Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris is vying for her fourth term in the legislature, and she faces former Newport Beach Councilmember Scotty Peotter in the race for the 73rd Assembly District.
Elected to the Assembly in 2018, Petrie-Norris chairs the Committee on Utilities and Energy and the Select Committee on Green Innovation and Entrepreneurship. This year, she has pushed for expanding electric vehicle charging stations, lowering energy bills for affordable housing, supporting victims of sexual assault and greater penalties for organized retail theft.
Peotter is an architect who has previously served on the planning commissions for both Irvine and Newport Beach, as well as on the Newport Beach City Council. In 2018, he survived a recall attempt from a group that accused him of lacking transparency in his financial dealings and prioritizing high-rise development over the wishes of his constituents.
Petrie-Norris and Peotter differ in their thinking of how the state could address concerns related to high prices and the cost of living in California.
Petrie-Norris said energy affordability is one of her top priorities. The Irvine Democrat said she has proposed policies to stop rising electricity rates, lower energy costs for California families and put more money back in their pockets.
Peotter suggested reducing the size of government, reducing regulations on gasoline, lowering gas and utility taxes and eliminating the carbon tax.
Most of the propositions on the ballot before voters this year will “make inflation and costs worse,” he said.
When it comes to homelessness, Petrie-Norris said policymakers should address mental health, addiction and the high cost of housing as well.
“Despite California’s enormous investments to address the homelessness crisis, the problem doesn’t seem to be getting any better,” she said in a questionnaire posed by the Orange County Register. “Local and county governments, nonprofits and other state contractors need to be held accountable for their use of our tax dollars. We don’t spend enough time looking at implementation and evaluating what is working and what is not. Where are we seeing the best results on the ground? Are those dollars doing what they’re supposed to do? And if not, what do we need to do differently?”
There’s no easy solution, Peotter said, to alleviate the homelessness crisis.
“People are unique, and there are many problems with independent solutions required for each person,” he said. “Although I think it is fair to categorize the problems into some major categories, like mental illness, drug and alcohol addiction and those just down on their luck.”
AD-73 in Orange County includes Costa Mesa, Irvine and Tustin. According to the latest state data, Democrats account for 39.6% of all the registered voters in the district, while 27.8% are Republicans and 27% are no party preference voters.
Find out more about Peotter and Petrie-Norris — and other candidates on your ballot — with the Register’s Voter Guide. Both candidates were sent questionnaires and in their own words, detailed their plans on various issues, from artificial intelligence to the state’s minimum wage and from the state budget to bond measures. You can also find what’s on their playlists as they’re on the campaign trail.
