What is the most pressing issue in...

What is the most pressing issue in the state? In Newport-Mesa?

I would say it’s the economy.

How will you be able to address the concerns of Newport-Mesa in

Washington?

With every opportunity that I have, I will work closely with the

other candidates to make sure we can find a way that we can create an

environment that’s friendly to California and that we can create

jobs. I believe that we need to be concentrating on training and

retraining people who have lost their jobs and need to hone their

skills and learn new skills in the new economy.

What makes you the best person for the job?

I am very energetic, I’m very enthusiastic about what I do and

passionate about representing people in the district, and I believe I

can make a difference.

What one thing would you hope to accomplish while in office?

I want to bring a new perspective to Washington, which is that I

like to see politicians be more connected with the people.

How do you see yourself working with your party, in Congress and

with the White House?

I don’t like partisan politics, so I would definitely work with

other congressmen and congresswomen who share in the same belief that

we can move this country forward in a better direction.

How do you rate the federal government’s handling of homeland

security? What else can be done, if anything, to make the U.S. more

secure from terrorism?

I think we are taking very significant steps in terms of homeland

security and at this point, we don’t have a thorough analysis of the

areas where we are weak and vulnerable. I think we need a thorough

analysis of that before we can pinpoint the places where we should

dedicate our resources. We can do better.

What’s your opinion of the president’s proposed guest worker

program? How should the federal government address illegal

immigration?

I believe that we have to have an immigration policy that makes

sense, not policies where we are reactive to something in election

years. I am for really making the opportunities available to people

who are here legally.

Is there too much spending in the president’s budget proposal? How

can the deficit be reduced, and should Americans be concerned about

it?

We do need to have stimulus. However, I don’t believe that all of

the tax cuts should be permanent. There’s certain times when we

really need to have taxes to we can pay off the deficit.