[LSNN] Los Santos 2020: Your Guide to the Local Election

Kaspersky · September 19, 2020

As the city's election approaches, a wide array of candidates vie for seats in the Greater Los Santos area. The two main parties, Democrats and Republicans, present their plan for the city and have already managed to make rounds of news, with more to come in the days ahead. In the spirit of this election, LSNN presents the 2020 Los Santos Election Special, which aims to inform voters on key issues and familiarize you with the candidates running for District Representative. This page will constantly be updated with top news stories and other revisions.

KASPER KARTOWSKI AND THE LSNN TEAM

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PARTY QUESTIONNAIRE

We asked the leaders of both political parties the following hot topic questions. Feel free to read if you would like greater detail on both of the parties' policy positions and the reasoning behind them.

Does your party believe that mandatory minimum sentences for convicted felons must be upheld by courts?

Democrats: As long as a penalty prescribed in the penal code is not cruel and unusual, judges have no choice but to apply it.  It is often said that judges have discretion to be lenient or severe; that is true, but also true is that their discretion not unfettered.  The lower and upper limits are set by the policymakers and put in the penal code by them. The court should have no choice but to sentence in the prescribed range of the Penal Code.

Republicans: We do not believe in arbitrary enforcement of the law. We believe that a minimum is a minimum, therefore it is mandatory.

Should the death penalty should be handed down on violent offenders? What about non-violent ones?

Democrats: We believe that there should be an automatic, mandatory appeal whenever a death sentence is handed down.  No convicted person should condemned to capital punishment without the approval of our highest court. San Andreas does not currently have automatic direct appeal for any convict sentenced to capital punishment.  In such cases, higher courts should review the offenses and unanimously agree to a verdict. For non-violent offences, we think it would not only be barbaric, but might even rise to cruel and unusual punishment to impose capital punishment.

Republicans: Murder and rape are crimes that we consider irredeemable. It goes against our principles to allow people who have committed great harm against defenseless victims to go unpunished. Violence against children, the elderly and other helpless individuals absolutely deserve the maximum punishment prescribed by law. We believe non-violent offenders should both be punished and rehabilitated.

Today, hundreds of Los Santos citizens sit behind bars in the county's correctional facility. The overwhelming majority are people of color. What will your party do to address this issue?

Democrats: Sometimes, we hear explanations that amount to perpetuating stereotypes — we hear variations of “they don’t want to contribute,” or “they just need a job." The issue is often treated as if it is the result of a single barrier.  But it is usually not just the lack of a job.  If you address only one barrier, the response becomes ineffective.  Our approach must recognize the complexities behind these realities, and it must involve multiple disciplines if it emerges that the issue is a number of barriers rather than a single barrier. Our response would involve four stages: (1) identify exactly where the problems are, (2) consulting the broader community about their needs, such as relevant experts, the policing community, social workers, (3) design, which would include drafting solutions, and (4) implementation, where we would pass the finished bill into law.

Republicans: We wish to give those who suffer at a disadvantage because of discrimination or mental illness a chance to fight and appeal their conviction. Most importantly, we want to prevent this kind of statistic from increasing. We plan to do this by partnering with local clinics and outreach organizations to help keep every citizen looked after and cared for, along with keeping them employed and successful.

In recent months, several protesters have called for a cut in police funding and suggested placing it into the hands of other services. Does your party support extracting and rearranging police funding?

Democrats: We do not support the ‘defund the police’ movement. Instead, we aim to start with offering people alternatives to turn to. Welfare checks and mental-health related calls will be coordinated with new health departments, and mental health hotlines will work together with public service departments to keep people safe. This way, the police can use their assets and funding to focus on the areas where they need it most, including violent crimes, traffic, and community patrol. We do not want our police to be underfunded, and we hope that this way, we can ensure their funding is stable while still offering the potential of redistribution, should it be necessary or beneficial.

