an initiative process are difficult and the process is, historically, rarely used.

Legislatively referred constitutional amendment is a proposed constitutional amendment that appears on a state’s ballot as a ballot measure because the state legislature in that state voted to put it before the voters.

A legislatively referred constitutional amendment is a limited form of direct democracy with comparison to the initiated constitutional amendment. With the initiated constitutional amendment, voters can initiate the amendment and approve it, whereas with the legislatively referred amendment, they can only approve or reject amendments initiated by their state’s legislature.

Prop 1- Constitutional Right to Reproductive Freedom

Establish a right to reproductive freedom, which is defined to include a right to an abortion and to choose or refuse contraceptives. The amendment states, “The state shall not deny or interfere with an individual’s reproductive freedom in their most intimate decisions, which includes their fundamental right to choose to have an abortion and their fundamental right to choose or refuse contraceptives.”

 VOTE NO

My support for a NO VOTE on proposition one goes further than simply being Pro-Life, though this is the crux. 

The language in Prop 1 is far too vague, which WILL allow for numerous lawsuits, at taxpayer expense, to decipher the language. An example of this would include a potential contradiction, due to no apparent limitations expressed in the prop language, with current abortion law in the state, which currently limits abortion to the “point of viability.” Furthering my argument for a NO VOTE, the State legislature has committed CA to become an abortion sanctuary meaning that CA tax-payers would potentially be on the hook for those coming from out of state. CA HHS has already earmarked at least $20 Million to support this action, and the legislature has already expanded $200 million on “reproductive health care” services.

Prop 26 – Allows In-Person Roulette, Dice Games, Sports Wagering on Tribal Lands

Would allow federally recognized Indian tribes to operate roulette, dice games, and sports wagering on-site on tribal lands, if authorized by gaming compacts approved by the State, and allow sports wagering at certain licensed horseracing tracks in four counties for persons 21 years and older, and imposes 10% tax on sports-wagering profits at these tracks. Proposition 26 is an initiated constitutional amendment and statute that requires a simple majority (50% + 1) to pass. Fiscal Impact: This would increase state revenues, possibly reaching tens of millions of dollars annually, directing revenue to the state General Fund (70%), problem-gambling programs (15%), and enforcement (15%). Some of these revenues would support increased state regulatory and enforcement costs that could reach the low tens of millions of dollars annually.

VOTE NO

While I don’t mind gambling, as consented to by adults, this proposition would essentially give California’s 5 largest tribal casinos near absolute power over gambling across the state. Add to this the vague language which appears to give private trial lawyers the powers of Attorney General, essentially meaning they can act on behalf of the State to sue smaller casinos for violations and thereby able to create a task force to prevent competition in the market space. 

Prop 27 – Allows Online and Mobile Sports Wagering Outside Tribal Lands

Would Legalize online and mobile sports wagering for persons 21 years and older in California, with such wagering offered only by federally recognized Indian tribes and eligible businesses that contract with them. Proposition 27 is an initiated constitutional amendment and statute that requires a simple majority (50% + 1) to pass.

Fiscal Impact: This would increase state revenues, possibly by hundreds of millions of dollars but not likely to exceed $500 million annually, directing tax and licensing revenues first to regulatory costs, then the remainder to homelessness programs (85%) and nonparticipating tribes (15%). Some revenues would support state regulatory costs, possibly reaching the mid-tens of millions of dollars annually.

VOTE: INDIFFERENT

Of the two options for legal gambling expansion in California, this one makes the most sense, given the clearer language and balanced playing field created. The consented funding, through chosen participation, is a better solution to fund mental health, homelessness, and tribes in comparison to a writ whole tax on everyone in the state. One argument against is that it would allow out-of-state industry in and that this isn’t the “solution” to fix homelessness. Still, in reality, it is, as mentioned above, superior to a levied tax on all Californians. Even if there is a flow of cash out of California. I can understand a vote for or against this one honestly, and I don’t think the implications of this prop will affect any substantial policy or life more so than the status quo. 

Prop 28 – Provides Additional Funding for Arts and Music Education in Public Schools

This would provide additional funding for arts and music education in all K–12 public schools (including charter schools) by annually allocating from the state General Fund an amount equal to 1% of required state and local funding for public schools with a greater proportion of the additional funds going to schools serving more economically disadvantaged students. Proposition 28 is an initiative statute that requires a simple majority (50% + 1) to pass. Fiscal Impact: This would result in increased state costs of about $1 billion annually, beginning next year, for arts education in public schools.

