Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) is taking on Republican former professional baseball player Steve Garvey in the race for the U.S. Senate seat long held by Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Laphonza Butler, former chair of the EMILY List, to the post last fall following Feinstein’s death at age 90 in September 2023. But Butler announced soon after that she would not seek a full term.
Feinstein’s unexpired term expires in early January. Schiff and Garvey will face off in a special election for the remaining few weeks of that term, in addition to the general election for a full Senate term that begins January 3, 2025.
Who is Representative Adam Schiff?
Schiff, who as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee led the first impeachment trial of then-President Donald Trump, has become known in national politics as one of Trump’s most outspoken critics.
He worked for years as a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles before beginning his political career with an unsuccessful run for the State Assembly in 1994 before being elected to the California Senate in 1995. He served in the Legislature until 2000, when he was elected to the California Senate. the US House of Representatives.
Schiff is currently serving his twelfth term in the House of Representatives and represents California’s 30th Congressional District, which includes parts of the greater Los Angeles area from Burbank and Pasadena to mid-Wilshire and West Hollywood.
Who is Steve Garvey?
Garvey, a former Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star and San Diego Padres player who has not held public office, entered the crowded race last October, joining Schiff as top voters in the top two California primaries .
A supporter of Trump, Garvey has voted for him several times, but he has also downplayed his connection to him and marketed himself as a moderate Republican.
Where do Schiff and Garvey stand on California issues?
On the issue of California’s housing costs – the top concern among the state’s voters CBS News’ Super Tuesday exit polls — Schiff has called for more housing construction and the creation of a federal tax credit for renters, as well as a federal fund for legal action to defend tenants’ rights, among other policy proposals.
During the only fall debate in the Senate race, the Democratic congressman said direct federal investments in affordable housing are needed as well as funding at the state level.
“We need to build a lot more housing in California,” he said. “We can stimulate housing development. We can help break this logjam, and we should. The problem will not solve itself.”
Garvey has argued for a more hands-off approach, saying during the debate that government could potentially become “over-involved” and that Schiff’s ideas are costly.
“Let’s get back to a free market,” he said, calling for a cut in government regulations to lower the cost of living.
“I think this is more of a local issue,” Garvey said during the debate over increasing housing in California.
Where Schiff and Garvey stand on immigration, crime and gun control
Although Schiff and Garvey have feuded over immigration, both have called for it stricter security along the US-Mexico border. Garvey’s campaign has proposed a blanket ban on asylum claims for those who enter the country illegally. Meanwhile, Schiff has advocated for comprehensive immigration reform that would create a path to citizenship for some, such as the state’s farmworkers and Dreamers who illegally entered the U.S. as children.
Garvey supports California Proposition 36, which would increase penalties for drug possession and theft, and has advocated for tougher criminal penalties and holding prosecutors accountable for how they handle cases. He supports increasing funding to hire more law enforcement officers.
Schiff also supports increasing funding for law enforcement and has called for a community-oriented approach to policing, raising concerns in the past about police misconduct and race relations in the criminal justice system. In addressing public safety, he has pointed to his past efforts, including helping secure millions in federal funding to clear a decade-old backlog of rape kits in unsolved cases at the Los Angeles Police Department’s crime labs Angeles and the LA County Sheriff’s Department.
When it comes to gun control, Schiff has said there should be an assault weapons ban and other stricter laws, vowing to stand up to lobby groups like the National Rifle Association. Garvey, who describes himself as a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment, said during the fall debate that he would support “strict” background checks for purchasing firearms.
He previously told CalMatters that he supports a ban on assault weapons, but did not say so during the debate.
On abortion, Garvey has said he would support the will of Californians, who voted to add abortion and reproductive rights to the state’s constitution in 2022.
“I promise to support the voice of Californians,” he said during the debate, later adding, “I am Catholic. I believe in life. I believe in life at conception.”
Schiff has advocated for full federal legalization of abortion.
“Reproductive freedom is a human right,” he said after Garvey’s response during the debate.
