Meet Anthony Trimino, Orange County entrepreneur running in the California recall election

Name: Anthony Trimino

Political party: Republican

Residence: Ladera Ranch

Occupation: CEO

Education: Community college

Experience: Built one of the fastest growing privately held companies in America.

Website: anthonytrimino.com

What precautions, if any, should California continue to take to cope with COVID-19 and its variants?

We have an obligation to provide Californians with the information they need to make informed decisions for themselves and their family members. This includes raw data from the scientific and healthcare communities along with direct insight from frontline doctors dealing with the virus in real time. Government should NOT impose mandates or restrict citizens from being able to CHOOSE what course of action is best suited for them and their unique circumstances.

California provided cash support to individuals and small businesses during the pandemic. To what extent should that assistance continue?

If we open our state back up and stop incentivizing people to remain on unemployment, we can stimulate our economy and create an environment that would no longer require this sort of financial assistance.

What more would you do to address California’s housing crisis?

Lift regulations and flatten the layers of red-tape causing unnecessary delays and increased costs to build.

What should California do to build up its middle class?

Eliminate the “Robin Hood” philosophy of punishing big business. There is a great white lie being told to the general public. It basically insinuates that by punishing big business and high net worth individuals, we can save the middle class. Take from the rich and give to the poor type mentality. Truth is, if we punish businesses - they leave. When they leave, they take jobs with them. When they take jobs with them, they take tax dollars away as well. What does that do to the middle class? It puts unnecessary tax burden on them to make up for the loss. We need to eliminate income tax across the state to ensure businesses, jobs and tax dollars stay in CA. That’s the best way to stimulate the middle class.

Would you propose any new policies to address climate change?

I believe everyone has a role to play in ensuring that our planet remains intact for the generations that follow. I don’t however believe that we need to bend to conservationists or lobbyists that want to impose unnecessary restrictions on development, water and energy creation. I would address real climate problems in real time with real solutions that put the interest of Californians first.

What should California do in the long term to address wildfire and drought conditions?

Better fund our fire departments, invest in better fire prevention equipment, manage our forests and implement more controlled burns.

This story was originally published August 12, 2021 at 5:00 AM.