Republicans: We do not believe in defunding the police, nor creating another entity to replace them. This defeats the purpose of reforming justice and law enforcement, at least at a local level. We do believe mental health services need a buff, our city lacks an official provider, apart from local clinics that are not nearly as supported or funded as much as they should be. We want to increase oversight with every department, in order to quell discrimination and corruption. We believe, in order for this to be possible, these departments will require more funding and guidance. It is a long journey of oversight and community outreach that will effectively hinder discrimination and corruption.

If in power at City Hall, how will your party ensure that no one tries to profit off of their political success?

Democrats: Our candidates, collaborators and employees have been scanned and checked multiple times before receiving an offer of employment from The Democratic Party. In addition, the Chairman and the Vice Chairman lead a specific internal control team which keeps track of any suspicious movement by our collaborators. We strongly believe in our team, supporting them as much as possible in the operative field as well in the political environment, but all our members are aware of the constant checks we run on them to keep things clear and fair for everyone but mainly for the citizens of Los Santos.

Republicans: Oversight is very important. Under previous administrations, we have been kept in the dark. Very little was published and there are not many points of contact for people to connect with in order to voice their concerns. We plan to totally reform the government by implementing strict no-nonsense anti-corruption and oversight laws that will ensure job activity is upheld and corruption is non-existent. This also means implementing new positions that interact with the public more frequently, much like the LSPD's MRCAD division.

Will your candidates be mandated to release their tax returns to the public?

Democrats: All our candidates (i.e. District Representative, Deputy District Representative) will be mandated to release their tax returns to the public and have them visible to everyone. The Democratic Party has no secrets and we also put a lot of effort into what we do because we want to deliver only the best for our supporters and everyone in the City of Los Santos. In the upcoming weeks we will be releasing our tax returns to the public domain in order to let people understand that paying taxes is something necessary to have our city grow and become a better place.

Republicans: No, but if we win, we would publish salaries for each title within the government.

If elected, how would your party deal with obstacles from the opposition?

Democrats: Our party was the first to reach out to the Republican Party’s leadership in order to set up meetings to discuss our communication during these elections. We find it important to establish a proper channel of communication so we can deal with the elections and campaigns in a fair and just way. We aim to continue the trend of communication throughout the next term. While we may disagree with our political opponents’ opinions, we respect their intelligence, skill and experience. By keeping communications stable throughout the term, we aim to get the best out of everyone’s capabilities. Our motto is Forward, Together, and that’s together with everyone.

Republicans: As civilized people, we must frequently appeal to others, through logic and reason. Everybody uses these tactics, whether it's during a simple conversation or a full on debate. Even if there is opposition in power, we'll be doing our best to make sure there are policies in place that will benefit the people of Los Santos.

Does your party plan on raising, lowering, or maintaining the current tax rate?

Democrats: We will neither lower nor raise the tax rate. To ensure renovations for hospitals, set up a new health department, fund education properly and provide child services, as well as institute numerous other programs, lowering the tax rate is not feasible. To ensure families prosper, we do not wish to raise the tax rate, either, as higher taxes can be burdensome. Our research into the finance department has shown that the government is able to afford our plans, as long as the current tax rate remains in place.

Republicans: While we are traditionally inclined to cut taxes, we believe the current rates in place by the city are fair. We will not be increasing or cutting them. This is subject to change though.

If elected, would your party introduce any new taxes? If so, explain what the purpose of this tax would be.

Democrats: Our party supports programs that aim to fight against climate change. On a federal level, the United States of America turned its back on the Paris Agreements of 2015, municipal and state governments now have the duty to take the task of climate change prevention upon themselves. This includes setting a clear price on greenhouse gas emissions. This tax would aim to give companies incentive to switch to cleaner power sources. On the other hand, we wish to reduce the taxes and registration costs on electric vehicles to incentivize people to look at cleaner alternatives to gasoline.

Republicans: At the moment, the only potential tax we have thought of introducing is one on tobacco. Tobacco is indeed harmful substance, but we have yet to fully negotiate the possibility or specifics of this tax.

If elected, what kinds of infrastructure, housing, or other projects would your party support and how much would these projects cost?

