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.
Current job title:Chair, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, First District
Political party affiliation:Democrat
Other political positions held:Rio Hondo Community College District Trustee; California State Assemblywoman District 57; California State Senator District 24; Congresswoman CA-31 and 32; United States Secretary of Labor; Los Angeles County First District Supervisor
City where you reside:El Monte
Campaign website or social media:hildasolis.com
What is the single most important issue this district faces, and what can Congress, realistically, do to address it? (Please answer in 200 words or less.)
The cost of living is the biggest challenge
The cost of living is the biggest challenge across the country – and in the newly-drawn 38th Congressional District specifically. Housing, groceries, childcare, healthcare and utilities are taking up more of every paycheck, while wages have not kept pace. Families are working hard and still struggling to make ends meet. Federal policy should make life more affordable, not make it harder for working people to get ahead.
Instead, the Trump administration has pursued tariff policies that are raising costs for small businesses and consumers, while its tax policies have favored the wealthy and large corporations. Families should not have to bear the cost of policies driven by political agendas rather than their economic needs. I will fight for practical policies that lower costs and strengthen working families, including tax relief for working- and middle-class households, more affordable housing and efforts to reduce health care and childcare costs. We should start by reversing H.R. 1; ending inconsistent, illegal, and harmful tariffs; and ending the illegal war with Iran that is driving our costs higher and leaving us without an effective missile defense. People who work hard should be able to afford a home, raise their families and build a secure future.
Housing is increasingly unaffordable and remains top of mind for many Californians. What is one federal policy you’d push to make housing more affordable? How would you measure whether that policy was actually successful? (Please answer in 200 words or less.)
I support expanding federal investment in affordable housing,
I support expanding federal investment in affordable housing, including the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, so we can build and preserve more homes for working families, seniors and people with low incomes. Communities cannot meet the housing crisis alone. The federal government needs to be a stronger partner in helping people afford to live where they work and where their families have put down roots. Success should be measured by whether families are spending less of their income on housing, whether more affordable homes are available, and whether fewer people are being forced out of their communities or into homelessness because they cannot afford to stay. Building more housing is important, but it is not enough if working people still cannot afford to live in it. The federal government can help to increase the supply of affordable housing by providing grants, loans, and tax incentives to states, local governments, and developers.
Concerns about the use of surveillance technology have intensified recently, often relating to license plate readers made by Flock Safety. How can Congress balance the use of these technologies in public safety cases while limiting infringement on an individual’s right to privacy? (Please answer in 200 words or less.)
Congress should set strong limits on license plate readers and other surveillance systems, including restrictions on how data is collected, stored, accessed and shared. Information should not be retained indefinitely or used beyond a legitimate, clearly defined public safety purpose. We also need protections to ensure these tools are not used to track people attending protests, seeking reproductive health care or otherwise exercising their constitutional rights. Communities deserve transparency about where these systems are being used and how their information is handled, along with independent oversight and real consequences for misuse. Technology should not become a backdoor to mass surveillance. We can use technology responsibly while protecting the privacy and constitutional rights of every person.
What should immigration policy in the U.S
What should immigration policy in the U.S. look like five years from now? (Please answer in 200 words or less.)
Across Los Angeles and Orange County, immigrants have helped to grow the economy, contributing as entrepreneurs and small business owners and driving innovation in key fields. Congress must pursue comprehensive immigration reform, providing clear pathways to citizenship for long-term undocumented residents, essential workers, and Dreamers. Temporary worker programs must be reformed and expanded to meet the country’s demand for labor in several industries, including farmworkers and trained tech workers. Immigrants must also be given due process and legal representation, and there should be humane treatment for asylum seekers at the border. Congress must also ensure that processing conditions for all detained immigrants are humane, with significant oversight of the Department of Homeland Security and its operations. Any resources for removal should focus on violent offenders and national security threats, and Congress must also provide resources to secure the border, including to combat drug and human trafficking.
Would you like to see any changes to Medicare, Medicaid or prescription drug policies? What specifically would you change, cut or fund? (Please answer in 200 words or less.)
I would fight efforts to cut Medicare
I would fight efforts to cut Medicare or Medicaid, starting with the reversal of H.R. 1. These programs provide health care to seniors, people with disabilities, children and millions of working families. Instead of putting them on the chopping block while advancing tax policies that benefit the wealthy and corporations, as the Trump administration has done, we should strengthen them and expand access to care. That also means tackling the high cost of prescription drugs. I support expanding and expediting Medicare’s ability to negotiate drug prices and making those savings available to more Americans by expanding the appropriate provisions within the Inflation Reduction Act. Pharmaceutical companies should not be able to charge Americans more for the same medications while making billions in profits. No one should have to ration medication or choose between filling a prescription and buying groceries. We need a health care system that protects the programs people rely on, lowers costs and puts patients ahead of pharmaceutical profits.
Increasingly, we’re seeing communities push back on data centers opening in or near their neighborhoods. Environmentalists complain about the amount of water and energy that data centers need to operate. Residents complain about relentless noise pollution. And others worry about losing agricultural land to these centers. On the other hand, the tech industry emphasizes the role of data centers in supporting cloud computing and artificial intelligence. As a policymaker, how would you balance the concerns of critics with desires to ensure that the U.S. remains a leader in innovation? (Please answer in 200 words or less.)
