STATE SENATE DISTRICT 11

First-time office seeker Joe Locatelli, a Republican who teaches government at the College of Southern Nevada, knows he has an uphill race for the state Senate District 11 seat held by Mike Schneider, who is well-known to voters after serving two terms as an assemblyman and three terms as a state senator.

But the Harvard graduate and former Marine thinks his opposition to taxes and illegal immigration is resonating with potential voters in the district.

"I'm consistently hearing from people that illegal immigration is costing Nevadans in several areas, from health care to education," Locatelli said. "I'll work hard to see that local, state and federal governmental agencies work together to enforce immigration laws.

"Money no longer spent on illegal immigrants can help ensure that we don't have to raise taxes," Locatelli said.

A key part of Schneider's bid for re-election is making sure Nevada takes advantage of its renewable energy resources, which include wind, solar and geothermal energy, he said. Investments there, he said, can mean more jobs and a cleaner environment.

"It just makes good sense," he said.

Schneider said he does not think the state can endure any more major cuts in the budget, though the state is in a fiscal crisis with gaming tax revenues falling short of projections. He said one idea he is entertaining is finding a way to tax out-of-state corporations doing business in Nevada.

He said it makes sense for those businesses to pay the same tax rate in Nevada as they do in their home state.

"I don't think they're going to stop doing business here if they have to pay a tax like they do in other states," he said.

Schneider is pushing a plan for a Clark County light rail system, which he said will help relieve the Las Vegas Valley of traffic jams and smog.

He has asked for a bill to be drafted for the 2009 Legislature to require Clark County and cities to work together to use existing rights of way for the rail system.

In 2007, the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project gave Schneider its Leadership in Energy Efficiency Award for introducing an amendment to legislation that starting in 2012 will ban incandescent light bulbs. The new efficient bulbs are expected to produce $1.3 billion in net economic benefits for consumers over the lifetime of new lamps installed through 2020.

Schneider and Locatelli are facing Stacey Blanque-Gonzales of the Independent American Party.

Running for election for the first time, the wife of a soldier now deployed in the Middle East said she is running her campaign out of her bedroom.

Like Locatelli, she thinks illegal immigration is costing Nevadans millions of dollars per year. In addition to a crackdown on illegal immigration, she would like to see the state's budget overhauled.

"I'm not sure we know how much we've got coming in and how much we've got going out," she said. "We've been riding high for so long that we didn't really need any planning. But now we do."

Contact reporter Paul Harasim at pharasim@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2908.