Democrats: We will look to landlords and real estate managers to help solve this problem. One of our policies is the Rental Housing Assistance Program, which would create a website that gives landlords and tenants the tools to make renting properties easier. By creating a clear overview of sort-able listings, people can search based on district, price, and the amount of rooms of each type in the property. After the tenant and landlord have come to an agreement, the website would automatically help set up a contract based on the information the landlord provided, which protects people against tenant fraud.

Republicans: We intend on building low income housing projects, as well as temporary housing for the homeless and destitute veterans. The housing program for veterans would be much like a shared quarters in a shelter. Proof of service will be required, obviously. Projected costs for this project are not yet final, but we believe them to be in the four hundred-thousand range. This includes acquiring real estate and renovations.

Does your party support running budget deficits (creating debt when expenses exceed profit) to fund city projects or other city services? Why or why not?

Democrats: We are willing to bring the government into debt only should it be a good thing for the economy in the long-term. Government debt is not a bad thing for the economy in the short-term, as it opens a way for foreign bodies to invest in our growth by purchasing government bonds. Investors help economic growth when government debt is active, since it is less risky. If a reasonable amount of debt is necessary to improve our citizens' quality of life, Democrats are open to it on a short-term basis. However, we will always be dedicated to a stable economy and this will come first when weighing the pros and cons of any sort of debt, and will not go into debt should it not be absolutely necessary.

Republicans: In most cases, we do not support running deficits and we seek to cut unnecessary expenses. But there will always be certain programs that are a necessity to the people and rely heavily on financing. For example, we hope to help charitable organizations through incentives such as grants.

How does your party plan to protect the LGBT community?

Democrats: In the first release of our party manifesto, we included a section under rights that extends the ban on discrimination on account of orientation in employment, housing, public accommodations, and other areas, to include discrimination based on gender identity, gender expression and sexual characteristics. This is only our first step in helping the LGBT community. Our team consists of people of various backgrounds, walks of life, ethnic groups, religions, sexual orientations and gender identities. These people were chosen not because of their backgrounds, but because each of them is exceptionally capable in their positions. We believe every person should be given the chance to prove their ability without hindrance in regards to their background.

Republicans: We are currently not aware of any major local dilemma or statistics that prove the LGBT community suffers. We are aware that there has been incidents across the nation regarding discrimination and abuse, however it is hard to tackle these issues on a local level when there is no data available to work with.

If in power, will your party continue the affordable housing initiative?

Democrats: At the moment, we think that the affordable housing initiative is not correctly brought to the poorest neighborhoods as it should be. If in power we will continue this noble cause but we won't just sit there and see how it goes, but we'll be enforcing this initiative and give the possibility to everyone to afford a decent and safe place.

Republicans: Yes.

In a recent study, researchers listened to 1.2 million 911 calls and found that police officers use their firearms more often than in previous years, and that most cases involving police firearms being pulled occur in black communities. Can this statistic be lowered? If so, how will your party work towards that goal?

Democrats: There is no easy, quick solution to cure the problem of racism. But we believe the statistics can be lowered by thoroughly lobbying to the government of San Andreas to take inspiration from a number of progressive acts throughout America. The Police Integrity Transparency and Accountability Act from Colorado aims to collect racial profiling data and demographic data on police arrests. An act like this would ease the process of filing lawsuits in the event of unfair treatment. On top of that, it would prevent the transfer of problematic officers to different departments, make the use and release of body cameras mandatory, and require officers to intervene if they see their coworkers using unreasonable force against citizens. There is no easy, quick solution, no clear answer to the cure of precariousness problem of racism. But we have many options, and there are many steps we could take in the right direction.

Republicans: It absolutely can. We have plans to work with the LSPD's leadership and staff to help review and reform policies that result in these kind of incidents. We wish to also implement more outreach programs to help create a safer environment in these communities, without the need of increasing police presence or harsh action.

Should your party form government, what would its first priority be?

Democrats: Our top priority will be to satisfy Los Santos' citizens' needs. We are now listening to their problems one by one, giving a voice to everyone. For example, we're currently working on city’s public health system. No more will people be discharged within hours due to a lack of space and good rooms in hospitals. No longer will the mental health epidemic be neglected. We intend to work with the COO to make the establishment of the Department of Public Health one of our top priorities.

