Meet Tim Grayson, Candidate For Pleasant Hill's State Senate Seat

PLEASANT HILL , CA — As the November election approaches, Patch is providing in-depth coverage to help you make an informed decision.

We reached out to both candidates for California State Senate District 9. We asked them identical questions and we are providing you with their unedited responses.

Here are the responses from Tim Grayson.

Name:
Tim Grayson

Campaign website:
GraysonforCA.com

Party affiliation:
Democrat

Education:
Bachelor’s Degree

Occupation:
Small Business Owner, Police Chaplain, State Assemblymember

Family:
I have been married to my wife Tammy for 36 years and we have two children who live here in Concord.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?
No

Age

Previous public office, appointive or elective:
Member of the California Assembly (CA AD 15) 2016-Present
Mayor and City Councilmember, City of Concord 2010 – 2016

Why are you seeking this office?
Hard-working Californians are being left behind. Stagnant wages and rising inflation are holding too many of us back. Government must be focused on lifting up working Californians.
I have served this area in the Assembly for 8 years. I fought to crack down on gun violence, retail theft and fentanyl dealing. I wrote a law to increase penalties on sexual predators and started a nonprofit to protect survivors of domestic abuse and human trafficking.
In the State Senate, I’ll continue my work to create good paying jobs and ensure economic growth, lower utility and insurance rates, address senseless gun violence and keep violent criminals in jail and expand mental health services.

Please complete this statement:
The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is rising inflation and the cost of living here in California. I will continue my work to advance affordable housing. I authored and passed AB281, AB434 and AB281. This was historic legislation to build more housing that is affordable for working families, establish statewide rent protections to help more Californians stay in their homes and avoid unfair evictions.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidate seeking this post?
After serving in the state legislature for the past 8 years, I bring unique experience and perspective on what needs to be done to address California’s most pressing needs. I served at the forefront of the effort to create a new budget reserve account to complement the state’s constitutionally capped Rainy Day Fund. I authored and passed a law to increase access to effective mental health services for our California firefighters and first responders. I am proud to have delivered on $20M for Family Justice Centers which provide help and resources for those suffering from domestic violence.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?
First and foremost, rising inflation and increases in the cost of living are crushing working and middle class Californians. We must do more to address rising housing costs. During my tenure in the State legislature, I fought to address these rising costs by accelerating green-energy development in Contra Costa County, creating new jobs. I sought to prioritize in-state students for admission to the University of California to lower the cost of college and we cracked down on predatory lending by capping interest rates for consumer loans. I will continue to fight for more housing development at lower and middle income levels and advance efforts that incentivize job growth and support new businesses creating good paying jobs.
In addition, we must do more to ensure public safety in our communities. Rising retail theft and home and car break ins are affecting too many and we need to take action to support police and advance efforts to address this crime on a regional level, bringing together law enforcement agencies across all levels of government to address organized crime.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
More than 50 bills I have authored or joint-authored have been signed into law.
Here are some of those laws:

• Authored and passed AB281, AB434 and AB281. This was historic legislation to build more housing that is affordable for working families, establish statewide rent protections to help more Californians stay in their homes and avoid unfair evictions.

• Authored and passed a law to increase access to effective mental health services for our California firefighters and first responders.
• Authored and passed legislation to put an end to predatory lending and rein in the payday loan industry.
• Authored and passed $20 million in statewide funding for Family Justice Centers which help victims of domestic abuse and interpersonal violence.
• Secured funding necessary to complete improvements to the Interstate 680/State Route 4 interchange
• helped secure $100 million for fence-line monitoring to stop toxic pollution and voted to increase civil penalties on refineries that release toxic pollutants into the air

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
Surround yourself with positive people who love and support you and are better than you at most things. I’ve been married to my wife Tammy for 36 years and she inspires me to strive to be a better person every day. You really do become who you spend the most time with.