Adam Schiff (40:55):I want to address the substance of Mr. Garvey’s comments.
Elex Michaelson (40:57):Okay.
Adam Schiff (40:58):
That somehow the world would be safer with Donald Trump than it would be with Joe Biden. Can you imagine what would take place if Donald Trump was president when Putin invaded Russia and Ukraine needed our help, the same Donald Trump who stood in Helsinki next to Vladimir Putin and took the Kremlin dictator’s side over his own country, of his own intelligence agencies, who talks about love letters, a loving relationship with the dictator in North Korea? There is no stretch of the imagination, no scenario, no whatever, in which we would be safer. Donald Trump was undermining alliance with NATO. He was saying that he might not even come to NATO’s defense. Our standing in the world plummeted. Other nations felt they needed to start to hedge their bets. “Maybe we need to cozy up to China, because we can’t rely on the United States anymore.” That is Donald Trump’s national security legacy. We don’t want to go back to it.
Barbara Lee (42:00):
The United States will not be safer because of Donald Trump. I guess Mr. Garvey has forgotten January 6th. We were sitting on the floor. I had to escape, so did my colleagues. And so, please, the United States will not be any safer, let alone the rest of the world.
Elex Michaelson (42:14):
Let’s wrap this up. I’m going to give you one last chance to respond of 30 seconds, because they all just attacked you. And there are tens of millions of people that support Donald Trump. Polls show California Republicans, he’s supported by two thirds. There are a lot of people in this country that love Donald Trump and think he was a great president. What’s your view?
Steve Garvey (42:35):
I love how I’ve stimulated the baseball terms with everybody today, but let’s face it, at the end of the day, it’s all a personal choice. As my personal choice, I will make it in the sovereignty of wherever that is, and that’s my personal choice.
Barbara Lee (42:56):Candidates don’t have personal choices when it comes to being an elected official.
Steve Garvey (42:58):
As you can see, identity politics is exactly what’s got our country to where we are now, exactly where this state is. It’s a one party state, that has only one voice. And that’s why I’m running. I want to be a voice of the people.
Elex Michaelson (43:14):
[inaudible 00:43:14] We’re going to move on to some issue, get back to the issues that people really care about, the number one issue in California right now, the issue of homelessness. And we want to talk about that and get your views on that. Melanie?
Melanie Mason (43:27):
Yes. And we will start with Congresswoman Lee on this. California voters, they say that homelessness is the top issue that they’re concerned about. Aside from promising more money, what would you do as a senator to address this crisis?
Barbara Lee (43:39):
First, it’s a shame and disgrace that we have so many unsheltered people living on the streets in California. Secondly, we have to make sure that, and my background is mental health, I started a community mental health center, and so, we have to understand the total human being and what is the necessary strategy to put it all together, so people don’t, first of all, become unhoused. And I think, again, going back to Congresswoman Maxine Water’s bills, I intend to champion these bills in the United States Senate, especially the End Homeless Act because it’s so important that we prevent evictions. I think we should have a national eviction policy. I’m going to fight to have that national eviction policy.
(44:24)
Also, we have to have more affordable housing built. We have to make sure, if people are unfortunate enough to end up on the streets, we have to have safe clean housing for them and their children. A lot of the homeless individuals look like me, a black woman with children on the streets, so we have to make sure children have safe housing and we have to make sure the federal government invests in our unsheltered population.
Melanie Mason (44:47):Thank you. Congresswoman Porter, same question to you.
Katie Porter (44:50):
Our homelessness crisis is a direct result of Washington’s failure, decade after decade, to write housing policy and deliver housing policy that is about us, that is about families and is about people. Did you know there’s not even a Housing Committee in the United States Congress? It’s just a subcommittee of banking and that tells you what you need to know about how Washington politicians think about the problems of housing and homelessness. That it is a tool to keep Wall Street printing money.
(45:22)
I support fully funding Section 8 vouchers, I support low cost programs to prevent eviction and, I think, bottom line is we must build more affordable housing because for every person that we help off the streets today in California, we see another person experiencing homelessness. And it’s not just people experiencing street homelessness, it’s students living in cars, it’s families overcrowded in apartments. The solution to homelessness is housing.
Melanie Mason (45:50):Thank you. Mr. Garvey, same question to you.
Steve Garvey (45:53):
When was the last time any of you went to the inner city? Actually walked up to the homeless, as I have over these last three weeks? I’ve gone to San Diego and Los Angeles and Sacramento. And, actually, because this is part of… You know I’m not a politician, but I needed to talk to the people and say I needed to talk to the homeless, went up to them and touched them and listened to them. And you know what? They looked at me and they said, you’re the first time anybody’s come up and asked us about our life. The homeless man who spent five years on the street in Sacramento. They don’t get it.
(46:29)
When I go back to the Senate a year from now when I’m your next elected US Senator from California, the first thing I’ll do is an audit. Where have the $30 billion the federal government has spent? Just look at the Alpha Project in San Diego and the Dream Center right close to here. These are examples of what can be done when you spend your money wisely. And, by the way, these are career politicians that talk about Washington being dysfunctional.
Melanie Mason (46:58):Thank you, Mr. Garvey.
Steve Garvey (46:59):You’re Washington.
Katie Porter (47:00):I know I’m the youngest person on this stage, but my career didn’t just last five years. I was elected to Congress five years ago. I am not a career politician, but I’m proud of the work I’ve done in Congress.
Melanie Mason (47:11):Congresswoman, we need to let Mr. Schiff here.
