Jon Slavet

But let me answer your question, because you asked me why I'm not independent.

I want to answer the question directly because it's a really good question.

There actually is an independent running named Ethan Penner, who's a good, smart guy and and got some interesting ideas.

There's no independent party, Chuck.

There's no independent party.

Well, well, OK, but that's not the reality.

I think I think that people organize around parties still in America and they organize around two parties.

And I think it's a long way off.

before we have an independent party in California or in the nation.

And there's a lot of things that need to happen, right, to set the stage for that.

We have a lot of things to sort out, Chuck, don't we, in our body politic before that can happen.

But for me, I'm an old school Republican.

I describe myself more as a Reagan Republican, which is looking at government very skeptically.

And what is the role of government?

What can government really be good at?

There's an orientation around politics.

freedom and property rights.

It's a respect for business being a prime engine of opportunity creation in society.

It's those kinds of things.

And I think if you look in California at where the better ideas are for turning the state around, it's more on the Republican side than the Democrat side.