SEATTLE, Wash. — Public safety, the fentanyl crisis and affordable housing are top of mind for Washington voters, as Election Day rapidly approaches.
In a televised debate on KIRO 7, incumbent Maria Cantwell squared off with republican challenger Dr. Raul Garcia, covering a wide array of topics.
In terms of public safety, violent crime is down in 2024, though cities are still grappling with depleted police forces along with an ongoing fentanyl crisis.
Cantwell emphasized the need for community policing through ‘COPS’ (Community Oriented Policing Services).
“The ‘COPS’ program is a very successful effort by the federal government to help supplement what communities need as far as resources,” said Cantwell. “It can be for training, and it can be for just hiring officers.”
Cantwell also touted her support of the ‘Fend Off Fentanyl Act’, a bi-partisan bill that allows the U.S. to more aggressively break up the opioid supply chain and sanction drug cartels.
Dr. Garcia argued Washington needs to start cracking down on small crime, which he says ripples into more serious offenses. As for tending to the fentanyl crisis, Garcia proposed a bill of his own.
“The American’s Against Fentanyl Act,'” Garcia said, a bill which would charge drug dealers with manslaughter and make rehabilitation mandatory for addicts. “I can tell you as a physician, their brains are telling them to lie, cheat and steal to get that next fix and we need to take them out of that environment.”
The candidates also addressed the lack of affordable housing in Washington. According to Redfin, the average cost of a home in the evergreen state hovers around $650 thousand dollars.
In Spokane County, that number is closer to $450 thousand.
Garcia pitched that the government create housing programs that would remove the burden of a down payment for some prospective buyers.
“Let’s have programs with our lenders that our regular citizens could afford to buy a house without a down payment,” Garcia said. “They still have to qualify, but in our economy it’s very hard to come up with a down payment.”
Garcia also recommended slashing red tape and excessive permits required to build new housing.
Cantwell hopes to expand the Affordable Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program to offer more low-income options for lower class families.
“This tax credit is 95 percent of the low-income housing that gets built,” said Cantwell.
Election day is November 5th.
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