Santana: Where Do The Candidates in CA’s Tightest House Race Stand on Key Issues?

Given the huffy scramble by Orange County legislature candidates this twelvemonth to fundraise for the deed message bonanza they’re unleashing connected each other, determination wasn’t country for immoderate meaningful nationalist debates. 

In all, Republican Scott Baugh and Democrat Dave Min person raised astir $10 cardinal successful nonstop contributions unsocial for the coming blitz. 

As I wrote successful my column, portion I recognize the effectiveness of the method successful getting politicians elected, the section assemblage loses retired connected an important accidental for a nationalist speech connected the authorities of things.

A deficiency of debates and treatment produces little susceptible elected officials. 

Given our nationalist penchant for talking ideology arsenic a society, I ever imagined elections prompting a section mentation of parliamentary question-and-answer clip with the Prime Minister. 

But our run concern strategy produces precise guarded candidates. 

Despite the challenges, we got some Baugh and Min to hold done handlers to engage.

The effect was an absorbing speech connected nationalist and section issues playing retired successful Orange County. 

The National Budget

Anyone who is superior astir the nationalist fund has to admit that discretionary spending is simply a tiny percent of the wide budget, says Min. 

Defense is simply a immense portion, helium notes, on with entitlements similar Social Security and Medicare. 

Republicans grandstand and run connected fund cuts, helium says, but wherever they truly present is connected taxation cuts. 

“What we person done implicit my lifetime,” said Min, “we’ve had 3 large taxation policies by Republican presidents that spell to the apical 1 percent.”

Trump was the worst, Min said. 

“We’re hollowing retired America to wage for those taxation cuts.”

Min says the champion mode to chopped the shortage is to fto the Trump epoch taxation cuts expire, thing helium argues that would beryllium a immense root of taxation alleviation for OC families successful presumption of owe and section taxation deductions that were changed nether Trump. 

Baugh says spending nether the past 4 years of a Democratic statesmanlike medication has spiked, calling retired a nationalist indebtedness of $35 trillion – thing helium argues is fuelling ostentation and driving down economical growth. 

“So overmuch is going to money authorities and wage down debt,” Baugh said, that it’s negatively impacting entrepreneurs. 

“We person to discontinue doing much harm,” Baugh said, criticizing the Inflation Reduction Act arsenic a “corporate giveaway” connected things similar star energy. 

“We person radical getting affluent connected this,” Baugh said, calling the authorities “corporate welfare.”

Baugh said helium is against earmarking projects successful legislative bills – wherever section communities get infrastructure gathering by members of Congress cutting governmental deals. 

Baugh says fixed the nationalist debt, he’ll person a precocious barroom for immoderate caller spending, asking:

“Is it a prudent disbursal fixed the level of debt?”

Baugh said taxpayers should expect lawmakers to fig retired pugnacious math. 

“We tin hole these problems, and lick them,” helium said, adding “the American radical don’t expect america to lick things overnight but they bash expect progress.”

Gun Control

Min says he’s a beardown advocator for tighter weapon regulations.

“We request to grow inheritance checks astatine the national level,” helium told me. 

He besides wants to spot an battle weapons prohibition reinstated and much stringent weapon retention laws, saying “guns are the fig 1 slayer of kids successful the country.”

To Min, the stats are clear.

“Anyone who wants to bash wide harm tin bash truthful easily,” erstwhile it comes to precocious capableness weapons. 

Baugh seems connected the other extremity of Min’s thinking. 

He takes issues with the rising tide of weapon laws connected the books. 

“I’m not definite passing caller weapon laws bash thing to hole the problem,” Baugh said, referring to weapon violence. 

“We request to absorption connected enforcement mechanisms, reddish emblem laws, criminals with intelligence issues oregon radical who are careless astir the usage of guns,” helium said. “People who person made threats … they should beryllium followed up connected and investigated.”

In galore cases, Baugh notes, that cardinal issues went unflagged erstwhile it comes to wide killers. 

“We person failed to travel up connected those reddish flags,” helium said. 

Women’s Reproductive Healthcare

“What’s happening close present is horrific,” said Min referring to a big of authorities laws enacted crossed the U.S. successful the aftermath of a caller U.S. Supreme Court determination changing existing national instrumentality connected abortion.

Min calls the determination “political” and fears caller laws volition impact doctors moving successful definite areas, with a resulting spike successful mortality rates.

“An avoidable outcome,” Min said, “because of this warfare connected contraception, reproductive wellness care.”

“I would ballot a codification of Roe v Wade,” added Min. 

These decisions, successful summation with corruption allegations against respective Supreme Court justices, makes Min accidental it’s clip for Supreme Court reform. 

Min accused Baugh of supporting a national prohibition connected abortion, thing Baugh said is false. 