Barbara Lee (47:13):And his response was so patronizing, I’ve just got to say, as somebody who’s been unsheltered, I cannot believe how he described his walk and touching and being there with the homeless. Come on. Please.
Melanie Mason (47:28):All right, thank you Congresswoman. Congressman Schiff, you you have not had-
Steve Garvey (47:29):When you do that, you really care. If you care about the homeless-
Melanie Mason (47:32):Mr. Garvey, we need to let-
Elex Michaelson (47:35):Let’s get some order in here.
Adam Schiff (47:37):Alex, thank you.
Elex Michaelson (47:38):Order in the court.
Adam Schiff (47:39):
First of all, and this will be my one and only baseball analogy for the evening, Mr. Garvey, I’m sorry, that was a total swing and a miss. That was a total whiff of an answer. And I say that… Credit where credit is due, you are a hell of a ball player. Can I just say that? You were a hell of a ball player. But here’s the thing: This is predominantly a problem of not enough housing. It’s a supply problem and we need to build hundreds of thousands of units of new housing. We can do that if we incentivize, through tax credits, the building of affordable housing. Otherwise, we’re never going to solve this problem.
(48:14)
We need to make sure, also, local government responds quickly to the need for housing with approvals of housing. We also need to make sure that people can stay in housing. And, when we do find shelter for those who are homeless, that they get the services, mental health services, substance abuse services, they need to stay sheltered. I want to go back to something that Barbara Lee said, in her first answer on this, housing is a human right. It pains me to see so many people living on the street-
Melanie Mason (48:43):Thank you, Congressman.
Adam Schiff (48:44):
…and a state as prosperous as this one, it’s utterly unnecessary and, therefore, utterly shameful that we don’t do more to address this problem.
Melanie Mason (48:51):
Thank you. Thank you, Congressman.
Elex Michaelson (48:51):
All right. Now we’re going to go to something that I hope you all can answer in 30 seconds to try to get to know you a little bit better, and I don’t think this one is going to be as feisty. I think it’s a nice thing. Congressman Schiff, let’s start with you. Who is the one person who has most shaped your worldview and what did they teach you?
Adam Schiff (49:12):
Probably my father. He’s 96 years old. He lives in Boca Raton. We affectionately call him Boca Eddie. He told me when I was young, if you’re good at what you do, there will always be a demand for you. It was a very liberating idea. That, man, I just had to focus on being good at what I did. But he also taught me to stand up to bullies and I thought about his advice a lot when Donald Trump was President. Not to back down from a bully, because at the end of the day, they’re really cowards.
Elex Michaelson (49:43):Congress member Lee.
Barbara Lee (49:45):
My late mother, Mildred Parish Massey, born and raised in El Paso, Texas where I was born and raised. She was one of the first 12 students to integrate, then Texas Western, now the University of Texas at El Paso. It was led by the NAACP. She was a plaintiff. In that lawsuit, my mother told us never to back down. She had three girls and she said, look, even though we’re fighting for our rights, we’re fighting for voting rights, we’re fighting to end segregation, we’re fighting to be seen as black people, as women, as women of color, don’t back down fight for your freedom-
Elex Michaelson (50:20):Thank you.
Barbara Lee (50:21):…fight for democracy-
Elex Michaelson (50:23):Thank you.
Barbara Lee (50:24):…fight for your rights. You are as equal as anybody else.
Elex Michaelson (50:26):Thank you.
Barbara Lee (50:26):And I believe I’m going to do that and fight for-
Elex Michaelson (50:28):Thank you very much.
Barbara Lee (50:29):…in the Senate for everyone in Congress.
Elex Michaelson (50:30):Congress member Porter. To you.
Katie Porter (50:32):I would say my three school-aged kids. And I hope you won’t make me choose amongst them on television, but the reason I say that they have most shaped-
Elex Michaelson (50:41):We can be tough, but not that tough. I’m not thinking favorite children.
Katie Porter (50:44):
…they have most shaped my worldview is because they keep me squarely focused on the future, on how we are going to keep California strong, on what the threats are of climate change, on what will happen to our economy in California if we can’t attract and retain and house workers and lower cost of living here, so my three children make me the strong politician that I am.
Elex Michaelson (51:07):Thank you. Mr. Garvey. Who’s most shaped your worldview?
Steve Garvey (51:09):
Our parents always shape who we are. A strong mother who teaches us about respect for women, a strong father who teaches us to be gentlemen, but I look back now on the time that I spent with Ronald Reagan and the strength of man, who was a Democrat and became a Republican, but he was an American. He stood for America. He stood for our sovereignty and that we carry the torch for democracy around the world. And when he and Tip O’Neill came together, that was an example of what all politicians should do for the sake of the country. Democrats and Republicans coming together for the good of the country.
Elex Michaelson (51:48):
Thank you. And just to remind everybody that this minute rule is something you all agreed to and it just ensures that we all get to talk about more topics. If we can try to stick to the minute that allows you all to talk about more things and we’re trying to get as many topics in as we can. And now we go to a topic that is a little more controversial than the last thing we just talked about, abortion. Melanie, to you.
Melanie Mason (52:09):Thank you, Alex. First question to Mr. Garvey.
Elex Michaelson (52:12):Yes?
Melanie Mason (52:13):
You’ve said that you would follow the will of California voters when it comes to abortion, even though you personally oppose it. Californians have voted to protect the right of abortion in their state constitution. Will you vote the same way in the Senate if the issue comes up?