VOTE: NO

On its face, it appears to be a worthy venture, increasing spending on the arts in schools without a direct tax increase. The issue here is the mandatory spending on this feature which could potentially force cuts to another more necessary spending in times of recession, which, based on the near 10% stagflation occurring, appears nearer than it should. In other words, there is a strong potential that by allocating 1B to this cause, we will be forced to strip that money from, say, infrastructures, safety measures, or otherwise down the road. This is not dissimilar to the situation with Prop 98 (1988). See the San Diego Tribunes analysis of this situation HERE. Local school boards would be better off implementing these things in their own school districts with funding allocated appropriately through balanced budgets. 

Prop 29 – Requires On-Site Licensed Medical Professionals at Kidney Dialysis Clinics and Establishes Other State Requirements

This would require a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant, with six months relevant experience, on-site during treatment at outpatient kidney dialysis clinics; authorizes exemption for staffing shortage if a qualified medical professional is available through telehealth; requires clinics to disclose to patients all physicians with clinic ownership interests of five percent or more; and requires clinics to report dialysis-related infection data to the state. Proposition 29 is an initiative statute that requires a simple majority (50% + 1) to pass. Fiscal Impact: This would result in increased state and local government costs, likely in the tens of millions of dollars annually.

VOTE: NO… AGAIN

Does this proposition look familiar? It should, as it has been around for at least 2 previous election cycles and was defeated both times. A heavily union-pushed initiative only considers one side of the spectrum involved in these dialysis centers. This proposition, while written to sound flowery and well-intentioned, is a disaster. Not just because any time government gets involved in healthcare, it’s a mess, but because this regulation will force increased costs to these entities and likely possible closures, which creates an access crisis. Finally, the likelihood that the increased costs get passed on to everyone in the form of increased insurance and premium costs is high.

Prop 30 – Provides Funding for Programs to Reduce Air Pollution and Prevent Wildfires by Increasing Tax on Personal Income Over $2 Million.

This would increase tax on personal income over $2 million by 1.75% for individuals and married couples and allocates new tax revenues as follows: (1) 45% for rebates and other incentives for zero-emission vehicle purchases and 35% for charging stations for zero-emission vehicles, with at least half of this funding directed to low-income households and communities; and (2) 20% for wildfire prevention and suppression programs, with priority given to hiring and training firefighters. Proposition 30 is an initiative statute that requires at least ⅔ of voters’ approval to pass. Fiscal Impact: This would result in increased state tax revenue ranging from $3.5 billion to $5 billion annually, with the new funding used to support zero-emission vehicle programs and wildfire response and prevention activities.

VOTE: NO

With high inflation, gas prices, housing, and more, why not pass a new tax? This looks like it’s aimed at the top earners in CA, which is wrong on its face, but its real target is every Californian. It is such a bad proposition that even Gov. Newsom is a NO vote, and he has never seen a tax increase he doesn’t like. Granted, this is due to his dislike for Lyft, who essentially single-handedly funded and created the language. 

Lyft is essentially using this proposition in response to the state of California’s mandate that 90% of all rideshare vehicles become EVs by 2030. And as much as I enjoy rideshare companies, no tax-payer of any income level should not foot the bill for them. Instead, we should work to reduce regulations on manufacturers and incentivize innovation toward more affordable EVs. The market is not ready for a forced dependence on renewable energies, and this idea could be a large problem for economies down the road, looking at you Europe, but that is a story for another time. 

Prop 31 – Referendum on 2020 Law That Would Prohibit the Retail Sale of Certain Flavored Tobacco Products

Would prohibit the retail sale of certain flavored tobacco products (including, but not limited to, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and snuff) and tobacco flavor enhancers. Proposition 31 is a veto referendum that requires a simple majority (50% + 1) to pass. Fiscal Impact: This would result in decreased state tobacco tax revenues ranging from tens of millions of dollars annually to around $100 million annually.

VOTE: NO

This one is simple to me, it is already illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone under 21 years of age. To add a redundant law on top of this is an attempt to do something other than its direct label. There is always an entity pushing each prop and you must follow the money to understand the real intent, especially went the details are similar to this one. Also, ask yourself why former NY Mayor Bloomberg is spending money on this in CA…

Also, prohibition on vices rarely works as you CANNOT legislate morality, these are conversations for private families and local institutions to instill into their youth, not the government. 

Local School Boards-

PYLUSD- 

–Todd Frazier – Area 4

Richard Ingle – Area 5

Fullerton USD-

Matthew Van Hook 

Lisa Wozab

City Councils-

Placentia- Rhonda Shader

Yorba Linda- Carlos Rodriguez & Jancie Lim

Brea- Cecilia Hupp

Orange- Mark Murphy, John Gyllenhammer, Kathy Tavoularis

Disclosure: The ideas, arguments, and conclusions in this piece are the author’s own. AI was used for research, fact-checking, editing, and production under the AI Use Policy.

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