Candidate Q&A: Greg Wallis and Christy Holstege Vie a Second Time to Represent Assembly District 47

In 2022, Greg Wallis became the assemblymember in California’s Assembly District 47, which includes most of the Coachella Valley west of Indio and Coachella, along with much of the rest of Riverside County to the west, and some areas of San Bernardino County. He won the seat over Palm Springs City Councilmember Christy Holstege by just 85 votes—out of a total of 169,419 votes cast.

A third-generation Californian, Greg Wallis, a Republican, studied political science at California Lutheran University before settling in the Coachella Valley to live with his wife, Desiree, and their two dogs, Gunner and Harley.

During his first term as the district’s representative, Wallis has served as a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, and as vice chair of the Arts, Entertainment, Sports & Tourism Committee; he also serves on six other committees.

Through June 30 (the most recent campaign finance reporting date), Wallis had raised $1,132,256 for this campaign and spent $581,792. The Wallis campaign website lists seven endorsements as of this writing, from a variety of public-safety workers’ associations, and the Southwest Mountain States Regional Council of Carpenters.

Holstege, a Democrat, has served since 2017 as a member of the Palm Springs City Council. She earned her bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara before obtaining a law degree from Stanford University. She self-describes on her campaign website as a “civil rights attorney, businesswoman (and) mom” as well as “the founder of a legal aid clinic for domestic violence survivors and their children.” A third-generation Californian, Holstege lives in Palm Springs with her husband, Adam Gilbert; their son, Aden; and their two dogs, Ollie and Layla.

Through June 30, Holstege had raised $1,508,222 and spent $723,405. As for endorsements, her campaign website breaks out 32 commitments of support from a variety of what her team characterizes as “working families, organizations and public safety” sources, which include the United Farm Workers, the National Union of Healthcare Workers, the California Federation of Teachers and the California School Employees Association, among others. Dozens more endorsements are also listed.

The Independent reached out to both candidates to obtain their responses to a set of eight questions. In a repeat of what happened in 2022, Holstege complied with the Independent’s policy of conducting candidate interviews in person or over the phone, while Wallis’ campaign said he only had time to answer questions via email.

Also: It’s important to note that these interviews were done before the news broke that District Attorney Mike Hestrin had written “a letter to officials in Palm Springs … saying he had credible evidence Holstege did not live in her (City Council) district.” Holstege has claimed that Hestrin’s claims are politically motivated, and that she does indeed live in her district.

Here, in their entirety, are their responses to the questions, which have been edited only for clarity and editorial style.

Christy Holstege (via telephone)

What are the two most pressing issues currently facing AD-47 constituents?

The top two issues that I’m hearing from constituents are, first, the cost-of-living crisis—how expensive it is to live in this district, the cost of housing, the cost of groceries, and just all the increasing costs. I’ve always focused on economic development. I served as mayor for the city of Palm Springs during the pandemic, and we supported workers. We supported businesses, and I’m really proud how we’ve grown our economy significantly over the last seven years that I’ve served on the Palm Springs City Council. I know I can do that regional economic-development work as the next state assemblymember for AD-47 by bringing in good-paying jobs with benefits, bringing in a four-year university that creates the pipeline to middle class and high earning jobs, and so much more.

I’d say the second issue is homelessness and housing. We’re seeing the impact of the homelessness crisis on California, and we’re seeing it more and more in Assembly District 47. When I’m knocking on doors every single weekend, talking to voters from Yucaipa to La Quinta, and everywhere in between, voters are talking to me about homelessness and housing. I’m really proud that I’ve led on these issues. In the city of Palm Springs, we were able to get $10 million from the state of California in a direct allocation to a small city, just for homelessness. And we’ve turned that into a $40 million homeless navigation center, the first of its kind in the region. We were able to deliver over $20 million in state and county funding for that project, and more. That’s the type of leadership and action it takes to address the homelessness crisis in California and in AD-47.

This year’s AD-47 faceoff is a repeat of the 2022 election, which ended with Wallis winning by a narrow margin. Two years later, how have the dynamics of the election changed? Why do you believe you will win this year?