Steve Garvey (52:28):
And I think I said that, as an elected official, I will always support the voice of the people of California and the people of California have spoken and I pledge to support that voice.
Melanie Mason (52:41):To follow up on that, does that same logic then of supporting the will of the voters extend to issues like guns or even supporting President Trump, where California voters have made their views pretty clear?
Steve Garvey (52:52):
I have my opinions, obviously, and with common sense and compassion and a building of consensus, I’ll look at all the issues. I think I’m fair, I think the people of the state of California and the country, the millions of people that I’ve interacted with over the years, have taught me that it’s building a consensus in listening. I have nothing that’s truly etched in stone except what is truly right. As I think President Lincoln said one time, “I will stand with those that are right. I will walk away from those that I don’t agree with.”
Melanie Mason (53:29):
Thank you. Mr. Garvey. Congressman Porter. You support abortion rights. From what you heard from Mr. Garvey, do you feel confident that he also would protect abortion rights if he were in the Senate?
Katie Porter (53:38):No.
Melanie Mason (53:40):Would you like to expand on why?
Katie Porter (53:42):
Yes. Look, abortion is a freedom issue and no government that champions liberty and justice for all should restrict people from deciding for themselves if, and when, to have a child. And Mr. Garvey’s party, the Republican Party, has said that, if they win this election and control Congress and the House, they will pass a nationwide abortion ban. That will take effect here in California. Mr. Garvey needs to be clear about where he stands on this and actually all the other issues.
(54:19)
Look, I think all the Democrats on this stage are going to say that they support abortion access, but I think we have to have someone who understands the stakes. Congressman Schiff mentions abortion on his website under a page called Adam’s Accomplishments. And, as a mother of a young daughter, I do not feel like abortion rights have been accomplished, not in a year when millions of Americans have lost abortion access.
Melanie Mason (54:44):Okay, Congressman. Congressman Schiff, your name has been invoked. For 30 seconds, if you’d like to respond.
Adam Schiff (54:49):
I would be delighted to respond. And, first of all, what the Supreme Court did in essentially repealing women’s reproductive freedom was not only a terrible break with precedent, but it was dangerous. It has endangered the health and safety of millions of women. I strongly support a national right to abortion laws. Representative Porter knows. I will champion that, and more than that, as Representative Porter also should know, I’m one of the leading authors of legislation to expand the Supreme Court, so we don’t have a future reactionary Supreme Court striking down the right to abortion or any other freedom of Americans.
Melanie Mason (55:29):
Thank you, Congressman. We’ll come back to you for your full minute in a bit, but I want to turn to Congressman Lee. You’ve been open about your own experience of having an illegal abortion in Texas before Roe versus wade was decided. You want to end the filibuster in the Senate to pass national abortion protections with a simple majority vote, but are you worried that, if you do, a Republican controlled Senate could go ahead and pass a national ban and Democrats would be unable to stop it?
Barbara Lee (55:55):
No, I’m not. We first have to know that we have to end the filibuster. Any rule that was established after slavery to prevent black people from participating in our democracy is bad, regardless. Secondly, it’s so important that we know and understand that what the Supreme Court did was, for the first time, take away a constitutional right and when the Texas decisions came down, I have been very reluctant to talk about the abortion I had. I was living here in Southern California in San Fernando, went to San Fernando Junior high, San Fernando High School and I got pregnant. And my mother and I made that decision that that’s what I would do. That was the type of healthcare I decided I would achieve in terms of an abortion.
(56:41)
I flew to Texas, where her friend took me across the border, let me remind you, this is before Roe, took me across the border to a back alley dark clinic. I was terrified. I was terrified because I knew it was illegal in Mexico. It was illegal in Texas and California. And so, reproductive freedom for all is important. I intend to work to codify the women’s right to protection into law.
Melanie Mason (57:07):Congressman, just real quick, in 15 seconds, would eliminating the filibuster, make it easier for national bans to be passed?
Barbara Lee (57:15):We have to fight politically to make sure that that doesn’t happen. We have to elect enough Senators to make sure that we can codify into law the Women’s Health Protection Act and to end the Hyde Amendment.
Melanie Mason (57:28):Thank you.
Barbara Lee (57:29):This is about our freedoms. It’s about women’s decisions, people’s decisions to control their own body-
Melanie Mason (57:35):Congresswoman, thank you. Thank you. And Congressman Schiff, the same question to you about the filibuster. Does that crack open the opportunity for Senate Republicans to pass a ban?
Adam Schiff (57:42):
I support doing away with the filibuster for a variety of reasons. One, to pass a national right to abortion law, we need to do away with a filibuster. To protect voting rights, we need to do away with a filibuster. To finally pass common sense gun safety legislation, we need to do away with a filibuster. Count me squarely in the camp of doing away with a filibuster.
(58:02)
But if I can return to the question about reproductive freedom, when we start losing our rights as Americans, it is a sure sign that our democracy is in trouble. We not only need to pass a national right to abortion law, but we need to change the Supreme Court that struck it down to begin with. We need to expand that court, we need to termilate that court, we need an enforceable code of ethics on that court.
(58:29)
Yes, it’s part of my democracy agenda, which I’m very proud of, which I’m very proud that the Wall Street Journal editorial page editorialize against and called radical. That’s a good housekeeping seal of approval, as far as I’m concerned. But here’s the thing about Mr. Garvey’s answer. He would also respect the right of states to refuse abortion care for millions of other Americans, including Californians who are visiting other states.
Melanie Mason (58:51):Thank you, Congressman. We have to move on.
