Ahead of the June primary election, the Southern California News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates who wish to represent you. You can find the full questionnaire below. Questionnaires may have been edited for spelling, grammar, length and, in some instances, to remove hate speech and offensive language.
Name: Dick Lucas
Current job title: Co-Founder
Political party affiliation: No Party Preference
Incumbent: No
Other political positions held: None
City where you reside: Santa Monica
Campaign website or social media: dicklucas.com
Do you believe balancing the state budget should rely more on spending cuts, new revenue streams or a combination? Tell us how you would propose tackling California’s projected budget deficit. (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
Absolutely, spending cuts. Not one more cent of taxes should be instituted until we know our dollars are not getting lit on fire. We have a spending problem in this state, not a revenue problem. Our budget is 60% bigger than it was five years ago, and we still are facing massive deficits. We spent $25 billion on homelessness from 2018 to 2023, and we don’t know where the money went. The high-speed rail project is a disaster, going from a $28 billion estimated cost to $128 billion. Our state sent out $31 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims during COVID. More recently, the extent of hospice fraud, especially in Los Angeles, is coming to light. We have the second-highest taxes per capita in the country, and for it, our government has little to show for it. Our government can’t even renovate our State Capitol building without massive overspending shrouded in secrecy.
I will fight to bring massive transparency to our government spending. Audits are not enough. We must publish where every single cent of taxpayer dollars is going — daily. We have the technology to do this. I work in software for a living; this isn’t hard. I will fight for it.
I will ban public sector unions that are enriching themselves and taking the taxpayers for a ride. Our government employees are by FAR the best paid in the country, and their unions have captured our politicians to increase their benefits every single year. It must end.
For you, what’s a non-starter when talking about budget cuts? Why? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
There are zero non-starters for me when talking about budget cuts. Every single part of our government can be made more efficient. The problem with government is the question is always, “Should we spend more or less?” None of these people ever thinks about being more efficient with the dollars we do spend. Just because a budget is cut does not mean service is reduced; it can, in fact, get better. Look at our homeless spending. The more we spend, the worse the problem gets because we are enriching people with a lot of political power who will get paid more with increased homelessness. Our state budget could be three times the size, $1 trillion, and I guarantee every single government service would degrade in quality. We must cut the bloat and bring in A players to run our government. Right now, it is filled with D players.
What are the top three most pressing issues facing the state, and what would you propose, as a state legislator, to address them? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
Housing, homelessness, and the economy. Everything else is noise. We have the highest housing costs in the country, the highest homeless population, the highest unemployment rate, and the highest poverty rate. Our state is in absolute crisis.
With housing, the only way to lower the cost is to build more supply. There is no other way. Every city (Austin, Nashville, Denver, etc.) that builds more sees their housing costs go down. We can do much better than “freeze the rent,” we can lower it by massively cutting red tape and legalizing building in our cities.
Homelessness, we must bring total transparency to where every single cent goes, and we must stop outsourcing our capabilities to unaccountable non-profits. We must maximally enforce anti-camping laws, force treatment, and make it illegal to do drugs (it currently is not) and deal drugs in public housing. These people on the street need our help. The status quo is killing them. Sustaining them so they can stay on the street without getting proper care is not compassion; it is evil.
Finally, the economy, with the highest unemployment rate and highest poverty rate, we are clearly lacking opportunity. I want to make California the most pro-business state in the union. I want to make it as easy as possible for small, medium, and large businesses to operate here. Instant permitting, protecting businesses from frivolous lawsuits, and legalizing manufacturing.
What specific policy would you champion in the statehouse to improve the cost of living for residents? Would you see this having an immediate impact on Californians or would it take some time? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
California has the highest taxes, highest housing costs, highest gas prices, and highest utility rates in the country. My solutions: lower taxes, cut red tape and upzone to massively add more housing supply to lower the cost. Massively cut taxes on gas and stop importing oil from halfway around the world (which is horrible for emissions and the environment), and instead massively increase domestic production. For electricity costs, we need to let the market build whatever it deems the cheapest form of energy, whether that’s nuclear, gas, wind, or solar, and make permitting to build these projects instant. We also need 100x prescribed burns to prevent out-of-control wildfires that destroy our grid and increase costs. It takes 4.7 years on average to get a permit approved for a prescribed burn. It should take days.
There have been numerous efforts made in the state legislature to curtail federal immigration enforcement in California, from prohibitions on agents wearing masks to banning federal officers from future employment in a public agency. Do you see any area where the state could better protect its residents from the federal government’s widespread immigration crackdown? Would you prefer the state work more hand-in-hand with the federal government on immigration? Where does the role as a state legislator fall into your beliefs here? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
I believe we should have secure borders and increase the amount of legal immigration into our country, ensuring we allow those to come in who love this country, want to be American, and want to live the American dream. I think it is counterproductive for the federal government to target illegal immigrants who are just trying to live their lives. I believe their messaging around deportations has been cruel. I believe they have been way too heavy-handed. I believe illegal immigrants who commit a crime should be deported immediately, and our state authorities should work with the federal government to make that happen.
