Joe Patterson vs. Neva Parker in CA Assembly District 5: Candidates answer key questions
Republican Assemblymember Joe Patterson will face Democratic challenger Neva Parker to represent the 5th California Assembly District this November.
Former Rocklin mayor, Patterson is seeking a second term in the 5th Assembly District, which was drastically reduced in size during the 2021 redistricting process. Parker is no stranger to the Capitol, where she worked as a non-partisan legislative staffer for decades.
The 5th Assembly District spans El Dorado and Placer counties, and covers the cities of Rocklin, Auburn and Placerville.
The Bee asked the candidates to fill out a survey. Their responses were checked and slightly edited for spelling and grammar.
Joe Patterson
Political party: Republican
Age: 42
Birthplace: Napa
Residence: Rocklin
Occupation: Member of the State Assembly, 5th District
Education: California State University, Sacramento, B.A. in government
Offices held: Member of the State Assembly (2022-present); Member, Rocklin City Council (2016-2022); Mayor, City of Rocklin (2018-2019)
Campaign website address: JoePatterson.com
Q. What would be your budget priorities for the upcoming budget year?
Simple: funding core services like schools, infrastructure, and helping those who would otherwise be left with nothing (those with developmental disabilities, foster care). Finally, funding public safety in all areas to help reduce crime and recidivism. The governor proposed a fake budget for ‘24-25, and the legislature had to take it more seriously and solve the multi-billion dollar deficits partially caused by huge new programs.
Q. What do you think the Legislature should do to address the state’s ongoing homelessness crisis?
I have several bills in this area. AB 2570 would have added a qualitative analysis on how the state is spending money. Unfortunately, the governor vetoed this bipartisan legislation (perhaps he doesn’t want more accountability?). Second, Asm. Josh Hoover and I introduced AB 2417 to get rid of the state’s “Housing First” model. It did not receive a hearing, but the concept is that we need to spend homeless dollars on known successes, not only on programs that give housing without solving the underlying issue. Additionally, we need housing affordability by doing things like cutting red tape.
Q. How should the Legislature respond to concerns about retail theft and fentanyl and drug overdoses?
Despite pressure from the Governor’s Office to kill the legislation, legislators passed a bipartisan package of bills to help curb retail theft. But ultimately, it must go to the voters to help fix Prop 47, which was deeply flawed and has caused many of the issues you are seeing today. I have half a dozen pieces of legislation on fentanyl, and several of them have been signed. The solution is three-pronged: education, treatment, and accountability for traffickers and those preying on our children.
Neva Parker
Political party: Democrat
Age: 49
Birthplace: Richmond
Residence: Roseville
Occupation: Placer County Older Adults Advisory Commission
Education: Saint Mary’s College of California, Masters in leadership; University of California, Davis, B.A. in history
Offices held: NA
Campaign website address: nevaparkerforassembly.com
Q. What would be your budget priorities for the upcoming budget year?
Education, prevention and recovery services for substance use disorders, and fire prevention are my top budget priorities. In education, I will advocate for investment in infrastructure, technology, and student safety, especially against gun violence. In prevention and recovery services for substance use disorders I will advocate for education, treatment access, and stigma reduction. Lastly, to help reduce the rising costs of insurance and utilities for families and businesses I will focus my efforts on fire prevention, forest management, and community preparedness.
Q. What do you think the Legislature should do to address the state’s ongoing homelessness crisis?
California has allocated $24 billion to fight homelessness since 2019, but the COVID-19 pandemic, rising living costs, including utility rate hikes by PG&E, corporate price gouging, and lack of affordable housing have worsened the crisis. Mental health and substance use disorders add to the complexity. Although these funds have helped in some areas and prevented an even bigger crisis, accountability and transparency in spending are crucial. We need annual reviews of local spending to identify effective strategies, refine our approach, and better support California’s different communities.
Q. How should the Legislature respond to concerns about retail theft and fentanyl and drug overdoses?
The stigma surrounding substance use disorder, along with its continued criminalization, has hampered meaningful reform in care and treatment. To reduce the risk of misuse and fentanyl poisoning, the Legislature should work with healthcare professionals to monitor opioid use, especially for those with chronic pain. Blending retail theft with substance use disorder also slows reform. Although addiction may lead to theft, economics or organized crime often drive retail theft. Each should be addressed by the Legislature with strategies that reflect their complexity and avoid conflating the two.