Adam Schiff (58:54):And that decision would be dangerous.
Elex Michaelson (58:55):Mr. Garvey, your rebuttal?
Steve Garvey (58:56):Yes. I think you’ve been censored for lying. You have put words in my mouth. And this is-
Elex Michaelson (59:01):I’ve been censored for standing up to a crook President, Garvey.
Steve Garvey (59:05):…exactly what I’m talking about. That you-
Adam Schiff (59:07):The same corrupt President that you-
Steve Garvey (59:07):…career politicians-
Elex Michaelson (59:07):It’s Mr. Garvey’s turn. Let him go.
Steve Garvey (59:09):…who are trying to determine who we are by race or by color or by gender. They never listen. They have prearranged words to say. And, by the way, I would not vote for a federal ban on abortion. Let’s make that clear right now.
Melanie Mason (59:32):Thank you, Mr. Garvey.
Elex Michaelson (59:33):All right-
Adam Schiff (59:34):I’m going to insist on answering. I was just called a liar by Mr. Garvey.
Elex Michaelson (59:37):Okay. 30 seconds.
Adam Schiff (59:39):
Mr. Garvey, I was censured for standing up to a corrupt President, and you know something? I would do it all over again because that corrupt President, that President who’s been indicted with 91 felony counts, that President that you won’t refuse to support, he’s a danger. And I will stand up to him and Kevin McCarthy and Jim Jordan and any of those MAGA enablers of his in the Congress. The reason why our democracy is in trouble is because folks don’t have the courage to stand up when they need to.
Elex Michaelson (01:00:11):Okay. Thank you very much. We’re going to keep moving.
Steve Garvey (01:00:14):Let me just… He invoked my name.
Elex Michaelson (01:00:17):All right. Real quick.
Steve Garvey (01:00:19):Sir, you lied to 300 million people. You can’t take that back.
Elex Michaelson (01:00:25):
Okay. We’re going to keep moving. This is the showdown for US Senate and it really is the showdown for US Senate. You’re watching us live now, at FOX11 throughout the state, on our US stations, on KFI AM 648 Radio. I’m Alex Michaelson, along with Melanie Mason.
(01:00:40)
Now, we want to bring up one of our viewer questions. FOX11 viewer Chris Duner wanted to know more about earmarks. In Congress, for people that maybe don’t know, an earmark is where specific members request money for their districts for specific projects. For example, here in LA, Mayor Bass has asked for earmarks to combat homelessness. Representative Porter, you’ve talked already tonight about how you want to get rid of earmarks. Why?
Katie Porter (01:01:06):
Earmarks is just a fancy word for Washington politicians substituting their personal interests, including getting earmarks for their big donors, for what our needs are. Look, the problem here is that earmarks invite corruption. They invite self-dealing and they do not prioritize what we need, especially our communities of color. Don’t believe me, believe President Obama, who was a forceful critic of earmarks and said he would not sign any spending bill that contained earmarks in it. We see people literally building bridges to nowhere with our hard-earned tax dollars. We need to be prioritizing what our community needs, that means fighting to get a California size share of federal dollars, but directing it into every part and pocket of California.
Elex Michaelson (01:02:00):Congressman Schiff, your response.
Adam Schiff (01:02:02):
Diane Feinstein brought billions back to California, for water infrastructure, for housing, for healthcare. I’m going to fight to bring that money back to California. Alex, we are a donor state, which means that we send far more back in tax dollars to Washington than we get back. Any Senator from California that says, no, I’m not going to fight for those resources, that’s going to be wonderful news to 49 other states who’ll be thrilled to have that money.
(01:02:32)
No, I’m going to fight to bring back money for housing, I’m going to fight to bring back money for mental health services and other critical needs. When Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, said, will you help bring back money for housing? My answer was you’re darn right I’ll help because I would rather have my constituents and Californians housed than some political talking point. Californians want someone who’s going to deliver. They want someone to deliver. They want someone to try to improve the quality of their life. They’re looking for someone who’s going to build housing and to leave billions of dollars back in Washington, I’m not going to do that.
Elex Michaelson (01:03:06):Thank you. He’s saying you’re leaving money on the table. How do you respond to that?
Katie Porter (01:03:08):
Incorrect. The earmarks process actually short changes California. The data show that diverse districts and diverse states actually get half as much money. We only get two Senators, which means we only get… Every state gets two sets of earmarks. The process actually prevents us from getting the share of funding that we need based on our population and based on our problems.
(01:03:35)
Look, it is no surprise that Washington politicians think earmarks work. They get to go to a nice ceremony, pat themselves on the back. But we know that Congressman Schiff didn’t solve homelessness in LA and Congresswoman Lee hasn’t solved the challenges in Oakland-
Elex Michaelson (01:03:51):Okay.
Katie Porter (01:03:51):
It’s going to take more than earmarks to do that. It’s going to take someone who will stand up-
Elex Michaelson (01:03:55):
Thank you.
Katie Porter (01:03:56):…to big corporations and fight for California.
Elex Michaelson (01:03:58):Thank you. Mr. Garvey, what do you think about earmarks and would you ask for them?
Steve Garvey (01:04:02):
I thought it was interesting to talk about owing people or entities. I’m quite sure my three opponents owe people who have contributed to their funds, who have asked them, we need this money. Can you provide money for us through earmarks? I owe no one. I’m a fresh face. I’ll have fresh ideas. I will listen to the needs of Californians just as I’ve done. I’ve gone to central California, listened to the farmers, talked to them about their needs for water. On Imperial Canyon Valley there, in county, talked to them about their needs. Same way with San Diego and the homeless.
