California State Assembly District 59 candidate surveys, 2022

Elections in California, 2022

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This article shows responses from candidates in the 2022 election for California State Assembly District 59 who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

• Click here to see candidates and election results.
• Click here to see Candidate Connection survey responses.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for California State Assembly District 59

Incumbent Phillip Chen defeated Leon Sit in the general election for California State Assembly District 59 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Phillip Chen (R)	70.0	113,363
		Leon Sit (Independent)	30.0	48,602

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 161,965
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Leon Sit (Independent)

I'm an independent candidate who will work with both parties represented in the Assembly to deliver for Californians. I have no vested interest in the partisan apparatuses, and if elected, I would only be answerable to the people, and not party whips or big donors.

Younger voters have little representation in government, and this is because only a small part of the electorate is younger than 35, and an even smaller share of candidates fall in that age range. As a 19-year old, I have unique perspectives on contemporary issues that an older representative would not have.

I'm a moderate on the issues as a whole, and in touch with the needs and interests of a diverse district. I'm good at understanding the range of perspectives on each issue, and would vote to reflect the voice of my district has as a whole, rather than just those of my voter base.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Leon Sit (Independent)

I think the state could work towards common-sense progress on environmental, economic, and mental-health issues. With a Democratic supermajority already in place in the state, a lot of progressive and liberal causes are well-represented in the legislature, but I think the state should tackle agenda items which aren't necessarily on either party's mailers and political platforms. That's why I'm running as an independent; I think our representatives should put our interests over party orthodoxy.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Leon Sit (Independent)

Outside of the political world, I look up to my father because I admire his work ethic and tenacity. Unlike many parents would, he encouraged my curiosity to grow, something which allowed me to develop the knowledge base I have today.

Within politics, I would say that President Obama was an inspiration, especially for people around my age, because he was in charge of the country during my formative years. He presented voters with a sense of change and hope during a global recession that I think no other candidate has been able to capture. Whether his tenure reflected those hopes is a different story, but I think politicians rarely accomplish everything they promise.

George H. W. Bush is another statesman who I admire. Not only in the way he handled the Gulf War, but also in his willingness to break a key campaign promise and work with a Democrat-controlled congress to save the country from a deeper recession, which might have cost him a second term.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Leon Sit (Independent)

An elected official should be transparent to constituents, reliable and trustworthy, principled but willing to compromise, and ultimately, an effective leader.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Leon Sit (Independent)

I think the earliest historical event I remember was the fallout from the 2008 recession. Most specifically, it was the gas prices because as a young child, those are the most prominent details you can understand about the economy. I also remember President Barack Obama getting elected for the first time.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Leon Sit (Independent)

I was a dishwasher last year at The Cheesecake Factory down in Irvine from May to September. It was a good experience working with people who have different backgrounds and worldviews than those you'd typically find among college engineering students. I had the opportunity to work a near-minimum wage hands-on service job as someone with a white-collar STEM background. Getting trapped in a bubble is easy when pursuing similar career prospects as your family and many of your friends. Having a job in the service sector helped me see the world differently.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Leon Sit (Independent)

It's called "Asleep In The Chapel" by Thursday. I like early 2000's rock, and Thursday is one of those genre-defining bands.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

Leon Sit (Independent)

Ideally, the legislature would be in charge of drafting and writing laws and state policy, while the governor would be in charge of executing those laws and policies. I think the legislative branch should take precedence over the executive because the legislative branch is meant to be the direct voice of the smaller, diverse communities of the state, while the governor is a single capstone figure who acts on behalf of the entire state.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

Leon Sit (Independent)

Although I support the current Independent Redistricting Commission, I believe there are concerns regarding the way special interests have been served through the current process that should be addressed. Despite these concerns, I think it beats redistricting conducted by the state legislature, which would pay far greater attention to partisanship and incumbency than a commission would.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Leon Sit (Independent)

Policymakers should always be open to compromise because the districts and voters they represent very rarely are uniformly behind one position or another. I believe our representatives should understand this and be more willing to work with those across the aisle. Unwavering adherence to policy positions generally serves political parties and ideologues more than it does the state or political body as a whole.

See also

More about these elections:

• California State Assembly elections, 2022

Select a district below to read responses from candidates in those races:

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