Ahead of the November general election, the Southern California News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates who wish to represent you. You can find the full questionnaire below. Questionnaires may have been edited for spelling, grammar, length and, in some instances, to remove hate speech and offensive language.
MORE: Read all the candidate responses in our Voter Guide
Name: Lou Correa
Current job title: Member of Congress
Political party affiliation: Democrat
Incumbent: Yes
Other political positions held: California State Assembly, California State Senate, Orange County Board of Supervisors
City where you reside: Santa Ana
Campaign website or social media: www.loucorrea.com
Californians will decide on a proposition this November that would scale back some of Proposition 47, a 2014 voter-approved measure that reduced penalties for certain theft and drug offenses. What is one way the federal government could help states like California balance criminal justice reform with enforcing the law? (Please be specific with your proposal, and keep your answer to 200 words or less.)
The federal government has a duty to make sure that states like California have access to the federal resources and federal collaboration they need to tackle issues like rising organized retail crime head-on. Incentivizing better data-sharing across state, federal and international agencies would ensure that the right criminals are being targeted and effectively prosecuted and that hard-working business owners on Main Street are protected from repeated theft and profit loss.
Recent efforts to expand the federal deduction for state and local taxes, called SALT, have failed. What changes would you like to see, if any, to SALT? (Please keep your answer to 200 words or less.)
State and local taxes (SALT) are deductible from your federal taxes, thereby reducing the amount of federal taxes you have to pay. Californians should again be able to deduct the full amount of state and local taxes we pay from our federal taxes. Beginning in 2017, deductions were capped at $10,000 per household filing. The SALT deduction caps are set to expire in 2025. In 2017, I voted against the SALT cap. I will continue to vote to eliminate this cap again. We Californians deserve taxpayer equity.
President Joe Biden has called for an overhaul of the U.S. Supreme Court, including mandatory ethics rules. What reforms, if any, do you believe the Supreme Court needs, and how would they be enforced? (Please be specific with your proposal, and keep your answer to 250 words or less.)
The Supreme Court is the highest law of the land. Like the legislative branch, public confidence is key to the U.S. Supreme Court’s function in our nation. Any semblance of conflicting interests or self-dealing cannot be tolerated. The justices of the Supreme Court are public officials and should be subject to an enforceable code of ethics that prohibits unreasonable gifts and provides for full disclosure and transparency of justices’ financial interests.
Should there be an age limit imposed on presidential candidates? What about Congress or Senate? If so, what is that limit?
Voters should decide who will best represent them, and they are very capable of evaluating candidates for elected office based on a candidate’s merits. Experience, that comes with age, is often not appreciated. Let voters decide who will represent their best interests.
Would you support legislation that protects women’s access to in vitro fertilization and other fertility treatments nationwide? Why or why not? (Please be specific in your answer, and limit your response to 200 words.)
Yes. Women deserve every right to determine what’s best for themselves, their bodies and their families, not the government. Fundamentally, these decisions, and a woman’s right to choose, are best left to a woman, her doctor and her God.
The Republican Party’s platform, following the summer convention, calls for the “largest deportation effort in American history.” Is this something you support? If so, what would such an effort look like? If not, how would you assuage concerns about border security? (Please be specific in your response, and keep it to 250 words or less.)
Mass deportation is not only morally reprehensible but economically misguided. As a policymaker, it’s clear to me that homeland security, immigration policy and refugee challenges are different issues that are mixed into one discussion.
I remember 9/11 very clearly. And as a Homeland Security Committee member, I will never forget. We must always be ready to defend our nation. Border security, as a part of our homeland security, must be our top priority.
Regarding the economic refugee crisis, one immediate solution is lifting tariffs on garments and foods grown in Central America, thus creating jobs in their respective home countries immediately. The refugee challenge is a regional challenge. We’re collaborating with Costa Rica, Mexico, Colombia, Panama and other neighbors who are struggling with refugees. We need to do more to ensure long-term regional economic growth and economic management in the Americas. Our Marshall Plan did this for Europe after World War II. It’s not about being benevolent; it’s about our national interest.
Immigration policy is not about immigrants; it’s about America’s best interest. We have millions of undocumented workers who have been part of our workforce for decades. They harvest our crops, serve in our military, work in Silicon Valley and are public safety officers. Our economy depends on this workforce. Let’s provide them the opportunity to earn the American dream and thereby strengthen America’s economy.