(01:04:36)
And then we get to the topic, and you’ll probably bring it up, about the crisis at the border. These are the things where we need to protect the sovereignty of California. That’s what I’ll fight for.
Elex Michaelson (01:04:48):Would you request earmarks if you’re a Senator?
Steve Garvey (01:04:51):I wouldn’t call them earmarks. I’ll call them necessities for the state of California that I will fight for to be able to allow this state to come back to being the heartbeat of America. Like I talked about.
Elex Michaelson (01:05:01):
And Congresswoman Lee, your thoughts on this?
Barbara Lee (01:05:04):
Sure. First, it’s important that we recognize that earmarks must be transparent and there must be accountability. Secondly, it would really be a dereliction of my duty to my constituents if I did not fight for every single dollar that I could find. Because, yes, California is a donor state, they deserve their tax dollars back. And, no, it may not solve all the problems, but it sure has filled in the gaps.
(01:05:25)
And let me tell you, healthcare for communities of color, when you look at the LGBTQ+ community, what they need are unsheltered children. When you look at housing, when you look at a variety of nonprofits that don’t have the money to write proposals and have Washington lobbyists, I am their representative and I am really very clear about my responsibility to California and my constituents.
(01:05:54)Finally, let me just say, when President Obama said no more earmarks, I wrote him a letter. I was chairing the black caucus
Barbara Lee (01:06:00):
Oftentimes I disagree, but respectfully, and I said to President Obama, “You are denying communities of color who don’t have the resources but know how to provide the services, the jobs, and the opportunities. You’re denying them the opportunity-”
Elex Michaelson (01:06:14):Thank you.
Barbara Lee (01:06:15):“… to deliver these kinds of services.” So I’ll support earmarks in the Senate and bring home as much money, federal dollars-
Elex Michaelson (01:06:21):Thank you.
Barbara Lee (01:06:22):… to California as I can.
Elex Michaelson (01:06:23):Okay. Thank you. We’re going to move on now. Melanie, this is a segment where we’re giving you an opportunity to respond to some of the biggest criticisms of you.
Melanie Mason (01:06:32):
Yes. Thank you, Alex. First to Congressman Schiff. In 2019 when you served as chair of the House Intelligence Committee, you spoke repeatedly about, quote, ample evidence of collusion in plain sight between the Trump campaign and Russia. Five years later, many Republicans including Mr. Garvey say that you lied about that evidence. What is the evidence and did you allow partisanship to get ahead of the facts as you investigated Trump?
Adam Schiff (01:06:59):
The evidence is pretty clear. Donald Trump’s campaign chairman, Paul Manafort was secretly meeting with an agent of Russian intelligence, giving Russian intelligence internal campaign polling data while that same unit of Russian intelligence was helping the Trump campaign through a hacking and dumping operation through a social media troll farm in St. Petersburg. So yes, that’s collusion and what’s more the Russians reached out to Donald Trump’s son, Don Jr. and offered what they said was dirt on Hillary Clinton as part of the Russian government’s effort to help the Trump campaign.
(01:07:37)
And what was the Trump campaign’s answer? It was, “If it is what you say it is, we would love it.” Preferably in late summer, which is when the Russians started dumping the stolen emails. So you’re darn right, there’s evidence of collusion. But it’s just a part of the damning evidence against Donald Trump, not just with respect to Russia, but his withholding of hundreds of millions of dollars from Ukraine, a nation at war, which was ultimately what he was impeached for when I let his senate trial.
Melanie Mason (01:08:08):
That’s time. Thank you, Congressman. Congressman Porter, you are known as a warrior against corporate influence in politics, but before running for office, you consulted for a mortgage servicer. Does that work undermine your credibility as someone that would hold corporations to account?
Katie Porter (01:08:23):
I have never taken corporate PAC money, period. And I’m the only elected official on this stage who can say that. I was working across California to help enforce a settlement and agreement against big banks. And because of that I developed expertise in how banks were failing to communicate with us, burying things like the opportunity to save your home or cut back the amount of your mortgage in fine print. After I was finished with that service, I was asked by a company to come on and work with them in a short-term engagement to address and improve how they contacted and communicated with Californians.
Melanie Mason (01:09:04):
All right. Congresswoman, thank you for that. Mr. Garvey, you’ve never served an elected office and you said you don’t plan on giving specifics about policy until after the primary. Why did you get into this race if you don’t know where you stand on these issues and how can Californians know what they’re getting if they pick you?
Steve Garvey (01:09:23):Where did you read that?
Melanie Mason (01:09:25):On my script.
Steve Garvey (01:09:26):
Politico? No. I have said that I’m new. I needed to explore California. I needed to talk to the people. I needed to hear from them, their feelings about their elected officials and that’s what I’ve done. And policy for me is position. I’ve taken strong positions, especially on the homeless and what should be done. We should do a strong audit on that. I talked about the economy and inflation, rapid spending. Let’s get back to energy that’s affordable.
(01:10:04)
I’ve talked about the border, the crisis of the border. Let’s close the border. Let’s take a deep breath. We have a pathway to citizenship. Let’s enforce it. Crime. Let’s get crime off the streets. Let’s fund the police. Let’s make sure that they keep our neighborhoods and our community safe. I mean that’s policy, but it’s my position and by tomorrow you’ll see a lot more.
