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: Linda T. Sánchez
Current job title: Member of Congress
Political party affiliation: Democrat
Incumbent: Yes
Other political positions held: N/A
City where you reside: Whittier
Campaign website or social media: www.voteforlinda.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.)
We need a balanced approach that combines strong law enforcement with meaningful criminal justice reform. That is why I have supported providing our police officers with the tools, training and support necessary to do their jobs and foster stronger community trust. This includes nearly $1 million I secured in the most recent government funding bill for Rio Hondo College’s Police Academy to develop new scenario-based training.
But we must also reform our criminal justice system, including providing pathways to rehabilitation and addressing systemic issues that drive crime. Right now, we spend more on prisons than we do on education. That needs to change. Investing more in early intervention programs early on would reduce the school-to-prison pipeline and prevent children from becoming adult criminals.
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.)
To pay for former President Trump’s tax cuts for large corporations and the rich, congressional Republicans pushed the tax burden further onto middle-class families by capping the amount of state and local taxes that can be deducted from federal income taxes. In California, where the average person pays nearly $18,000 in state and local taxes, that means many middle-class taxpayers are now being taxed twice on any amount above the SALT cap — all for a tax cut the rich didn’t need. As a senior member of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, I have fought to restore the full SALT deduction and would pay for it by repealing the Trump tax cuts for the top 1%.
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.)
In recent years, we have watched as the conservative Supreme Court has overturned long-established legal precedents — gutted civil rights, taken away a woman’s right to choose and placed presidents above the law. Reform is needed to maintain the court’s credibility with the American public.
One necessary reform is a binding code of conduct for the Supreme Court. Justices should be held to the same standards as all other federal judges. They should be required to disclose gifts, refrain from political activity and recuse themselves from cases in which they have a financial interest or other conflict of interest.
Should there be an age limit imposed on presidential candidates? What about Congress or Senate? If so, what is that limit?
The Constitution only specifies a minimal age requirement for federal office. But candidates must be upfront about any health issues they’re facing if it would affect their ability to do their job. With greater transparency, I trust voters to make the best decision about who should represent them in Washington.
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.)
Women have the right to make their own decisions about their bodies and when and how to start a family. Period.
Sadly, IVF and other fertility treatments are now threatened after the conservative Supreme Court majority struck down Roe v. Wade and the protections it guaranteed. I’m a cosponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would restore reproductive freedom for all women and guarantee access to IVF nationwide. I’m also supportive of Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s Right to IVF Act, which would protect and expand nationwide access to fertility treatments. Unfortunately, that bill was blocked by Senate Republicans, but if it had reached the House, I would have voted for it.
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.)
I strongly oppose the Republican plan to cruelly tear families apart, waste billions of dollars and leave companies without the workers they need. Instead, I have led efforts in Congress to fix our broken immigration system. My bill would help grow our economy by ensuring companies have access to workers through visa system reform, allow immigrants to achieve the American Dream with a pathway to earned citizenship and, most importantly, keep families together by creating a more humane system.
It would also modernize and strengthen our border by using technology to enhance the detection of contraband and stop the flow of illicit drugs, which are mostly smuggled through our shipping ports. Additionally, it authorizes and provides funding to improve infrastructure for processing asylum seekers, creating a faster and fairer system.
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.)
As a single mom, I understand the pain that rising prices — on everything from prescription drugs and groceries to energy bills and housing — has had on household budgets. That is why I supported the Inflation Reduction Act. Since its passage, inflation has stabilized and is at its lowest since the pandemic. With the Fed expected to lower interest rates, California families should see more relief.
But Congress must do more to lower costs for everyday goods. That is why I support the bipartisan Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act. This bill would strengthen the food and agriculture supply chains, ensure fair competition in the meat and poultry sectors and reduce food and gasoline costs, leading to lower grocery bills and cheaper prices at the pump.
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.)
Every Californian should have access to affordable, safe and stable housing. To reduce costs for renters and buyers, we need to make it easier to build more affordable housing.
That is why I’m a cosponsor of the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act, which would expand and strengthen the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit — our nation’s most effective affordable housing program. This program provides tax credits for acquiring, rehabilitating and constructing rental housing targeted to lower-income households.
Our bill would increase the amount of tax credits allocated to each state by 50%, increase the number of affordable housing projects that can be built using private activity bonds and improve the program to better assist underserved communities. In California, one of the biggest costs is land prices. I’m also researching ways we could get unused land owned by the federal government to be conveyed to local governments to help developers build affordable housing.
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.)
There is no silver bullet for solving homelessness; it requires a holistic approach with the federal government partnering with state and local governments to address the root causes of homelessness, including expanding access to affordable housing.
I have long championed the Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) program, which is vital for helping local governments provide essential services to residents, including emergency shelters and rental assistance.
Additionally, I’ve advocated for robust funding for the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants program and the HUD-VASH program, which support homelessness prevention, rehousing initiatives and comprehensive mental and health care services for those in need.
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.)
If done properly, AI can be a powerful tool that benefits every aspect of our lives from health care to security to academia and more. But I’m concerned about the negative impact AI can have if left unchecked, particularly the harmful effects of deepfakes on our economy and democracy. That is why I’m a cosponsor of the CREATE AI Act. Our bill would help develop AI systems that are safe, ethical, transparent and inclusive for everyone.
Technology companies should also bear responsibility for how their products are used. The private sector should develop industry-wide standards for detecting and notifying users about AI-generated or augmented images, videos or audio, for example, a watermark or digital signature on such files.
What is one local infrastructure project you would push to secure funds for in the federal budget? (Please be specific in your answer.)
I have consistently worked to bring federal dollars back to our district to repair aging bridges, roads and railways. Last year alone, I successfully fought for and secured funding for all 15 of my requested community projects, bringing nearly $13 million in direct funding back home.
One of my top priorities is ensuring the Whittier Narrows Dam Safety Project is completed on time. Restoring the dam is a matter of life and death for many of our communities, particularly Pico Rivera where the dam is located. I will continue to work closely with my colleagues to ensure the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has all the funding necessary to complete this critical project and protect 1.2 million downstream residents and small businesses from catastrophic flooding.
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 a senior member of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, I’ve consistently looked for ways to use our tax code to help small businesses and homeowners invest in clean energy and energy efficiency.
One example is a bipartisan bill I have led with Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick to make it more affordable to retrofit older buildings to improve their energy efficiency. Our bill, the Mechanical Insulation Installation Incentive Act, would provide tax credits to offset the cost of adding insulation to mechanical piping and equipment and HVAC systems.
This simple, proven method drastically cuts energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in commercial buildings. It would help save energy, lower costs and support good-paying union jobs.
What’s the No. 1 song on your playlist while you’re on the campaign trail?
Anything by Pink, but lately I’ve been listening to Beyoncé’s “Freedom.”
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.