Yes, our election in November 2022 was one of the closest elections in California’s history. We were up 5,000 votes or so on election night. There were lead changes, and we didn’t get the final results until Dec. 10 or 11, so it was incredibly close. We lost by 85 votes out of 170,000 total votes. That’s a tenth of 1%. So, 86 votes might be, like, 30 households just not voting. And what we saw in the last election was historically low turnout. Only 56% of registered voters across this district voted. You can imagine that not everyone votes all the way down the ballot; only about half of voters picked our current assemblymember. You know, that’s not good for democracy. We want everyone to participate. We want everyone’s vote to be counted, and go toward deciding who represents us in Sacramento. The assemblymember office is one of the most important roles of this region. They could deliver tens of millions of dollars to our region. They could deliver economic development. They could deliver real results, and we haven’t seen that yet from our current assemblymember, but I know I could do that if elected.

What’s different this time is that more people will vote. Usually in presidential elections, some 70% to 80% of people vote, so we’re just going to have a lot more people participating in democracy and selecting our assemblymember. That’s good for our region. So, we are working incredibly hard. We’ve been knocking on doors and talking to voters every single weekend. We’ve been in multiple places throughout the district every weekend, and we’re really trying to hit the ground running and talk to voters about why this Assembly district matters—how it will change our lives on the ground to have a Democrat represent us, someone who’s in the majority in California, someone with the endorsement of the governor and state elected officials who will actually be able to pick up the phone and call them when crises hit. That’s exactly what I did when we had Tropical Storm Hilary, and our 911 phone system went down. I immediately called state officials to get that addressed immediately. When residents in Cathedral City were dealing with the impacts of the storm and insurance problems, I called the state insurance commissioner to get relief to those residents. So, there are very many things that are different about this election compared to that of 2022, and I hope that we’ll be able to earn the votes of the majority of voters in Assembly District 47.

Parts of AD-47 (including around Cathedral City in Riverside County and Oak Glen and Forest Falls in San Bernardino County) were badly damaged by Tropical Storm Hilary in August 2023. What actions would you support the state government taking to mitigate and respond effectively to the impacts of the unusually strong storms, heat waves and high wind conditions resulting from climate change?

Yes, we’re in a climate crisis. Our district is on the very front lines of climate change. We’re seeing more and more days over 120 degrees. We’re seeing more extreme weather. We’re seeing flooding. We’re seeing wildfires in areas of this district, and blow sands impacting our freeways and our roads and so much more. Absolutely, as a City Council member and as a future state assemblymember, my focus is on emergency preparedness and emergency response. We need to plan around these issues, so that we’re protected from tropical storms that we never quite expected to hit the Coachella Valley. We need to plan for a future where we have more extreme weather, and we’re already seeing that on the ground.

I’m really proud that in Tropical Storm Hillary, I immediately reached out to Cathedral City residents who were most impacted. I went and deployed my team to that neighborhood. I personally scooped mud out of those houses, and talked to residents at a community meeting. I’m a lawyer by training, so I talked to them about their legal rights, and what resources would be available to them through the California state government. I talked to them about insurance, and I was really proud to work with Congressman (Raul) Ruiz’s office to deliver resources to that community and others. Then I worked closely with the city of Cathedral City to make sure that the necessary resources were present at a resource fair there, and that they had access to health care organizations, the state insurance commissioner’s office and more.

That’s what voters are going to see from me as an assemblymember, and that’s what hopefully they’ve seen from me in the seven years I’ve been serving Palm Springs. I get stuff done. I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty. I care about this community, and I care about its people. I did not see our current state assemblymember delivering resources or being personally present and looking at sites that were impacted. But, that’s exactly the leadership we need—someone who’s present in this community, who knows the neighbors and knows the communities.

The last thing I’ll say is we have experience on this in Palm Springs: Right after Tropical Storm Hilary, we had the governor in that moment in our (Office of Emergency Services) office where we had all of our police and fire and first responders. We brought the governor down. He engaged with us in the city as we were responding to the emergencies, and then we saw how it impacted Indian Canyon (Drive), which was closed with four feet of mud or more on top of it. So, we worked incredibly hard to bring down the governor’s emergency office team. We showed them the damage, and we showed them the impact to the Coachella Valley. We made the case about why Indian Canyon is so important for access to the hospital, especially for Desert Hot Springs residents, and we just delivered $50 million from the state of California to build a bridge over Indian Canyon, something our region has been attempting to do for over 10 years. That’s the type of leadership that we need to get things done in this region.

