Where do SLO County’s candidates for Congress stand on the issues?
Starting next year, San Luis Obispo County will be represented in Congress by two people instead of one.
The northern portion of the county — Atascadero, Cayucos and above — is now part of the 19th District, which stretches to the San Jose suburbs.
The southern portion of the county remains part of the 24th District, which extends down to Ventura.
In District 19, incumbent Democrat Jimmy Panetta is facing against Republican challenger Jeff Gorman, while in District 24, incumbent Democrat Salud Carbajal is opposed by Republican Dr. Brad Allen.
To help you decide who to vote for, The Tribune has compiled a 2022 Election Voter Guide, meant to give easy access to some of the candidates’ basic facts and stances.
Here are responses from three of the four (Allen declined to respond to The Tribune’s questions):
Editor’s note: Some responses have been edited for length or clarity.
District 19
Jeff Gorman
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
The Huckabee PAC — otherwise lots of small donors.
What is your vision for what your district should look like in five years? 10 years?
Our district is a visual gem. What needs to change is the sense of integrity. We Americans need to come together on a vision of America along the lines Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. cast, where people are judged on the content of their character.
What do you believe is the most important issue facing your district today, and what will you do to address it?
Looking to government to solve personal problems is a mistake. A key aspect of our federal system is local autonomy, especially between the federal and state government. Individual rights as described in the Bill of Rights are under attack. There are similar issues between parents and schools, as well as between cities, counties and the state. Since I am running for federal office, the 9th and 10th amendments are key.
The United States inflation rate increased by 8.3% during the past year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. How will you support your constituents in navigating rising costs of food, gas and rent, while also working to reduce inflation?
To eliminate inflation, the single best thing Congress can do is balance the budget. This is the core issue affecting price stability. The next two issues are energy policy and foreign trade. When my opponent makes promises to “support” constituents, he is avoiding the core issue and exacerbating dependency. People must be allowed to make their own choices. What we citizens need from our government is a sustainable, stable currency.
Do you support President Biden’s student debt relief plan? How would you expand or reduce the program?
President Biden’s giveaway was a patented effort to buy votes. We have the wonderful Military Academy system and the GI Bill that reward commitment and work. Anything that diminishes commitment and work must be avoided. States are free to set up service academies. I am troubled by the failure of California to sustain the spirit of the University of California and the CSU system. As for Congress, the national government should not be used to reward one set of citizens over another.
Do you support the development of renewable energy in your district? If so, how would you work to expand the industry?
We need a sustainable, reliable energy system, and renewables play a part. Microgrids, improved transmission systems, diversified generation capabilities, including solar, wind and nuclear, are essential. Improved efficiency in homes, which is built into our building codes at the state level, are helping. On this front, I would like to see a renewed federal focus on encouraging home ownership, because these investments take long-term commitment that a homeowner is more likely to make. On the generation front, I believe nuclear power needs federal oversight and support. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is a terrific success story, with a much safer record than fossil or renewable energy. Effective policy will recognize this, as well as the need for fossil fuels to help us bridge the gap that solar and wind are not ready to fill.
Jimmy Panetta
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
I am proud that my top donors are individual supporters, and I am honored by the large number of small donors to my campaign.
What is your vision for what your district should look like in five years? 10 years?
Agriculture and natural resources are woven into the fabric of our culture and represent the future of the Central Coast. That is why as a federal representative for our home I will continue to protect our natural and economic resources, promote our agriculture and hospitality industries and ensure that the Central Coast receives its fair share of federal funding and support for our agricultural research, military installations and national sanctuaries, monuments and forests. Being on the Ways and Means, Agriculture and Armed Services committees, I will continue to work on legislation that supports the reduction of our carbon output through sound science and renewable energy incentives, funds locally approved water projects, increases workforce housing, protects and promotes our agriculture at home and abroad and the people who produce and harvest it, and provides for our men and women in the armed services, our veterans and their families.
What do you believe is the most important issue facing your district today, and what will you do to address it?
High prices are stifling growth and opportunity on the Central Coast. The high price of homes and rents and the lack of affordable housing are examples of this challenge. As a U.S. Representative, I secured over $100 million dollars in grants for rental assistance, housing and homelessness programs. I introduced legislation to provide investments in workforce housing and secured low-income housing tax credits to incentivize the creation of thousands of affordable units. I introduced bills to increase project-based vouchers for working-class families and helped author a bill for a refundable tax credit to people paying more than one-third of their income on rent and utilities. The lack of water resources also can limit our ability to grow and flourish. I secured major funding for local water projects including the Pajaro River Flood Risk Management Project and the Pure Water Monterey recycling and groundwater replenishment project.
The United States inflation rate increased by 8.3% during the past year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. How will you support your constituents in navigating rising costs of food, gas and rent, while also working to reduce inflation?
As we emerge from the pandemic, we experience more demand than supply, a shrinking labor pool and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that wreaks havoc on the world’s energy markets. Although gas prices recently dropped in the U.S., commodity prices affecting everyday necessities remain high. More must be done through fiscal and monetary policies to reduce prices. The Federal Reserve increased interest rates and encouraged the sale of government bonds to slowly cool the economy and prevent a recession. Congress enacted fiscal policy with emergency grants to small businesses and legislation to reduce healthcare costs and prescription drug prices. Congress passed legislation to bolster American manufacturing and invest in our infrastructure which will strengthen our supply chains. Congress must pass legislation to allow immigrants to acquire work permits to meet the labor demand and participate in our economy and communities.