Cost of living is high on the list of concerns among voters, particularly among younger people. What is one bipartisan proposal you have to alleviate concerns about high prices or cost of living? (Please be specific in your response, and limit it to 200 words.)
We must preserve the ability of small businesses to use high-tech tools. I stand with a bipartisan majority of my colleagues in Congress who have vowed to push back at attempts to strip small businesses on Main Street access to tools and services they use to increase business, pay their employees and serve their communities — that includes restaurants, grocers and beyond. Ensuring that technology and services that these businesses rely on are not regulated out of existence is the highest priority, and will make sure that the goods and services our constituents rely on remain as affordable and accessible as possible.
Californians continue to point to housing affordability as one of their top concerns. What is something the federal government could do to lessen the financial burden people feel, whether that’s with renting or buying a house? (Please be specific in your answer, and limit it to 200 words or less.)
Homeownership is an essential part of the American dream and represents a tangible pathway to the middle class. As a former real estate broker, I saw firsthand the role real estate plays in uplifting Main Street and hard-working Americans. I’m a co-chair of the bipartisan Real Estate Caucus and work across party lines to deliver real estate policy that will benefit soon-to-be homeowners across the country and help so many families get one step closer to fulfilling their own American dream — and the first step to achieve this goal is to implement federal tax incentives for first-time home ownership.
What do you see the federal government’s role as in helping local municipalities tackle homelessness? (Please be specific in your answer, and limit it to 200 words or less.)
Many are homeless because they cannot afford housing. The federal government provides local governments with Section 8 housing vouchers that locals rely on to provide housing rental subsidies to those who can’t afford to pay rent. The feds should continue to fund this proven cost-effective way to house those economically challenged and try to increase the number of these vouchers. I’ve also spent the past many years bringing home as many federal taxpayer dollars as possible to build affordable and accessible housing units across my district and throughout Orange County. Federal officials like me have a huge responsibility to bring resources like this home to take some of the burden off of our money-strapped local municipalities who are in dire need of a helping hand.
After Tesla chief executive Elon Musk shared an AI-generated video purporting to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ voice, Gov. Gavin Newsom vowed to enact legislation to make it illegal to manipulate someone’s voice in an ad. What is something the federal government could do to protect people from deep-fakes, or false AI-generated images, videos and audio? (Please be specific in your response, and keep your answer to 200 words or less.)
The inventions of the semiconductor and the internet profoundly changed our world and how we live. Today, AI is that kind of catalyst reshaping how we live and how we work. AI promises much and has the potential for great misuse. The federal government must get ahead of the curve and provide legal guardrails to ensure that AI develops for the benefit of those on Main Street and not further erode our civil liberties and rights to privacy. We must also ensure that American entrepreneurship and innovation continue to flourish under AI and that the benefits of AI flow to all, creating jobs and prosperity for all Americans.
What is one local infrastructure project you would push to secure funds for in the federal budget? (Please be specific in your answer.)
Water infrastructure. The city of Fullerton’s Well 7A Construction and the city of Orange’s West Orange Park projects — to both kickstart a long-term water resilience project to mitigate the impacts of droughts in the area and to provide much-needed open space and recreational opportunities. I have also secured federal funds for the city of Santa Ana to clean municipal water wells of PFAS contamination. I’ve already brought home federal dollars for these projects, and hope to deliver more resources to address our clean water supply challenges.
What is one environment or climate policy you’d champion if elected? (Please be specific with your policy proposal, and keep your answer to 200 words or less.)
As of January 1, 2024, California has banned the sale of gasoline lawnmowers. Most of the gardeners who cut our lawns live paycheck to paycheck and will unlikely be able to make the expensive “transition” to all-electric. I have introduced legislation to give a 40% tax credit to small entities purchasing electric lawnmowers. As we address climate policy, let’s not forget our hard-working men and women on Main Street.
What’s the No. 1 song on your playlist while you’re on the campaign trail?
“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” by the Righteous Brothers. The Righteous Brothers are an American musical duo originally formed by Bill Medley (SAHS) and Bobby Hatfield (AHS). They were each Anaheim High School and Santa Ana High School alumni. It’s a song that brings back great memories of the district.
Sourcing & Methodology
The Orange County Register sent questionnaires, based on current events and questions from readers, to candidates on the ballot in Orange County via email, phone and/or mail in August. Answers have been lightly edited only to correct spelling or grammar or to remove offensive language and hate speech.
