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Politics & Government

Congressional Candidates Debate Jobs, Taxes

Eight contenders to fill the seat vacated by Jane Harman discuss their ideas on the economy and business growth.

Candidates in the crowded field to fill the vacant 36th Congressional District seat burnished their pro-business credentials at a forum Thursday hosted by the South Bay Association of Chambers of Commerce.

With just over three weeks remaining before the May 17 primary election, candidates are jostling to position themselves as the best representative of the district that includes Marina del Rey and stretches from Venice to San Pedro. The special election was called after longtime Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice) resigned in February to join a Washinton, D.C.-based think tank.

At the forum, Democrat Debra Bowen, the California Secretary of State, positioned herself as a deal maker poised to make progress in the bitterly divided Congress, citing her “ability to work in a difficult partisan environment.”

“Simplistic, black-and-white thinking is the biggest impediment to problem solving in Washington, D.C.,” she said at the forum held at the Toyota USA Automobile Museum in Torrance.

Democrat Marcy Winograd, a public school teacher who challenged Harman in November 2010 and won 41 percent of the vote, painted herself as a principled leftist, stating her platform as “jobs with peace.”

She called for ending the nation’s military involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Libya. Winograd proposes channeling military funding into developing alternative energy sources as a way to repurpose the talent of the aerospace industry workforce in the South Bay.

Los Angeles City Councilwoman and Democrat Janice Hahn flexed her progressive muscle, praising the work of Harman, while also saying, “I think it’s time we get out of foreign wars and invest that money here in local businesses, saving and creating jobs.”

She said the defense budget should be cut, but “in no way do I want this to hurt the aerospace industry in the South Bay.”

Hahn leads the pack in fundraising, reporting campaign funds of $274,000, while Republican Craig Huey has donated $250,000 to his own campaign. Bowen has raised $195,000 and Winograd has raised about $50,000.

Dan Adler, a Democrat and veteran of the entertainment industry, challenged the fiscal policy of the nation's leaders.

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“Washington is out of touch with the kind of entrepreneurial spirit that is in this area,” Adler said.

He said government needs to live within its means, but also has a duty to take care of people, including reforming health care to focus on preventative care and better health outcomes.


With the budget debate ongoing in the nation's capital, the local candidates laid out their positions on taxes.


Winograd said she supports “Obama’s plan where those who can afford to pay, do pay.”

But she struck a moderate tone, noting that the president’s idea of taxing those earning more than $250,000 might not be the right cutoff. “In Los Angeles, that is not a great amount of money.” Instead she called for a “more equitable tax structure.”

Hahn was more specific, saying she would adjust the income level that should be taxed higher, moving it up to households earning more than $1 million.

Bowen mentioned the current debate over deficit reduction, saying it is important, but “we don’t want to get in the way of the economic recovery we’ve already got started.”

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Several Republicans are also seeking election in the district, which has traditionally voted Democratic, and four of them participated in the forum.


Huey is a Torrance business owner who is active in the South Bay Republican Party. His platform focuses on improving conditions for businesses and “taking the chains off the economy.” He argued that the South Bay has lost cruise lines and shipping companies because of excessive government interference, saying “Regulations are one of the killers of business, entrepreneurs."

Mike Gin, mayor of Redondo Beach, called himself an independent Republican who would not be beholden to the Republican Party leadership nor the Democrats. While he said he supports Medicare, and wants to preserve its PPO structure, he also said the nation must “slash taxes, especially corporate taxes,” which he says are hurting businesses.



Mike Webb, Redondo Beach city attorney, said his priority is to "get government to live within its means," adding "our economy is never going to recover until we do that." He believes Washington, D.C., needs to focus on national security, public safety and infrastructure.

Kit Bobko, a Hermosa Beach councilman and Air Force veteran, is an advocate for entitlement reform and cutting compensation for public sector workers. He said he would fight to keep the El Segundo Air Force base open and said, “I understand how important it is that aerospace remain vital in this district.”

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