Do you support President Biden’s student debt relief plan? How would you expand or reduce the program?
I worked and paid my own way through college, but took out well over $100,000 in student loans to attend law school. Despite my career in public service, I eventually paid off my debt. However, things are different now including college tuition, which is more expensive than ever. Forty-four million Americans owe a total of $1.5 trillion in student debt, which can prevent them from participating in their communities, contributing to our economy, and investing in their futures. I support targeted student loan forgiveness to those who need it the most, particularly for those who choose public service. I back efforts to fix the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, which allows public servants to have their student loans forgiven. My PSLF Modernization legislation would simplify and increase participation in the program. I support the expansion of Pell Grants for low-income students, as we did in last year’s budget.
Do you support the development of renewable energy in your district? If so, how would you work to expand the industry?
While in Congress, I worked to incentivize the use of clean energy through our tax code and have led on clean transportation, clean electricity generation and climate resiliency. The largest investment in human history to reduce our carbon output, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), included my Green Bus Tax Credit bill for zero-emission buses, my Clean Energy Production Parity Act to ensure that low-emission linear generators receive the same credits as fuel cells and my MICROGRID Act, which creates a tax credit for microgrid controllers. I also supported the development of traditional renewable energy like wind, solar, and geothermal, leading a bipartisan letter with 25 Democrats and 25 Republicans calling for an extension of the renewable energy investment tax credit, which was extended in the IRA. I will protect those tax credits and ensure that developers and producers of renewable energy, including those in agriculture, have the programs, incentives and certainty that such tax credits support their investments and livelihoods.
District 24
Salud Carbajal
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
The majority of my campaign contributors are families and individuals who live here on the Central Coast. I’m proud to have earned their support. I’m also proud to have the support of the unions and union workers who make our country run, including the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) and the American Federation of State County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME).
What is your vision for what your district should look like in five years? 10 years?
No one who works full-time should live in poverty. We have to create more opportunities for people to lift themselves into the middle class and thrive. Throughout my career, I have worked across the aisle to ensure people have the chance to succeed, secure a good-paying job and live their own American Dream.In the future of the Central Coast that I believe we should strive for, everyone has that opportunity to succeed and they have access to the affordable housing, education, child care, and health care they need to grow up, thrive, and make a life on the Central Coast.One way we can do that is by making the Central Coast a hub for the emerging green energy sector, which will bring thousands of new good-paying jobs to our region through research, development and manufacturing opportunities — all while helping us fight climate change and preserve our beautiful open spaces for decades to come.
What do you believe is the most important issue facing your district today, and what will you do to address it?
My number one priority continues to be lowering the cost of living for Central Coast middle class families. I’ve helped create new laws that will lower the costs of prescription drugs, health care premiums and home energy prices, but I know there is more work to be done.We need more affordable housing options in our communities, we need to reduce our reliance on foreign oil markets that have driven up the price of gas and we need to lower the cost of education and child care.
In Congress, I fight to lower costs for working class families because I understand these challenges personally. My father worked the fields in Oxnard and our family lived in public housing. I focused on my education and worked my way through UCSB, and served my country in the Marine Corps Reserves.I worked hard to get ahead and build a better life for my family, and I am committed to making sure that same opportunity is attainable for all who are willing to put in the hard work.
The United States inflation rate increased by 8.3% during the past year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. How will you support your constituents in navigating rising costs of food, gas and rent, while also working to reduce inflation?
Inflation is my number one concern–we’ve been hit by a mix of supply chain disruptions, rising gas prices due to the Russia-Ukraine war and other global forces affecting every leading economy in the world.I developed an Inflation Action Plan to comprehensively respond to rising costs, and I’ve helped get many of its provisions signed: to solve supply chain problems, lower costs of health care and energy, and to boost American manufacturing.In the past year, I’ve helped pass bills out of the House to reduce the cost of prescription drugs, lower energy and gas prices, and ensure that every family can access affordable food and infant formula.I will continue to work across the aisle to reduce the impact of inflation and its root causes, just as I have over the past two years.
Do you support President Biden’s student debt relief plan? How would you expand or reduce the program?
I believe that all Central Coast residents deserve a chance to pursue an education for themselves or their children without being crushed by student debt. As someone who used federal student loans to pursue my own education, I support President Biden’s choice to provide targeted student debt relief to working- and middle-class families.I know that this plan alone is not sufficient to solve college affordability in this country, and I will continue to work to bring down the cost of higher education for every Central Coast family.
Do you support the development of renewable energy in your district? If so, how would you work to expand the industry?
Making the Central Coast a leader in renewable energy will create jobs and keep our region on the cutting edge of emerging industries that will bring prosperity to our region for decades to come.Recently, I helped get the largest-ever investment in clean energy and climate change mitigation signed into law: a measure that will provide incentives to areas that take the lead on building our renewable energy capacity. With the planned creation of the first-ever Pacific offshore wind farm in our region only a few years away, we are poised to build on that progress by making the Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties the premier site of renewable energy production in the nation.
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