California Senate District 23 election: Mueller vs. Valladares voter guide

Former Republican Assemblymember Suzette Valladares and Democratic attorney Kipp Mueller are vying for the Santa Clarita Valley’s state Senate seat, one of the most targeted in the November election.

Sen. Scott Wilk (R-Saugus), who is terming out and cannot run for reelection, beat Mueller to win the seat in 2020, but Democrats hold a 10% voter registration edge in what was then the historically split 21st District.

Seeing an opportunity to flip the seat, the California Democratic Party has sunk more than $860,000 into Mueller’s campaign. Unions representing teachers, nurses, state workers and those in various building trades have also contributed to his fundraising total of more than $2.3 million, a tally from last year through early September.

The California Republican Party has given Valladares at least $330,000. She’s raised more than $1.5 million as a candidate with the help of contributions from political action committees sponsored by California hospitals, real estate agents, Native American tribes, pharmaceutical companies and other groups.

Who are the candidates?

Mueller, 38, works for the law firm Brent & Fiol, where he represents workers in discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination and whistleblower cases against employers.

The Democrat has worked with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch and the Santa Clara County district attorney’s office. Mueller grew up in California and lives in Santa Clarita.

Valladares, 43, owns and operates her own consulting business, advising education organizations, nonprofits and trade organizations, according to her campaign.

The Republican candidate served in the state Assembly from 2020 to 2022, and has worked for the Republican National Committee and former Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-Santa Clarita). She lives in Acton, a small community near the Antelope Valley.

Where is the district?

This district encompasses parts of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, and includes the cities of Santa Clarita, Palmdale, Lancaster, Victorville and Hesperia.

Crime

The biggest crime fight on the ballot is over Proposition 36, a measure that would stiffen penalties for some thefts and drug crimes and change parts of a controversial 2014 ballot measure that reduced several felonies to misdemeanors. Many conservatives and law enforcement leaders have said the measure will deter crime, while progressives and left-leaning Democrats have resisted it, arguing that altering Proposition 47 will only put more Californians behind bars.

Both candidates support the measure.

Mueller said it “brings some needed reform to Proposition 47.”

“My position on Proposition 36 makes one thing clear: my loyalty is not to any party or any politician,” he said in a statement. “It’s only to those who I have served throughout my legal career: the people.”

Valladares posted her position on social media in July.

“I’m backing this measure because it tackles the issues Sacramento’s ruling class has created,” she wrote. “As a mom and voter, I know we need safer communities for our children and families.”

Reproductive rights

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade two years ago has made abortion a defining issue in the 2024 election, from the top of the ballot all the way down to local races.

Though California law largely protects the right to abortion, which will not appear on the statewide ballot, candidates’ positions remain bellwethers for voters.

“Reproductive freedoms are a fundamental human and constitutional right, and for good reason: Because everyone should be able to make decisions about their own bodies without government interference,” Mueller says on his campaign website.

“People can choose to consult with their doctors, their religious counsel, and their families and friends,” he said. “But we have to defend each person’s fundamental right to bodily autonomy.”

For her 2022 voting record, Valladares received an F on NARAL Pro-Choice California’s Reproductive Freedom Legislative Scorecard. But that same year, she was one of the only Republicans to vote in support of state Senate Constitutional Amendment 10, which placed a measure on the 2022 ballot to further protect the right to abortion in California.

In a statement, Valladares described herself as “a personally pro-life woman who supports exceptions in cases of rape, incest and life of the mother.”

“My position is safe, rare and legal. I do not support a national ban,” her statement said. “I voted for SCA 10 to place Prop 1 on the ballot and the federal government shouldn’t interfere with California voters ability to make choices on women’s reproductive healthcare.”