Melanie Mason (01:10:30):
Thank you, Mr. Garvey. Finally, Congresswoman Lee. You have represented Oakland in the House of Representatives for a long time. Crime in that city remains stubbornly high compared to other cities in the state. Oakland has lost the A’s, the Raiders, Warriors and just this week and in and out. Given its struggles, why should you get a promotion to the US Senate?
Barbara Lee (01:10:50):
Well, first let me say a couple of things. I want to represent the state of California in the United States Senate for many, many reasons. First, I’m the most experienced. I’m the most consistent progressive who gets the job done. I have been able to deliver for Oakland and my entire district and for California. Secondly, public safety is on everybody’s mind and I understand that. And we have to have a public safety plan that one gets the guns off the streets of California, which means in the Senate I’m going to fight for an assault weapon ban, getting these AK-47s off the street and really fight for real gun control.
(01:11:29)
Also, it’s important that we have police reform. We have to have more resources coming into our communities to make sure that there’s more interaction between the police and the community. And so believe you me, I understand what is happening in my community and throughout the state and throughout the country, but we have to have a real public safety plan and the punishment must meet the level of the crime and not over police yet make sure the public safety is there-
Melanie Mason (01:11:58):Thank you.
Barbara Lee (01:11:58):… to begin to engage in crime prevention, which again-
Elex Michaelson (01:12:02):Thank you.
Melanie Mason (01:12:02):Thank you, Congressman.
Barbara Lee (01:12:03):… going back to earmarks is one of my earmarks for young people. [inaudible 01:12:06]
Elex Michaelson (01:12:05):Okay. Thank you very much.
Barbara Lee (01:12:06):We’ve got to move on.
Elex Michaelson (01:12:09):
Everybody has been going over time and we’ve had a lot of exchange, which is interesting and shows the contrast. But let’s maybe try moving this to 30 seconds answers instead of a minute if we can going forward just so we can get some more topics in or else we’re going to run out of time. The next question comes back to and from Mo’Kelly. We’re on KFI AM 640. He’s the host of Later, with Mo’Kelly. It has to do with immigration. It’s going to start with Congress Member Lee. No.
Mo’Kelly (01:12:36):
Mr. Garvey made this clear that he believes that there is a crisis at the border. So Congresswoman Lee, is there a crisis at the border? And if there is, how can you get Congress to act on the issue for the first time in four decades?
Barbara Lee (01:12:50):
As I said earlier, I was born and raised in a border city, El Paso, Texas, in an immigrant community. Secondly, no person is illegal. Thirdly, we have got to have an immigration policy that provides for due process that’s orderly and that is humane. Right now, the president is trying to get Republicans mind you to step up and support over a billion dollars to make sure that immigrants are treated fairly in the communities where Governor Abbott and DeSantis are sending migrants.
Elex Michaelson (01:13:23):Thank you.
Barbara Lee (01:13:25):Pitting migrants against residents. And so what I intend to do is first make sure that we get this funding so that these communities-
Elex Michaelson (01:13:31):Thank you.
Barbara Lee (01:13:32):… can treat immigrants properly and make sure that the jobs that are yearning for employees are filled. And these immigrants know-
Elex Michaelson (01:13:40):All right. Thank you, Congresswoman.
Barbara Lee (01:13:41):… that they have come to this country for a better life. Our economy in California depends on the good work of immigrants.
Elex Michaelson (01:13:47):Mr. Schiff, to you.
Adam Schiff (01:13:48):
Candidly, I think this question deserves a lot more than 30 seconds. My grandfather immigrated here. My great-grandparents immigrated here. They were in search of a better life. They were fleeing violence like so many others that have come to this country. I want to start with recognizing people are coming here to flee violence. They’re coming in search of a better life. They deserve our respect. They deserve dignity. And I also think what these Republican governors are doing is just shameful. It is a crisis. It is unsustainable, but we should approach this with compassion and we should also try to get people to apply for asylum safely from their home countries.
(01:14:25)
I think that’s the most important thing we can do. But we also are going to need to surge resources to make sure that we have interpreters and we have court personnel so we can process asylum cases much more quickly. It doesn’t do anyone any good for an asylum seeker to be here for two or five or 10 years before they get their claim adjudicated.
Elex Michaelson (01:14:45):Thank you.
Melanie Mason (01:14:45):Thank you, Congressman.
Adam Schiff (01:14:45):The system is broken.
Elex Michaelson (01:14:47):Thank you.
Adam Schiff (01:14:47):It does need to be fixed.
Elex Michaelson (01:14:50):Mr. Garvey?
Steve Garvey (01:14:52):
First of all, if you break the law, it’s illegal. Second of all, where have you all been the last three years? Four years ago, a thousand immigrants were coming across the border. Today, between 10 to 15 to 20,000 illegal immigrants are coming across the border and bringing with them drugs and cartels and human trafficking. That’s the truth. You can’t deny it. Career politicians cannot deny that this administration has protected we the people of California and Texas, and all throughout this country. But there’s a stress on America because we’ve let this happen.
Elex Michaelson (01:15:31):Thank you. Ms. Porter.
Katie Porter (01:15:33):
Our immigration system is a mess because Washington has failed decade after decade to take meaningful action on immigration. The reality is we need immigrants to have a strong stable economy and to have vibrant, diverse communities. We need more farm workers. We need more service workers. We need scientists and doctors to help do research and take care of us, and we need to have border security. We need to have a lawful, orderly, humane immigration system. And the crisis that we’re seeing at the borders, what we’re seeing in those border communities, what we’re seeing in cities where migrants are being bused is a direct result of Washington’s decades and decades of failure to act.
