Jeff Hewitt – As a third-generation native Californian, I have been so fortunate in having the opportunity to live, work and raise a family in the most blessed state in the world.
There has been ample opportunity to prosper over the years as a self-employed small businessman to not only feed my family but also get a higher education and dream of bigger things. As my body slowly wore out digging thousands of swimming pools, I found myself serving my community more, first on a planning commission in the small city of Calimesa and then on the City Council.
It was on the City Council where I gained the trust of my colleagues and became the mayor in 2016. A year later we were forced to make a difficult decision as to our fire department and chose to break away from the county model and form our own fire department. In January of 2018 we started the Calimesa Fire Department.
Saving over $1 million a year for our constituents and changing over to competitive and sustainable 401(k)-style pensions proved we could do anything as a team if we put our minds to it. Later that year, I was elected to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors and have continued serving the good people of the 5th District and the county at large until the present.
The reason I am entering the race for governor in the recall election is that this state no longer accommodates dreams, fosters ideas or solves problems. Instead, the state seems to grow more restrictive and punitive to individuals who want to make this state a better place to live through hard work and innovation.
The pandemic has helped to expose several deficiencies in our state that will loom even larger in the immediate future.
The arbitrary and capricious criteria to designate what is and isn’t an “essential” business has been incredibly damaging.
As a county supervisor I watched as Sacramento unilaterally shorted my county on COVID-19 vaccines in the early months of their rollout. This playing of favorites showed that the state government was not capable of fairness and equality and put my constituents at an increased risk.
As the pandemic winds down, it is so important that all of the people of California are represented, not just those who are friends of those in power.
There are many serious challenges facing our state, many with common sense solutions and yet the status quo is failing on every one of them.
We need smarter water policy
We are entering our second year of drought and are facing moderate or extreme rationing of water. After an entire year of lockdowns, the last thing we need is more restrictions on our lifestyles. The saddest part of this story is that it could have been avoided a long time ago.
For over 50 years we have built not a single new reservoir; we have not adequately planned for water storage in wet years to be used in the dry years. There has not been the political will to take on extreme no-growth groups who invoke the environment as a means to bludgeon solutions they don’t like. With an “all hands on deck” approach, we could have enough water for the environment, agriculture, business and residential, without harmful rationing.
Coincidentally, the $30 billion wasted on unemployment fraud at the Employment Development Department last year would have been sufficient to upgrade our conveyance system, build new reservoirs and other innovative conveyance systems.
In contrast to Gov. Gavin Newsom I would immediately and aggressively push for raising Shasta Dam by 10 feet, fast track the construction of the Sites Reservoir, complete the Cadiz underground storage basin and support more desalination plants along the coast. As governor, I would no longer ignore our largest body of water, the Salton Sea and directly work with Mexico on a bilateral agreement for water from the Sea of Cortez. This needs action now to protect the health of our most vulnerable populations in the eastern Coachella Valley.
California needs common sense on housing
California has become so expensive to build a new home that the price is outpacing the incomes of prospective buyers. Land is understandably pricier, but government development fees are exceeding six figures in some areas.
Developers are forced to waste years stuck in the entitlement process. Some of this is because of the lengthy California Environmental Quality Act process and some of it is because some people hate new development and tie up every new project for years in court.
We need to protect our environment, making sure those responsible for pollution or irreparable damage are held accountable. On the same token we need to allow new building to take place. As governor, I would seriously look into reforming CEQA. Affordable housing in this state is anything but, however, getting the bureaucrats out of the process and letting builders do what they do best — build — will allow a much greater quantity of new more affordable homes to be built in a short time.
Bringing down barriers to housing construction has a positive effect on everything from keeping productive families from leaving the state to reducing homelessness.
Our students deserve better than the status quo
Our schools have failed us in unacceptable ways. Our test scores in math and science are among the worst in the nation. Our students and schools that were underperforming before the pandemic and are woefully behind now need better support than they’re getting now.
This is why as governor I would support offering an educational savings account for every student in the state; making sure that the families that live in the poorest neighborhoods are empowered to send their kids to better schools. This plan would also allow for students to set any unused monies aside to use for college down the road.
Teachers, many of whom cannot afford a home in the communities they work in, need the flexibility and support on the local level to create champions out of our youth who will be not only good citizens but also technologically prepared for the future. One size does not fit all of California and we can focus on each local district and provide what they need. I will work to provide choices for families and students across the state.
California needs a new approach
I feel very deeply that this state needs to heal. I have devoted the last 16 years of my life to finding solutions to problems in my community, and can certainly apply new and innovative solutions to a state of 40 million people. As a Libertarian, not a member of either major party, I have the ability to accept the best ideas of each side and work for consensus and compromise that benefits the state as a whole.
Two years ago, the California Public Policy Institute asked registered voters if they thought it was time for a viable third party. 62% said this was the solution they wanted and I’m here to help offer that solution.
I have been blessed to meet people of every race, age, religion and economic situation all over the state of California. I have heard their needs and desires, and I will work tirelessly to lift up every Californian.
Let’s do this, let’s use innovation, increase resources and respect for each other and enter the greatest Renaissance of all time. Please consider checking out my campaign at hewitt4ca.com volunteer, donate, and with your help we can make California work for everyone.
Jeff Hewitt is a Riverside County supervisor and candidate for governor.