Republicans: Implementing oversight/transparency/anti-corruption laws and policies.

What is the biggest problem we face as a city right now? How does your party wish to solve it?

Democrats: The biggest is hard to say. There are many problems within our city, from racial segregation to homelessness, to the lack of mental health resources and support groups, to the lack of education. Our hands will be full, but we have a good number of people ready to solve everything. With the cooperation of the bright minds of both parties, we can work towards solving multiple problems at a time. Our motto Forward, Together is also our approach to solving the city’s problems: together.

Republicans: Unemployment and lack of access to medical facilities. Unemployment is a major issue across the nation. It is imperative we work with organizations such as ULSA and unions to help quell this issue. Medical facilities require our support across the city to ensure people are healthy and cared for, they desperately need our support to make this a reality.

What is the biggest problem we face as a city right now? How does your party wish to solve it?

Democrats: The biggest is hard to say. There are many problems within our city, from racial segregation to homelessness, to the lack of mental health resources and support groups, to the lack of education. Our hands will be full, but we have a good number of people ready to solve everything. With the cooperation of the bright minds of both parties, we can work towards solving multiple problems at a time. Our motto Forward, Together is also our approach to solving the city’s problems: together.

Republicans: Unemployment and lack of access to medical facilities. Unemployment is a major issue across the nation. It is imperative we work with organizations such as ULSA and unions to help quell this issue. Medical facilities require our support across the city to ensure people are healthy and cared for, they desperately need our support to make this a reality.

If elected, how will you judge your success or failure as a party in government?

Democrats: We would judge our success based on the effectiveness of our initiatives on our citizens, including the communications program, the poverty resources program, the suicide prevention lifeline program, the immigration resources program and other policies in our manifesto.

Republicans: The measurement of our success can be judged in the way we have benefited the people of Los Santos and the policies we implement.

1. LSNN will follow up with parties to verify that promises made during the campaign are scrutinized. This article is not verifying the truth of the statements, however LSNN will report should changes occur.

2. The policies reflect currently available information provided by the parties, which may fluctuate between candidates. Candidates are subject to change and are based on the most recent available information, as per the City Clerk.

3. No third party candidates are running in the 2020 Los Santos election.

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Mayor of Los Santos

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Charles Galloway (D) Oswald Halford (R)

Northern District

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Manjot Singh (D) Jonathan Spencer (R)

Central District

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Richard Orosco (D) Alex Flynn (R)

Southern District

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Wallace Abbasi (D) Jose Ortiz (R)

Western District

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Tanya Sun (D) Joshua Shepherd (R)

Eastern District

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George Valencia (D) Thomas Busch (R)

Blaine District

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Badar Khan (D) Joseph Hoffman (R)

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Los Santos City Hall is divided into six (6) electoral districts, with each getting one representative. You must reside in the district in which you are planning to vote. To find out which district you'll be voting in, refer to the map below.

Central District

Pillbox Hill, Mission Row, Alta, Hawick, Burton, West Vinewood and Downtown Vinewood.

Northern District

Vinewood Hills, Richman, GWC and Rockford Hills.

Western District

La Puerta, Little Seoul, Vespucci, Del Perro, Morningwood and Pacific Bluffs.

Eastern District

Cypress Flats, Murrieta Heights, El Burro Heights, La Mesa, Mirror Park and Eastern Vinewood.

Southern District

Strawberry, Davis, Rancho, Banning, Chamberlain Hills and southern La Puerta.

Blaine County District

The entirety of Blaine County, including the towns of Paleto Bay, Sandy Shores, Strawberry, and the areas of Grapeseed and Harmony.

City Property

The Los Santos International Airport and the roads around it, and the industrial docks. This area is known as a non-district zone, which means it is governed by city hall as a whole - no representative is given due to low population, but the area is still under Los Santos city limits and government.

4. Maps not to scale and are to be used as a general aid. Maps may have slight inaccuracies as there is no official district map provided by the government. Some dwellings may be part of a different district than expected, so refer to your address and ballot information. Contact City Hall if you are unsure where to vote.

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