Elex Michaelson (01:16:17):Thank you very much.
Adam Schiff (01:16:19):
I want to address, because part of the question too is what will it take to actually get this done? And in the interest of democratic self-criticism, when Democrats controlled the House and the Senate and the White House during the first two years of the Biden administration and during part of the Obama administration, we didn’t get it done. The Republicans are never going to help us on this. They think that the border situation is the political gift that we’ll never stop giving. Democrats are going to have to do that ourselves. I’m going to go to the Senate to fight to do away with a filibuster and pass comprehensive immigration reform
Elex Michaelson (01:16:49):All right [inaudible 01:16:50] We’re going to move on to our next-
Katie Porter (01:16:53):Immigration reform will not work.
Elex Michaelson (01:16:55):We’re going to move on to our next…
Steve Garvey (01:16:56):We can’t look the people of California in the eye and tell them they don’t have a problem. Their life isn’t threatened.
Elex Michaelson (01:17:02):
Okay. We’re going to move on to the issue of climate. This question is for you, Congresswoman Porter. California is planning to end the sale of new gas powered cars by 2035. Do you agree with that timeline and do you think that should be a national model? Would you try to make that happen in the Senate?
Katie Porter (01:17:18):
For decades, Washington has failed to act on climate doing the bidding of big oil, cashing checks from organizations like BP and Chevron while they fought against the clean energy policies that we need for our future. So the time to act on climate was yesterday. And so I think we do need to be bold on climate. As we do that, we need to recognize that the need for people to have assistance and help in transitioning to green energy. Cars are expensive. New cars are a lot of money. So if we’re going to have rules that prompt people to move toward greener energy, then we need to have programs to assist them to get there.
Elex Michaelson (01:17:58):Mr. Garvey, your thoughts on that?
Steve Garvey (01:18:00):
Well, first of all, climate change is real. But as a people, we are never stronger than we realize there’s a problem and we work together. But you don’t cut off gas and oil. You don’t put a stress on the economy of this country and say, “Oh, by the way, in 10 years you have to drive an electric car,” without realizing about what it takes to put a battery together, what it’s going to do to the clouds. I mean, let’s get together and start doing this with a conscientious path. And I think when it’s all said and done, as always, we, the people will dictate what we can afford.
Elex Michaelson (01:18:37):
Well, and Mr. Schiff, we got a question from a Politico reader named Sean who lives in rural northern California. He says there’s a lot of value in some of these climate processes, but he’s worried about how much it’s going to cost him and a lot of average Californians are worried about paying for an electric vehicle. What do you say to that?
Adam Schiff (01:18:53):
Well, first of all, I support California law and I’d like to see it expanded in other states as well. It is not going to outlaw gas powered cars. So people have cars that are already gas powered are going to be able to keep their cars. But here’s the thing, others can talk about this. I prosecuted oil companies. I fought for mass transit and am known as the father of the gold line for my efforts to get mass transit built. Some of us have a record of actually doing things and producing for California.
(01:19:22)
We do need to transition to renewable sources of energy. If we’re going to get ahead of this tipping point, we need to dramatically invest in renewable energy and stop incentivizing a fossil fuel industry that is killing us and killing the planet.
Elex Michaelson (01:19:36):Thank you. Congress Member Lee, the balance.
Barbara Lee (01:19:38):
I do support this transitioning to electric vehicles, but there’s always a but, when you have 20 million people in California living one paycheck away from poverty who may not be able to afford this. So I believe as a United States senator, it’s up to me to make sure that low-income people working families are at the table when these climate policies are developed so that they will make sure that low-income people will have those investments to be able to purchase EVs. Secondly, I was born in El Paso, Texas in a community where there was a smelter. Climate justice has been part of my life and I intend to fight for climate justice in the United States.
Elex Michaelson (01:20:20):Thank you very much. We’re going to keep-
Katie Porter (01:20:21):May I have a few seconds because I have stayed on time.
Elex Michaelson (01:20:24):Okay. A few seconds and then we’re going to keep moving.
Katie Porter (01:20:27):
Representative Schiff may have prosecuted big oil companies before he came to Congress, but when he got to Congress, he cashed checks from companies like BP, from fossil fuel companies. I have delivered results on climate in my few years in Congress. I have raised my legislation to raise the rate on polluters when they drill on our public lands was signed into law.
Elex Michaelson (01:20:48):Real quickly, your chance to respond.
Adam Schiff (01:20:50):Well, first of all, I gave that money to you, Katie Porter, and I was happy to do it.
Katie Porter (01:20:55):I wasn’t in office when you were taking fossil fuel.
Adam Schiff (01:20:57):
The only response I got was, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” But look, at the end of the day, it’s about what have you gotten done? I didn’t hear anything from Representative Porter about anything she’s actually accomplished. I’ve taken on oil companies and prosecuted them. I’ve gotten mass transit built. I’ve worked on bipartisan legislation to expand open space. At the end of the day, what Californians need more than anything else is not more talking points. They need action and they need action in particular on climate.
Melanie Mason (01:21:24):Thanks, Congressman. We need to-
Katie Porter (01:21:26):Honestly, Representative Schiff, I didn’t realize how much dirty money you took until I was running against you. You’ve taken money from big oil, big pharma, cable companies and other industries. [inaudible 01:21:36]
Elex Michaelson (01:21:36):We’re going to keep moving.