The last Riverside County homeless survey (in 2023) showed a 12% increase in the homeless population compared to 2022, and a 23% increase in unsheltered individuals. What approach would you support taking to decrease the homeless population throughout AD-47?

This is the issue that’s on so many voters’ minds. As I said, when I’m knocking doors throughout the Coachella Valley, people are asking me about homelessness.

I’m really proud of the results we’ve achieved so far for the Coachella Valley. I personally work as a legal-aid attorney, and I’ve represented homeless clients. I served on the city’s subcommittee on homelessness for seven years, and I’ve also chaired our Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) regional homelessness committee, and there, what we’ve been focused on is results. So, we focused on a housing-first model through CVAG that is getting people directly into services from the streets. We’re partnering with all of the police departments, with fire departments, with the social services agency, and involving the county, which provides a lot of those services. So, we’ve seen amazing results with our housing first program through CVAG.

When I first got on to the (Palm Springs City) Council, Roy’s (Desert Resource Center) was the homeless shelter for the west valley, and it had closed. We went many, many years without homeless services or a shelter being available in the western Coachella Valley. That’s why we worked for seven years, and I championed the navigation center. We went and found the money from the state. We applied for grants, and we brought in that $40 million to deliver a navigation center. We’re working very closely with the Palm Springs Police Department, which has set aside beds, and they can get people directly into shelter. We have emergency beds there. We have job training. We have everything people need to get back on their feet. And then we’re doing indie transitional housing units, too, so people can transition right on site into housing.

But we also have to talk about the mental-health-care crisis, and the substance abuse-crisis, that are impacting our communities. I support expanding mental-health services, working very closely with police departments to address the fentanyl and other illegal drugs that are coming into our communities. That way, we can get people into housing. We can get people into much-needed mental-health services that are hard to find in the Coachella Valley, and also, we can address the drugs that are coming into our region.

Transportation infrastructure in Riverside and San Bernardino counties is in serious need of upgrade and/or improvement. The frequent closures of critical roads in and out of Palm Springs due to blowing sand or flooding, the continuous issues with the I-10 freeway traffic flow disruptions, and the lack of any reliably scheduled train or bus mass-transit service throughout the district create daily, and sometimes life-threatening challenges to local residents. If elected, how would you try to address the critical infrastructure challenges in AD-47?

Focusing on transportation and infrastructure is one of my top issues in my campaign, and also something that I’ve worked on for years as a City Council member. We are a dis-invested region. We do not receive our fair share of state funding. When you look at where California is investing resources and state dollars, we have not been able to get our fair share of dollars despite being one of the fastest-growing regions in the country. So, I think we’re experiencing growing pains from the last 50 years of regional transformation, and we haven’t seen the same investment into our public transportation and other transit options. So, I strongly support public transportation, investing in SunLine (the valley’s public bus agency), and expanding their routes. We’ve worked really closely in the city of Palm Springs to expand routes, and to help fund that work by bringing in other dollars, so that people can rely on local busses to get where they need to go.

My very first job in the Coachella Valley was as a legal-aid attorney. I started a legal-aid clinic for domestic violence victims at Shelter From the Storm (a local domestic-abuse victims support organization). I was representing clients who were staying in the shelter in Cathedral City. I was representing them in court to get restraining orders and child custody, so they could get away from their abusers. At that time, it was taking two hours to get a bus to go to court and be there on time. It was nearly impossible to get a bus to go to downtown Riverside, where you might need to go to get public benefits. So, I’ve seen firsthand the impact on our community. I’ve talked to workers who can’t get to work on time because transportation is unreliable. These are really significant issues for our district.

So, I support expanding public transit, and I support expanding passenger rail to the Coachella Valley, which we’ve been working on for years. We’ve been going to Washington, D.C., to lobby for infrastructure dollars. We’ve been planning with the rail companies to really expand passenger rail through the Coachella Valley. That would be transformative for our region, and I know we can get it done. We’re already well on our way.

Then the last thing I’ll say is that we need to plan for these emergencies. We need an assemblymember who believes in climate change. Our current assemblymember has a 0% rating from the Sierra Club. He has an “F” grade from California environmental voters. We need an assemblymember who understands the environmental impact on transportation in our region. I also support the prevention work that we need to do, like the emergency planning work to keep the sand away from our freeways and our roads, so that we can actually avoid these problems in the future. But, those are the issues I’ve been working on every single day as a City Council member, and, like I said, we’ve delivered $50 million from the state of California to build a bridge over Indian Canyon, which is a much-needed solution, and we’ve been working on expanding transportation throughout the entire Assembly district.

