• Better Know a Candidate: Kelly Seyarto 67th Assembly District 2020

This year's primary is about two weeks away, March 3rd instead of it's usual June date. If you've been keeping up with our local electeds, you already know that there is a wide open seat for the 67th Assembly District. 
  

Link to 2019 blog about the open 67th District seat

I've already done a similar blog for another candidate in this race, and have a third one tentatively lined up. 

This blog is about longtime Murrieta city councilman Kelly Seyarto. He graciously met with me after a recent Murrieta/Wildomar Chamber of Commerce breakfast at The Shamrock (love that place... please open a second location in Wildomar ☺) where I peppered him with about a dozen questions.

Disclaimer for those that aren't sure, Wildomar Rap isn't in the business of looking for a gotcha moment, and is just looking to get the basics out to the readers. Is this a borderline puff piece? Probably, but I'm telling you that up front. If you're looking for mudslinging, you've found the wrong blog. 

Kelly Seyarto, the basics:

• 60 years old, married 32 years (Denise), three adult daughters
• Murrieta resident since 1991
• Elected to Murrieta city council in 1997 (to 2006), and again in 2016
• 35 year career firefighter, retired in 2015 from LACFD
• Associates of Arts Degree in Fire Science from Mt. San Antonio College
• Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Fire Administration and Technology from California State University Los Angeles
• Master’s Degree in Public Administration, California State University Long Beach
• Running for 67th District Assembly Seat

 WR  How long have you lived in the district?
 KS  I've been here in 1991. Twenty-nine years, and I've lived in Southern California all my life.
 WR  How long have you considered running for this seat?
 KS  It's always been a consideration since I got done with my second term, but it's not particularly this seat, it's anything that I think we need leadership with in the valley. I would never have thought to run against Melissa Melendez, and I thought she was going to be around awhile, and when she decided to run for senate, [running for this seat] became a consideration because I thought it was an opportunity to provide leadership.

Link to facebook page.

 WR  Why are you the best candidate for the job?
 KS  The first thing is experience. I have more experience at the local government level than all of the other candidates that are running against me, Democrat or Republican, put together. Over the years I've been engaged as a council member, and a lot of the regional boards and commissions; I've chaired most of them. 

I've also been involved at the state level with the League of California Cities, currently their president of their mayors and councils department. I also sit on the Public Safety Committee, and one of the western directors for the Riverside County Division of the League of Cities. 

At the January League of California Cities Riverside County Division dinner in January 2020 where he received the Outstanding Public Service Award. The award recognizes a public official from one of 27 member cities in Riverside County for outstanding service to government, leadership, activism with the League of Cities, and high personal character. 

So, all of those things combined have given me a really good background in what are the issues that face —not only our community, but also in California and how laws that are being passed down from [Sacramento] are affecting local government and affecting our quality of life. 
 WR  It's a big district, how do you plan plan on reaching out to/learning about the areas you aren't familiar with?
 KS  The same way I do everything, the same way I learned about what a conservation area was. Same way I learned about what transportation corridors and how the transportation network works. There are a lot of things that you learn [as an elected official], but more than anything I get out into the district. I've already been out walking in numerous areas, and that's the only way you really learn, is to get out there and see people.

As an assemblyperson you start attending the MACs in the various areas that are not incorporated. Also, you go to the city council meetings yourself. [Assembly members] have staff available to attend [local meetings] but there's nothing like trying to be there yourself. 

Fellow longtime Murrieta resident, April Vidal proudly sports one of Kelly's signs in her front yard.

 WR  What will your social media policies be?
 KS  Social media has become a commonplace tool for people to interact. There are times when people get a little out of control on it, you've got to be careful with that. It's not the place to have lengthy discussions about controversial subjects. I would rather sit down and talk with people when they have those types of subjects that they want to address. 

It's important to use social media to provide updates for people. Melissa does that really effectively. Whenever you come in and are the successor to someone else, you take all the great things they're doing and you continue those. Then you look for opportunities to do other things that can enhance your communication efforts with people. 
 WR  How do you envision your district outreach to be? 
 KS  There are two factors to this. One of them is, where [you] go up to Sacramento and you're in session. Usually that's a Sunday through Thursday venture. [The other] part is the part I have big huge advantage over the people that are running for the same seat. 

Kelly and Denise.

I have the ability to get into the district and actually go visit with people. I don't have as many competing interests, because I'm past that stage of my life where I'm going to [children's] sporting events, and those things are more important [to a family]. 

The competing interest is the political part, [my family] isn't a competing interest. At this stage of my life it's my wife and I, and she has a business, and she can participate with me. It doesn't affect what we're doing and it doesn't affect our life with our kids because now they're pretty independant and they do their own thing. It's a really good time for me to get out because I like to get out and interact with people personally, not via telephone or facebook, etc. 

The next question was a fun one... sort of. I wanted to see where Kelly slotted himself on the GOP spectrum. The original wording of the question was "to the left of Mitt Romney or to the right of Rush Limbaugh" or anywhere in between.. 

 WR  You're a Republican. Slot yourself on the GOP football field where in one endzone is Mitt Romney, and the other end zone is Rush Limbaugh. 
After a moment of trying to figure out what I was talking about... lol... he answered it this way.
 KS  If it's a football field I'd probably be about on the 35 to 40 yard line on the conservative side. 
 WR  With that in mind, Sacramento is decidedly liberal to progressive, how will you operate successfully in such an environment?
 KS  The same way you operate successfully in a diverse environment in a city council, you establish relationships based on the human part of it and don't let the ideology part of it get in the way of solving problems that have nothing to do with [political] ideology or principles. 