Melanie Mason (01:21:40):
Okay. We’re going to keep it moving here. Our promotional partners at California Environmental Voters would like to hear your take on the farm bill, which funds an array of agricultural and food programs. It has not yet been renewed. As senator, what is the single most important priority for Californians that you would advocate for in that bill? Mr. Garvey, we’ll start with you.
Steve Garvey (01:21:59):
Well, I think a lot of people don’t realize we are arguably the greatest agricultural area in the world. We need to support those that provide the food on our tables. Not only in the state and in the country, but around the world. We need to support them, whether it’s water, whether it’s technology, whether it’s deregulation. It’s strangling right now in terms of cost. Let’s get back to investing in our agriculture and our ranching.
Melanie Mason (01:22:27):Okay. Congresswoman Porter, one priority for the farm bill.
Katie Porter (01:22:30):
In the farm bill, we need to be investing in regenerative sustainable agriculture. We cannot solve the climate crisis if we don’t figure out how to grow healthy foods here in California using less water and creating less pollution in our communities.
Melanie Mason (01:22:46):Thank you. Congressman Schiff.
Adam Schiff (01:22:48):
Well, the farm Bill is vitally important to farmers, but it’s also vitally important for low-income Americans who rely on assistance that comes through the farm bill. I want to make sure that we provide a strong assistance to those who are struggling to put food on the table. So in terms of my top priority, I would say it is making sure people have enough food, but I also want to support California’s agriculture industry. It is a vitally important industry. I’ve been meeting with both farmers and farm workers. I’m proud to have the support of the United Farm Workers in my campaign. I’m going to fight to make sure that our farm workers, those who put food on our table, are also taken care of.
Melanie Mason (01:23:23):Thank you.
Adam Schiff (01:23:24):With a pathway to citizenship.
Melanie Mason (01:23:25):Thank you. Congresswoman Lee.
Barbara Lee (01:23:27):
Sure. I serve on the agriculture subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee. Actually, I think I’m the only Democrat west of the Mississippi on the Appropriations Ag Committee. And the priority for me is the nutrition assistance provisions. In California, we have too many children growing to bed hungry at night. In the Central Valley, food insecurity in the bread basket of America is prominent everywhere. And so for me, nutrition, making sure that everyone has access to good, healthy food. Even our grocery stores, they need SNAP benefits to ensure that they survive. And so the nutrition assistance is extremely important.
Melanie Mason (01:24:06):Thank you.
Elex Michaelson (01:24:06):Thank you very much. We go now to a USC student question from Jacob Wheeler. He’s a sophomore. We’ll have 30 seconds each to answer this as we’re running out of time. Take it away. The first question goes to Mr. Garvey.
Speaker 2 (01:24:18):
Thank you, Alex, and thank you all for being here. We’ve seen a dramatic rise in antisemitism, Islamophobia, and acts of intolerance since the October 7th terrorist attacks on Israel. Many students, including right here at USC, have been scared just to be on campus. Why do you think the discourse is so broken? And what will you do about it in the US Senate?
Steve Garvey (01:24:41):
Well, one of the most compassionate times of our life is right now with the Israeli war. And what that’s ignited in terms of people standing up and expressing their racism, expressing the ugliest towards other people. I think we have to start getting back to what really matters, and that’s faith and belief in each other. We have to talk to the people that are responsible for running our campuses and ask them, “What do they really stand for?” They’re supposed to stand for a unilateral commitment to equality.
Elex Michaelson (01:25:23):Thank you. Congress Member Porter.
Katie Porter (01:25:27):
Our campuses should be places of debate, but they should never become places of hate. And so I think it’s really, really important that we continue to encourage young people to learn and to be in dialogue with each other. I do a lot of work with our interfaith community in Orange County, which has been incredibly helpful in bringing people with different views on a lot of issues, including this war in Gaza together in conversation. I’m also the lead sponsor of the Pray Safe Act to keep our places, places of worship safe during this difficult time.
Elex Michaelson (01:26:00):Thank you. Congressman Schiff.
Adam Schiff (01:26:02):
Well, I take this issue obviously very personally. I had a lot of that antisemitism directed against me. People have posted on my social media things like, “I hope you go back to Auschwitz with your family.” What’s happening on college campuses I think is terrifying. Students don’t feel safe. I’m the only member of Congress here that’s voted for each of the antisemitism resolutions that have come up this year.
(01:26:24)
We need to speak out forcefully in condemnation of this. We need to fight online hate because the online hate seldom stays in the online world. As we saw with the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting. It can lead to the real world with deadly consequences.
Elex Michaelson (01:26:36):15 seconds you, Congresswoman Lee.
Barbara Lee (01:26:40):I’ll fight against antisemitism each and every day until we dismantle it totally. And it is so important to understand that hate speech can lead to hate violence. And so antisemitism, Islamophobia, white supremacy.
Elex Michaelson (01:26:54):Thank you.
Barbara Lee (01:26:54):
Hate against the LGBTQ plus community. As a Black woman, I know what hate is and so believe you me, fighting against antisemitism, I’m bringing together right now.
Elex Michaelson (01:27:04):Thank you. Thank you
Barbara Lee (01:27:05):
Multiple communities, communities of color, all who are experiencing hate. And it’s important as a United States Senator and as a member of Congress we’ll bring people together and fight against hate.
Elex Michaelson (01:27:12):
Congress member, thank you very much. We are out of time for tonight. I just want to thank you all for being here and sharing your views. Thank you to the audience for being here as well. And thank you all for watching. We encourage you to go vote. Thanks for watching Showdown for US Senate. Thank you.