Your constituents are still dealing with inflation and the increased costs of gas, groceries, utilities, mortgages and/or rent. What steps do you want the state to take to bring down costs and/or help residents deal with the increases?

I know cost of living is a significant issue for families throughout this region. We’re hearing about it every single day from my constituents in Palm Springs, and also voters that we’re talking to about the Assembly race. I’m very much focused on reducing prices and costs on Californians, especially residents of inland Southern California. Many of our residents commute to work. They might drive long distances to get to work, and so the cost of gas is really impactful. The cost of rent has increased really significantly over the last 10 years. This used to be an affordable region in California, and now it’s pricing too many people out. As a councilmember, I’ve been incredibly focused on reducing costs for residents and doing rental-assistance programs. We put out millions of dollars for rental assistance. We’ve supported local businesses to hire locally, so people can work where they live. I’ve supported other incentive programs to grow our local economy, and get good union jobs for our residents so we can expand those middle-class jobs and people aren’t getting paid poverty wages, which is too low to afford rent in in this region and in California.

So, I know that I can do the work to bring down costs. We also need to address price-gouging, and additional fees, like all of the extra fees that landlords are charging. The state has passed legislation to address those issues, and I know I can bring the leadership it will take to bring down costs for our residents. And then for rent, we need to significantly expand housing in the Coachella Valley and in California. Rent is so high, and buying a home is so costly, because we just don’t have enough housing. I’m really proud of the work I’ve done on this issue in this region. When I first got on the Palm Springs City Council, we had not approved an affordable housing project in 10 years. We’ve now delivered over 200 units of housing to our community. I was able to go to the groundbreaking for one of those projects, and people were going directly from their cars into housing. It’s an amazing feeling to see those results on the ground. So, that’s why I support developing housing, and making it cheaper, easier, quicker to build housing in California.

According to a recent USA Today article, California’s average residential electric power rate is the third highest in the country, behind only Rhode Island and Hawaii. A recent report shows both Pacific Gas & Electric and SoCal Edison residential customers have been burdened with, on average, a 51% rate increase between January 2021 and July 2024. Considering that AD-47 is located in about the hottest climate region of California, requiring extensive air conditioning of indoor spaces, what would you do to ease the power cost burden for your constituents?

We absolutely need to reduce the burden of utilities on our residents. Like you said, we have one of the hottest regions in California. I’m hearing from constituents who are facing electricity bills of a few hundred to a few thousand (dollars) for some businesses, and people are just not able to afford even using air conditioning as much as they need to do. I’ve just been working with the senior center on making sure that seniors have enough air conditioning where they live, or that they can access services so that they don’t experience heat illnesses, which is what we see happening on the ground here in the Coachella Valley. So, I’m committed to working very closely to reduce utility costs across the board. We worked on this issue in Palm Springs by doing a community choice aggregation model to have our own power system, so that the profits from power go directly back into the community instead of to shareholders of large corporations. And, I’m really proud of the results of those programs. They’ve led to local jobs on local windmills and more.

We have such an opportunity in this district. We have more sun and more wind than most places in the world. And if we can invest and really commit to green energy and green power, we can reduce costs long term for residents, and then focus on short term savings as well.

What was the primary reason why, one day you stopped and said to yourself, “I’ve got to run for public office?”

Right now, I’m running because I have a 3-1/2-year old. He’s a fourth-generation resident of the Coachella Valley, and I want to ensure for my son, and for all of our children and families and residents of this region, that we commit to having a future full of opportunity. I love this region of California. I love Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. We are such a unique place. People come here from all over the world, and we’re really one of the best places to live in the world. So, I think we deserve our fair share of state resources to become the region we can be, that we deserve to be. We deserve access to amazing health care, amazing public transportation, four-year universities and so much more of the “California Dream.” Right now, too many are being left behind. But if we have a champion for us in the state Assembly, which I know I can be, we can deliver those resources to our community. We can be that amazing region where no one’s left behind. And so, because of my commitment to the “California Dream” and my commitment to our future, that is why I’m running for state Assembly.

