Renita Duncan, Independent, Violence Prevention Integrator for US Air Force

The Boiling Point: How would you describe the 30th State Senatorial district in any way you’d like? 

Renita Duncan: I would describe it as a very diverse district. We have entrepreneurs, we have attorneys, we have blue collar workers, white collar workers, single parents like me, people working two jobs. Income from 40 to 150 to a quarter of a million dollars. So it’s very diverse and although it’s very diverse and ethnic diversity as well, like every ethnic and orientation is in our district that’s why I love it. We have artists. It’s just vast. I mean it’s exciting to live here. But the one thing that I feel like we all have in common, and are thriving for is hope, like we all have hope. Hope that we’ll be able to put food on the table, have a safe environment for our families, and a great education for our children and a great future. So that is what I love about district 30. I’ve been living in this district since I’ve lived in California.” 

BP: What do you think is the biggest challenge for the district? 

RD: I think the biggest challenge right now is the challenge of not bringing us all together, in a unified communication. And just as I say that we are diverse people we have people that are winners, we have people that are homeowners we have small buisness, and all of that right now is we have like a lot of different, our burdens are a little different, but they all come together the same. I feel like right now the biggest challenge is getting us back to work and empowering our community. Really I really want us to be able to thrive as a community and getting us back to economic empowerment I feel is going to be something that we should look forward too and really market and push as a representative.”

BP: What do you think Sacramento can do about some of the challenges facing the district? 

RD: Well first of all I think we can provide some communication better. I know the reason I’m running is because I feel like my voice wasn’t heard, as a constituent. When it’s election time, we hear a lot from voters and they talk about their endorsements and all the committees thy’re a part of and everyone that endorses them, and we’ve been voting the same people in, but really there’s been no action. So the best thing that Sacramento can do — and our representative — is engaging with the community.  ‘Cause once you write legislation it’s really not worth the paper it’s written on if we don’t engage it and enact it. I’m running because there’s been no action. We’ve made a lot of promises and we haven’t engaged our community and moved forward.

I also think they need to understand the diversity of the small businesses that we have in our community, and when we make decisions that, talk about affordable housing, that there are two sides to that and we haven’t brought both sides to the table. Because they’re small property owners that are not like corporations that are affected when we do things, we haven’t discussed that with them. I really feel like we need to communicate better. You shouldn’t have to search for information, I should be bringing you information. 

Communication through emails should be rapid, and when things aren’t happening for our constituents, they need to know that when they contact me I’m going to respond, and I’m going to ask questions, I don’t think Sacramento does that right now.” 

BP: What are some of your priorities or goals you have if you’re elected? 

RD: I have three priorities. The first is community empowerment, and that includes getting businesses back to work, ensuring that people have jobs, and then our education — equitable education for the people in our community. 

The second one is community collaboration with law enforcement, there’s been a lot of dissention and division and I want to change that. And the third thing I want to do is hold accountable the housing and homeless situation for our veterans as well as our community. There are a lot of programs in place — there’s a lot of money out here. Our population of homelessness should not have increased by 12%.  The first thing I want to do is a program audit of how we are moving this housing and homelessness situation from the state side, how we’re holding the city and county accountable. 

BP: If you are elected, as an independent do you plan to caucus with a particular party? 

RD: I do not. I plan to be representative of the people. That’s why I choose to run independent. Now I voted in several different ways many years in my life. I’ve been a Democrat, I’ve been a Republican, and I’ve been an independent. In my life I vote my values, and I wanted to run to represent my community best. Because I don’t want to be pulled from the right or to the left — I want to represent the people. I purposely haven’t sought out any endorsements, because I really want to represent the community and do that well.

BP: What are some steps or actions you plan to take to work productively from outside of both political parties? 

RD: Like I said, I want to communicate. So when we talk about things like housing again, I want to bring in both parties. I had a wonderful two conversations yesterday, one with a group that supports affordable housing and homelessness and wanting to make sure we do that well, and the other [was] small property owners. People who have business and properties that are trying to provide affordable housing but are really having a hard time hearing their voice in the bills and propositions that we make. 

I want to bring together both those groups so we can communicate and understand. I have three C’s that I like to use when I’m doing this: community, collaborate and communicate. And I feel like when we bring them together, there won’t be so much emotional division with property owners and those that are in a housing crisis.

BP: Why do you think you should be elected to the State Senate over the other candidates in this race? 

RD: I have over 20 years in government, I have over 20 years of public and military service. Now that doesn’t qualify me in itself. I will take action. That’s the difference between me and the rest of the people running. If you want to get rid of the status quo, then I’m the one. I don’t think running for this office should be a right of passage based on a political party or what you’ve done in the past, because basically nothing’s been done. And the difference I bring is leadership, and I’ll bring engaged leadership. I bring leadership where I’m going to reach back down to the people of District 30 and I am going to make sure that I am accountable to you with what I say I’m going to do.

Truth, integrity, and transparency — that’s why I want to start bringing these different groups together, and have a transparent conversation rather than playing one side against the other so that I can win a vote.