Gregg Hart running for California Assembly, 37th District

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Three candidates are running for California Assembly, 37th District, which will cover Santa Barbara County and part of San Luis Obispo County.

One of those candidates is Gregg Hart.

"I’m running for California State Assembly because I’ve been a local elected official for 30 years, and I have a tremendous amount of experience on the issues that matter to the people who are living in the Central Coast," said Hart.

Hart is not new to local politics.

He's currently serving as a Santa Barbara County Supervisor.

“I’m really proud of the leadership that i exhibited as chair of the board during the COVID-19 pandemic. We all have struggled for the past two years in the most extraordinary time of our lives and I was thrust into the position of being a spokesperson for the county and the department of public health as chair of the board … and I think I brought a calm reasonable tone to that– or I try to encourage all of us to stick together and be our best selves during a very difficult period of time … and so I’m proud of that work … I want to continue to do that as a state representative in Sacramento," said Hart.

Hart said the community needs to work together to tackle some of the biggest challenges.

“There are so many pressing issues that are confronting folks as we try to navigate our lives – everything from homelessness to affordable housing to renewable energy, climate issues, the economy, inflation – there are so many things that require collaborative problem-solving leadership, and I have been that kind of elected official. I want to continue to do that," said Hart.

Some of Hart’s top priorities include combating homelessness and creating more affordable housing.

"We have a really unique story to tell here from the City of Santa Barbara about the effectiveness of other reliable predictable sustainable affordable housing revenue stream. In years past, we were building thousands of units of affordable housing. Unfortunately, that state funding was dissolved and we no longer have that reliable funding. So I’d like to work with my colleagues in Sacramento to restore that," said Hart.

If elected, Hart said he’ll focus on improving the local economy, and finding renewable energy sources to help the environment.

“I think we need to make the right choice to invest in clean renewable energy supplies that can create good paying jobs for residents in Santa Barbara County, and protecting our environment, which is really the underpinning of our local economy,” said Hart. “I look forward to working for all the residents of the central coast, as your voice in Sacramento and the California State Assembly.”

For the full interview with candidate Gregg Hart, play the YouTube video below.