Dave Ennis vs. Lori Wilson for California’s Assembly District 11: Candidates answer key questions
California Assembly District 11 covers Vallejo, Fairfield and Vacaville and surrounding areas.
The race for that seat features the incumbent, Democratic Assemblywoman Lori Wilson, against Republican challenger Dave Ennis.
Wilson, who is in her first term on the Assembly, won 50.2% of the vote in California’s March primary, while Ennis won 26.1%.
Lori Wilson
Political Party: Democratic
Age: 48
Birthplace: Fresno
Current town of residence: Suisun City
Current occupation: Assemblywoman
Education: Bachelor degree in arts from Sacramento State University
Offices held: California Assembly, 2022 to present; Suisun City Mayor, 2018 to 2022; Suisun City Council 2012 to 2018
Campaign website address: electloriwilson.com
What would be your budget priorities for the upcoming budget year?
Faced with a structural deficit that still looms for our upcoming 2025-26 budget, we must focus our efforts on the services that help our most vulnerable populations. Our budget is a statement of our values. We must continue using the budget to thoughtfully address homelessness, expand childcare funding, invest in housing and transportation infrastructure, and provide economic security. These types of spending will shore up our community safety net and ensure we can also advance working and middle class families.
What do you think the Legislature should do to address the state’s ongoing homelessness crisis?
California must hone in on proven homelessness prevention strategies like local housing voucher programs, rental assistance, and eviction prevention programs. We need to address severe mental health cases and addiction, help our unhoused community by providing proper case management and housing stabilization services, and work with local governments to further invest in shelter capacity and navigation centers, or risk displacing folks from one encampment to another. We also need economic opportunities for all by increasing employment opportunities and addressing the rising cost of healthcare.
How should the Legislature respond to concerns about retail theft and fentanyl and drug overdoses?
I am sensitive to the general sentiment among Californians, as seen in polling data that public safety is a concern. I think the degree of homelessness in our communities contributes to that feeling, and we must do more to address these issues and help people feel safer. That is why the Legislature moved this year to pass new laws addressing retail theft and fentanyl crimes. We also need to do more aid recovery from drug addiction, which helps people return to productive lives and reduces crime.
Dave Ennis
Political Party: Republican
Age: 71
Birthplace: Minnesota
Current town of residence: Vallejo
Current occupation: Civil engineer
Education: Master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University, bachelor’s degree of science in engineering at Duke University, California professional engineer
Offices Held: San Leandro Planning Commission, 2002 to 2004
Campaign website address: https://www.ennis2024.org
What would be your budget priorities for the upcoming budget year?
Balanced budget. Education. Reduce crime. Reduce homelessness. Affordable housing. Supporting infrastructure.
What do you think the Legislature should do to address the state’s ongoing homelessness crisis?
Help nonprofits and cities get the homeless indoors, help them overcome their problems and become independent and productive.
How should the Legislature respond to concerns about retail theft and fentanyl and drug overdoses?
We need to create incentives for criminals to live within the legal system and not give them the right to refuse anything they want to. Victims are not criminals, but we seem to be more concerned about the criminals than the victims. We should do everything we can to rehabilitate criminals, but repeated activity should be punished. We need to stop drugs at the border and increase penalties for drug dealers; working with law enforcement to arrest the top of the distribution networks.