I do not believe communities should be forced to accept data centers that threaten their water, energy supply, farmland or quality of life. I have supported residents fighting projects that would bring excessive noise, strain local resources or put productive land at risk. Their concerns should not be dismissed in the name of technological progress. If the United States is going to lead in artificial intelligence, we need to invest in innovation without giving technology companies a free pass. That means stronger federal standards, real community input and accountability for the environmental and infrastructure impacts of these facilities.
We should also invest in clean energy, water
We should also invest in clean energy, water reuse and a modern electric grid. Innovation matters, but so does protecting the communities that are being asked to bear its costs. In Los Angeles County, as chair of the Board of Supervisors, I am spearheading efforts to analyze the impacts of data centers and develop policy recommendations and guidelines that limit data center proliferation in Los Angeles County.
There is growing debate about whether political candidates or committees should be allowed to run ads created with the use of artificial intelligence. Recently, we’ve seen videos or images depicting a candidate’s political opponent in disparaging ways – and which some critics say falsely misrepresent their political rival. In your opinion, should there be a strict ban on AI-generated political content? If AI-generated content is permitted, should there be restrictions on its use? What should the terms be, if any? Explain your position. (Please answer in 200 words or less.)
I support a ban on deceptive AI-generated political content. Political campaigns should not be able to create fake images, videos or recordings and pass them off as real to mislead voters. We already see this happening every day, including from the Trump administration. AI makes it even easier to create convincing fabrications and put them in front of millions of people before the truth has a chance to catch up. That is dangerous, especially during an election. I would also require clear labeling of political content that has been substantially created or altered using AI, with meaningful penalties for those who knowingly use it to deceive voters. Free speech protects political debate and criticism. It should not give anyone the right to manufacture something that never happened and present it as fact.
How should the U.S. balance support for foreign
How should the U.S. balance support for foreign allies with concerns about the country’s spending and the risk of entering “forever wars”? (Please answer in 200 words or less.)
The U.S. cannot continue engaging in unnecessary (and sometimes illegal) wars that divert resources and cost lives. The war in Iran continues as U.S. residents bear the increasing costs of gas, diesel and other supplies. The billions of dollars spent on the war in Iran could have provided lifesaving safety net services, making up for the cuts in Trump’s H.R.1. Instead of deploying U.S. troops, the U.S. should focus on providing intelligence, hardware, and training. It should also rely more on coalitions and international bodies to negotiate conflicts and prevent wars in the first place.
The Trump administration is aggressively pushing to expand offshore oil drilling and production in California. Do you support this move? Why or why not? (Please answer in 200 words or less.)
I oppose expanding offshore oil drilling off California
I oppose expanding offshore oil drilling off California. We have seen what happens when drilling goes wrong. Oil spills threaten fisheries and leave coastal communities dealing with the damage for years, harming our economy and the landscape that makes California unique. And let’s be clear, this is not a serious plan to lower gas prices. Oil is traded in a global market, and adding more drilling off California will not insulate families from global oil prices. What it will do is give oil companies more access to drill off our coast while California communities bear the risks. We are already dealing with the consequences of a changing climate, from extreme heat and devastating wildfires to rising seas. Expanding offshore drilling moves us in the wrong direction. We should be protecting California’s coastline, investing in clean energy and building an economy that is less dependent on fossil fuels, not putting our coastal communities and environment at risk so oil companies can make more money.
The polarization of politics in this country has only grown. If you’re the incumbent of this office, what’s an example of you bucking that trend and cooperating with colleagues you may have political or ideological differences with? And if you’re running to step into this office for the first time, what’s an issue you will work on with those across the aisle to tackle? (Please answer in 200 words or less.)
H.R.1 has significantly cut safety net services, including health coverage, making it harder for families to get by. After the midterms, Republican members will be hearing from constituents as more of these provisions take effect and families face losing coverage and higher costs. That’s when I plan to show up. Not to let them off the hook for writing these devastating cuts into law, but because families losing coverage need help now. If a Republican member is ready to restore the health care they helped take away, I’ll work with them to get it done. I’ll fight them when they are wrong, but I’ll work with them when they are ready to put their constituents first.
Tell us about a time you’ve changed your
Tell us about a time you’ve changed your mind on a political position. What was it, and what changed your mind? (Please answer in 200 words or less.)
Early in my career, I thought passing the right policy was the hardest part. Over time, I learned that the real work often comes afterward, making sure that policy actually reaches the people it was meant to help. That has made me more willing to listen, adjust and keep pushing when something isn’t working. I haven’t changed what I believe in. I’ve changed how I go about getting it done. As policies are implemented, it is critical that communities are consulted and informed every step of the way to ensure that they receive intended benefits and that any possible unintended outcomes are limited.
Bonus question: What is the best book you’ve read this year? Explain why you found it compelling.
“Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics.” Though more of a coffee-table book, Dolly shares very personal stories about the struggles she and her family faced, and how they are reflected in her lyrics. Hers is a true American story about overcoming challenges, whether they are personal, economic, or cultural. This line from “Coat of Many Colors” reminds me of my own upbringing, the third oldest of many children in an immigrant family: “Although we had no money, I was rich as I could be in my coat of many colors my mama made for me.”