Greg Wallis (via email)

What are the two most pressing issues currently facing AD-47 constituents?

Californians shouldn’t have to choose between paying for food, gas or rent. My top priority is lowering the cost of living to make life more affordable for people.

Families also deserve to feel safe. I support laws that hold criminals accountable, and ensuring our police officers have the resources they need to do their jobs. It’s essential that we restore a sense of security in our community and ensure that every citizen feels safe.

This year’s AD-47 faceoff is a repeat of the 2022 election, which ended with you winning by a narrow margin. Two years later, how have the dynamics of the election changed? Why do you believe you will win this year?

As an assemblymember, I’ve built a record of working with Republicans, Democrats and anyone ready to get things done. California is on the wrong track, and working people are struggling to pay the bills. I’ll keep putting politics aside to pass policies that improve the quality of life for everyone.

Parts of AD-47 (including around Cathedral City in Riverside County and Oak Glen and Forest Falls in San Bernardino County) were badly damaged by Tropical Storm Hilary in August 2023. What actions would you support the state government taking to mitigate and respond effectively to the impacts of the unusually strong storms, heat waves and high wind conditions resulting from climate change?

I want to thank our first responders for their service during Tropical Storm Hilary. Their efforts helped our community rebound quickly and stronger than ever. Quick recovery from natural disasters depends on everyone working together. It’s important that state, local and federal agencies work together seamlessly—like state fire services coordinating with local police—to provide the response our communities need. I’m working to bring more resources into the district to build and maintain more resilient infrastructure.

The last Riverside County homeless survey (in 2023) showed a 12% increase in the homeless population compared to 2022, and a 23% increase in unsheltered individuals. What approach would you support taking to decreasing the homeless population throughout AD-47?

We need a two-phase approach to address homelessness. First, we must increase access to mental-health services to help people get the care they need. Second, we need to enforce anti-camping laws to prevent these areas from becoming hotspots for drug-dealing, violence and other criminal activities. It’s crucial to enforce laws that protect people and property while keeping our streets clean and safe.

Transportation infrastructure in Riverside and San Bernardino counties is in serious need of upgrade and/or improvement. The frequent closures of critical roads in and out of Palm Springs due to blowing sand or flooding, the continuous issues with the I-10 freeway traffic flow disruptions, and the lack of any reliably scheduled train or bus mass-transit service throughout the district create daily, and sometimes life-threatening challenges to local residents. If elected, how would you try to address the critical infrastructure challenges in AD-47?

Our district has one of the fastest-growing populations in the state. Transportation infrastructure is in desperate need of improvements. The lack of bypass roads alongside the I-10 freeway creates gridlock and a serious safety concern with a lack of access for emergency vehicles. In office, I have actively supported funding infrastructure projects to get our roads moving again, so that you spend time doing what you want to, not stuck in traffic.

Your constituents are still dealing with inflation and the increased costs of gas, groceries, utilities, mortgages and/or rent. What steps do you want the state to take to bring down costs and/or help residents deal with the increases?

Wasteful government spending has fueled our current cost-of-living crisis, leading to record gas and housing prices. I support eliminating the gas tax to put more money back in the pockets of Californians. We also need to reduce unnecessary fees and regulations on new housing to lower construction costs and make housing more affordable for everyone.

According to a recent USA Today article, California’s average residential electric power rate is the third highest in the country, behind only Rhode Island and Hawaii. A recent report shows both Pacific Gas & Electric and SoCal Edison residential customers have been burdened with, on average, a 51% rate increase between January 2021 and July 2024. Considering that AD-47 is located in about the hottest climate region of California, requiring extensive air conditioning of indoor spaces, what would you do to ease the power cost burden for your constituents?

California’s current energy production is expensive, unsustainable, and forces us to rely on imported oil at higher costs. My plan is an “all-of-the-above” strategy for energy production. That means saying “yes” to more clean, renewable energy, “yes” to nuclear power, and “yes” to clean traditional energy sources. We can protect the environment while bringing down energy costs and your bills.

What was the primary reason why, one day you stopped and said to yourself, “I’ve got to run for public office?”

I decided to run for public office when I saw my friends and family leaving our state due to rising crime, struggling schools and the high cost of living. I’ve always believed in serving my community, and I wanted to be a voice that rises above the partisan bickering in Sacramento, focused on finding real solutions for Californians.