(April 5)  Robert Larivee, one of nine candidates and eight Republicans vying for election in the 33rd Assembly District this year, said he believes it is his social and communicative skills and widely divergent background which qualify him to hold the office he seeks.
Incumbent 33rd District Assemblyman Tim Donnelly is not running for reelection to the Assembly, instead undertaking a long shot challenge of Jerry Brown in this year’s gubernatorial race. Donnelly’s departure resulted in a spate of Republicans – Larivee, Brett Savage, Rick Roelle, Jay Obernolte, Jerry Laws, Scott Markovich, Bob Buhrle, Michelle Ambrozic, and Art Bishop  – and one Democrat, John Coffey, vying for the post in California’s lower legislative chamber.
“I am running because I am a people person and I feel our government has separated itself from the people,” Larivee said. “It is time to rebuild our nation from the ground up. I can relate to people. I understand the issues. I feel I can represent the voters”
A major issue facing the 33rd District, Larivee said, is resolving the environmental challenges that come in the wake of economic growth.
“Geographically, this is a diverse district, with the mountains and the desert and their different climates and ecosystems.,” he said. “A major issue is sustainability. I believe we need to prepare the 33rd District for growth in the future and we need to make sure we have natural resources and transportation. Water is a huge consideration. There is one projection that we have a five to seven year supply of water in the aquifer. Another projection is we will be bone dry in three years. Our water supply need has to be addressed. In the High Desert we need adequate infrastructure and transportation to better position ourselves to grow and bring business into the area. We can grow but cannot grow like we did ten years ago. Those are the primary issues.”
Larivee said, “My solution for the sustainability of the water supply is to first deal with the drought and educate the public in more detail on how to conserve water. We have been depleting our aquifers since the 1960s. Conservation is one small quick fix. The second thing is to look at programs that will help businesses and homeowners install water saving  devices. The third thing is to work with the state water authority to figure out a comprehensive plan to deal with water issues across the state. We  basically need to open up the pump at the delta. I disagree with the decision made at the EPA level that problems with the delta smelt population necessitate holding back the water. There were things not addressed in the discussion. I disagree with the plan [Governor Jerry] Brown has to build a pipeline around the delta. I think there are less expensive options to get water to where we need  it. We could bring water from various places and release it into aqueducts. We should have pipelines not built by a single contractor but multiple contractors that would be competitively bid  all the way down from Canada or Alaska. If we can build an oil pipeline be can build one for water. If it is a pipeline there will be no evaporation since it is a closed system. We should start the pipeline in spots where there is a major surplus of water. We should reach outside the state to Oregon or Washington or wherever we have water north of us and can bring it down. It is less expensive to maintain a pipe system than an aqueduct.”
Larivee said “Safety and education  are the secondary county or local related issues. Those are things that are being dealt with by supervisors [Robert] Lovingood and [James] Ramos and the rest of the supervisors. I feel my position as an assemblyman would be to help county government and municipal government, and to implement at the state level policies to keep them doing what they need to do.”
Larivee demonstrated himself to be animated about the subject of education.
“California has the highest paid teachers of any state, yet our students are among the lowest academic performers in the nation,” he said. “What is the problem with California? We have multiple problems in administration. We simply have too many administrators. We could save money by reducing administrative costs. We need to make sure our teachers are prepared to teach kids.”
Larivee was not dismissive of his opponents.
“I am one of the people who has good ideas and intentions in this race,” he said. “That would apply to several of the other candidates. I would say I am probably the most well-rounded. If you are solely interested in public safety, vote for [sheriff’s lieutenant] Rick Roelle. If water rights are your thing, vote for Art Bishop, who has been a board member on the Mojave Water Agency.  If you are concerned about health issues, vote for Michelle Ambrozic.  I won’t go down the whole list, but there are some strong candidates with regard to several specific issues. But I think if you had a political scientist evaluate the field, the recommendation would be that you should vote for me.  They all have their various strengths. I know a little bit about all of the issues and a lot about some of them. I know where to find the answers. One of those places I would look for the answers is with the people of the 33rd District. People don’t get the credit they deserve for their wisdom about everything they are dealing with and having the right ideas. I think I am more on the level of the people than anyone else in this race. I am knowledgeable about the issues across the board. That is why I am the best man for the job. Everyone has good ideas. I believe in Republican values. I am not persuaded by the Democrats who are     paternalistic and want us to pay more taxes that  create programs for you but create programs which do not work.”
Born in Santa Monica, Larivee grew up in Alta Dena and attended John Bosco Technical Institute. He has a degree in architecture and attended Victor Valley College. He is now working toward a degree in business administration. He is married with seven children.