Health care costs — like in many other areas — are continuing to rise. What policies, specifically, would you support or like to champion that could lower premiums or out-of-pocket expenses? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
My No. 1 goal is to address the underlying cost of healthcare — not simply throw more tax dollars at a problem that continues to grow unsustainably. There is no silver bullet, it will take a combination of many things: Promote telehealth which is far cheaper to administer than in person care, increase pricing transparency so consumers can shop around like they do anything else, increase competition from medical providers, reimburse procedures the same whether at a hospital or outpatient facility to encourage them to be done at lower cost locations, more negotiation with prescription drugs, and accelerate adoption of standardized electronic prior authorization forms.
Would you support expanding state health care programs to ensure more residents — including those who are not citizens — are covered? How would you propose the state fund such an expansion? Or, how would you propose the people who cannot afford health care still get the necessary care they need without expanding state programs? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
My No. 1 goal is to make the dollars we have already allocated to healthcare go further. We are in a fiscal crisis with major deficits, and we can’t afford to throw more money at problems. We must be smarter. I believe public services should be for citizens and legal residents, but where it is clear it will save our state money to provide care outside of that e.g., preventative care, I am for it.
As part of combating homelessness, elected officials often talk about the need to prevent people from losing their homes in the first place. What policies or programs should the state adopt to make housing more affordable for renters and homeowners? What do you propose the state do to incentivize housing development and expedite such projects? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
Overregulation, especially at the city level, is why we have the highest housing prices in the country. We don’t need to spend tax dollars to solve this. We need to remove all restrictions on housing and apartment development, issue permits instantly, and let builders build. Cities are reluctant to do this, so we must take them to court. I will fight to allow property owners to develop land as they see fit and ensure cities offer permits the same day.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law in 2023 authorizing state energy regulators to penalize oil companies making excessive profits. But the California Energy Commission put off imposing the penalties last year after two oil refineries, which represent nearly a fifth of California’s refining capacity, said they would shut down operations. Those announcements prompted many to be concerned about soaring gas prices. What do you think of the commission’s decision? And how would you, as a state legislator, propose balancing California’s climate goals with protecting consumers from high gas prices at the pump? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
The market is the best regulator of prices. I am against Gov. Newsom passing this in the first place. Allow more refineries to operate in California, so they compete with each other and drive down prices for consumers.
That said, I am for the commission postponing these penalties indefinitely. Clean energy is winning on price. Solar, batteries, and perhaps nuclear are the future. There is no getting around it. But we are in a transition period right now, and I would much rather the market determine what form of energy generation is best and cheapest for Californians. Emissions peaked in the U.S. in 2005 and have been steadily dropping since, and they will continue to do so. There is no reason we need to crush Californians with the highest gas prices in the country to continue this trend.
In 2024, voters approved Proposition 36 to increase penalties for certain drug and retail theft crimes and make available a drug treatment option for some who plead guilty to felony drug possession. Would you, as a legislator, demand that more funding for behavioral health treatments be included in the budget? How would you ensure that money is used properly? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
I join the vast majority of Californians in my support of Proposition 36, as we have been way too lenient on retail theft. Given the state has dodged properly funding behavioral health treatments, I would support more funding for them, contingent on it not coming from any new taxes, and every single dollar towards this effort is tracked with outcomes clearly monitored.
What role should the state play in ensuring hospitals and doctors are providing gender-affirming care to LGBTQ+ residents? Similarly, what role do you believe the state could play should other states adopt policies that restrict that care? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
The state should support evidence-based care backed by robust scientific data. As for the second part, this is a constitutional question. I believe in states’ rights and them doing what is constitutionally required of them, but no more.
Governments around the world are increasingly considering an age ban or other restrictions on social media use among young people, citing mental health and other concerns. Do you believe it’s the state’s responsibility to regulate social media use? Why or why not? And what specific restrictions or safeguards would you propose as a state lawmaker? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
I am extremely skeptical of the government intervening in our children’s lives. Should phones be away at school so kids can be present and focused? Probably. But for the government to mandate things that parents should decide in the walls of their own home is overreach. Smartphones come with very easy-to-manage parental controls. It is the job of our parents, not legislators, to raise our children.
Artificial intelligence has become a ubiquitous part of our lives. Yet public concerns remain that there aren’t enough regulations governing when or how AI should be used, and that the technology would replace jobs and leave too many Californians unemployed. How specifically would you balance such concerns with the desire to foster innovation and have California remain a leader in this space? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
First, I want to put Californians at ease that AI is not going to cause a bunch of unemployment. It will change jobs, and yes, some will go away altogether. But this is the story of every single technological revolution. The steam engine, locomotive, telegraph, automobiles, the internet — jobs change, some go away, and new ones are created. The biggest risk with AI is that the government overregulates it and drives it out of our state, or even worse, to China. California is the leader in AI, and we must keep it that way.
Statistically, violent crime rates in California is on the decline, but still, residents are not feeling safe or at ease in their communities. How do you see your role in the state legislature in addressing the underlying issues that make Californians feel unsafe in their own neighborhoods? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
This perception exists because so many violent criminals are released back on the streets in the name of “restorative justice.” Our prison system in California is extremely expensive and a total disaster. It needs addressing. But the solution is not to kick victims in the face by not serving full justice to the perpetrators of these crimes.
What’s a hidden talent you have? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
California is in crisis. Voters want solutions, not hidden talents that make the most disingenuous and unrelatable people on the planet seem normal.
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