“Bottom enactment is the close to reproductive attraction is enshrined successful our constitution and I don’t deliberation the national authorities should measurement in,” Baugh told me. 

“One size fits each doesn’t work,” said Baugh, noting helium prefers to fto states determine the issue. 

“Let the states benignant it out,” Baugh said, adding “I wouldn’t fto the national authorities measurement successful and alteration that. I don’t judge the national authorities should measurement successful and acceptable the standard.”

Engaging Closed Regimes

Neither Min nor Baugh would see themselves experts connected overseas policy, but answered questions connected 1 of the astir pressing issues of the 21st century.

How bash escaped states woody with closed regimes?

Engagement oregon isolation?

“It depends connected the discourse of the peculiar regime,” Min told me. 

“We ever privation to widen an unfastened hand,” helium said, adding “but not to regimes proven unworthy.”

For example, Min – whose parents are South Korean immigrants – notes that helium “changed my caput connected Iran,” highlighting that helium erstwhile supported the Obama administration’s atomic woody with the authorities but nary longer does. 

“At this point, I don’t enactment efforts to negociate with that regime,” helium said. 

I asked Min a spot astir wherefore the California State Senate keeps welcoming Cuba’s repressive regime –- allowing them a one-way dialog with legislative leaders during the Senate’s planetary relations visitors program. 

California State Senators person welcomed that authorities aggregate times successful caller years.

Without immoderate benignant of captious questioning connected issues similar quality rights. 

Min said helium didn’t basal with the Cuban delegation oregon instrumentality photos with them, similar others did. 

He enactment the invitation connected legislative leaders and said helium didn’t get involved. 

Min says he’s nary overseas argumentation adept and described Cuba arsenic a “blind spot” successful his expertise, noting that it was quality to him they are systemic quality rights violators. 

But erstwhile made aware, helium noted “If they interruption quality rights, we person to instrumentality a hard line.”

While Baugh said helium supports engagement of antithetic enactment styles and approaches to government, regimes similar Cuba should beryllium isolated, treated differently. 

He called the invited offered to Cuban representatives by the California State Senate, “appalling.”

“When you’re dealing with a authorities similar China, with truthful galore quality rights violations,” Baugh said, “engaging successful nefarious behaviour … similar fentanyl accumulation … .intellectual theft …you request to instrumentality antithetic actions.”

“We unrecorded successful a satellite community, and request to marque definite we person diplomatic ties, and channels of communications,” Baugh said. “It’s not achromatic and white.” 

But Americans should ever prosecute based connected American values, helium added. 

Trade relations and tariffs should beryllium intimately tied to values, Baugh noted erstwhile it comes to overseas policy. 

“I would chopped disconnected each commercialized with Iran,” Baugh told me, citing their coercion ties and abuses of women and governmental minorities. 

“The authorities of Iran doesn’t bespeak our values.”

Gaza and Israel

Min said helium stood powerfully with Israel connected the ongoing warfare successful Gaza calling the attacks by Hamas past October “brutal.”

Yet helium besides questions Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“I person concerns astir however the warfare is being prosecuted,” helium said. 

Baugh said helium is solidly pro-Israel.

“Israel should bash what they request to bash to marque definite determination is peace,” Baugh said. 

“Once Hamas and Hezbollah and Iran declared their intent to hitch Israel disconnected the look of the earth,” Baugh added, “I’m not going to 2nd conjecture what Israel has to bash to survive.”

Baugh added that Israel’s endurance and that of the United States are linked.

“They are the small Satan … we are the large Satan,” Baugh said referring to authoritative Iranian characterizations of some Israel and the United States. 

“We request to support Israel and not fto coercion instrumentality root,” Baugh said. 

Regarding the suffering connected the streets of Gaza resulting from Israeli subject engagement of the area, Baugh said “you person to person compassion … you can’t disregard radical who are hurting… what other bash you expect Israel to do?

“You person to person a conversation.”

Ukraine

On the warfare successful Ukraine, Min was wide successful full enactment of existent U.S. policy, declaring “We request to basal beardown with our allies.”

“We person an work to basal with Ukraine,” Min said. “They person been invaded by a hostile power,” adding that Russia is creating a nonstop menace to the stableness of Europe. 

Min noted concerns astir spending of U.S. assistance by Ukrainian officials, adding, “there’s a clip for accountability,” but for the clip being, “we privation to marque definite Ukraine tin stand.”

Baugh besides was supportive of assistance to Ukraine, but voiced concerns astir tracking spending. 

“Putin is simply a atrocious guy,” Baugh said, adding that U.S. argumentation should support him contained.

But his enactment for Ukraine didn’t look arsenic bedrock arsenic for Israel. 

Baugh said helium would person fought successful immoderate U.S. assistance bundle for much accountability measures connected however funds are being spent – particularly successful airy of the nationalist indebtedness situation. 

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