Obviously [a person] will have their conservative principles or their liberal principles, if you're on that side, but those don't have anything to do with solving the water problems in the state. The homeless problems in the state, that's probably the biggest crisis we have right now is the homeless problem. 

Appealing to those that are seeking to be good leaders in the [Assembly], whether they're Democrat or Republican, because someday, twenty/twenty-five years from now that's what their legacy is going to be. They're going to look back over twenty years ago and say, "Who were the people that turned this state around? Or, who are the people that took it down?" And you don't want to be in the group that took it down. So you need to challenge people. 
 WR  How will you define "success" after your first term as an Assemblyman?
 KS  I would define success by the amount of relationships that you can build that are good working relationships. After the first year you're not going to solve all the world's problems. Certainly not all of California's problems, but if you've turned the boat in that direction and it's starting to gain that momentum, then to me, that's success. 

Also, when we have bills that are onerous on small businesses, encroachment into cities and their ability to deliver services to their communities —if we can blunt those efforts, to me that would be a success also.
 WR  Realistically —or not— what are your key issues that you'll be championing?
 KS  Public safety is a big deal to me. I think we're going backwards on law enforcement, big time. I feel as I go out and talk with people and have my meet and greets I get people that are extremely frustrated [...] at the lack of ability to deal with the petty crimes that some of our lawmakers don't see as a big deal, but everybody else does. They feel it, and they're sick and tired of it, and to the point of wanting to move out [of California]. Wanting to close their businesses and taking their substantial net worth and leaving our state. We can't have that. We can't have communities that don't feel safe. 

Kelly got into other issues too. California fires and environmental groups regarding defensible space; attacks from Sacramento on small business 'needing to stop'; the homeless issue and the real issues behind it (drug addiction and mental illness); and over taxation in the state... but those items would have taken up more space than this entire blog. If you have particular questions on those, reach out to Kelly directly.

 WR  Voters will want to know your views on Prop 13, both of them. Go!
 KS  The first Prop 13 (on the March 2020 ballot) is the school bond and while I have, in the past considered them on a local level, I don't support school bonds —or any bonds at the state level, ever again. 

In the last thirty years you'll see that California creates an environment that makes it three times more expensive to build anything. So we're only getting a third of the bang for our buck that we should be getting. Until they change that we can't trust California with that kind of money [...] They have done this over and over and at some point you've gotta learn. I'm voting no on the school bond. 

[On the 1978] Prop 13, I actually met Howard Jarvis one time when he was doing the original Prop 13, and understand what was going on at the time. I was only twelve but my grandfather had an apartment building in LA and so he'd go to these meetings [...] I don't see going back to that dynamic [of ever increasing property taxes. Which] is not going to be helpful.

So the assault on the commercial portion of [property taxes] is just the first bite of the apple in my opinion, and we absolutely should not allow them any bites at that apple. [The 1978] Prop needs to stay, and it needs to stay forever. 
 WR  What are some of your hobbies or ways you like to spend personal time?
 KS  Number one, I love spending time with my family. Sometimes that's just hanging out, sometimes we're playing games, and that includes my inlaws, my wife and my kids. 

I also enjoy more physical type sports. I like skiing. I used to like [playing] basketball, and the other sports, but I find that body doesn't like to do it as much as I do (I chuckled at that from first hand experience). I've replaced that with working out, staying physically fit and being active. I like working around the house [...] putting things in order and stuff.
 WR  Any last thoughts you'd like to get to the voters?
 KS  The reason I'm doing this is because I like to help people. I've helped people throughout my career as a firefighter. That's kind one of the other things that this experience in life brings you is you kind of figure out who you are and what makes you tick, and what makes me tick is being able to help people. Whether it's in emergency situations or it's in a political situation where they're frustrated with the system and you're able to get in and help them get through that system.

A second variation of a Kelly Seyarto campaign sign.

I'm honored to be endorsed by Melissa Melendez, the seated Assemblywoman, also the California GOP, the Riverside County GOP, the Riverside County Sheriff's Association, and California Professional Firefighters and the Murrieta Fire Department and Murrieta Police. 

Kelly's campaign website link

Wildomar Rap opinion time

I first became acquainted with Kelly at the beginning 2019 when we both were on a "water tour" up at the delta (he was the master of making pizookies disappear ☺), and have crossed paths with him more frequently than I have with most of my fellow Wildomar city council members. 

I see him at the monthly Murrieta/Wildomar Chamber breakfasts, League of California Cities events, and had the chance to ride shotgun in his golf cart at a tournament late last year before he announced his candidacy. 

Kelly Seyarto and Joseph Morabito
at the 2020 Murrieta State of the City.

He shot a nice round of golf and more importantly, was a pleasure to spend the five plus hours with. For those that play adult sports, we all have been around "that guy" that may be a good player, but is an annoying human being... I'm happy to report that Kelly was NOT one of those. ☺

While out on the course I remember talking to him about the 67th district seat, and though he didn't come out and say he was running at that time, he did say something that indicated he was interested. 

I think that being retired, yet still full of vigor and vim puts him in an excellent position to represent the district if he makes it through the primary.

•                •                •

Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.
– Ambrose Bierce

Wildomar Rap is willing to make the easy assumption that if Ambrose was from our time he'd add "social media comment" right alongside "speech" when it comes to "regret".

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