16 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY OCTOBER 23-29, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta on what keeps him up at night and how to fight for democracy in uncertain times. By Bradley Zeve PEOPLE’S POWER When Jimmy Panetta first ran for a seat in Congress in 2016, he envisioned serving alongside Hillary Clinton in the White House. While he won that first race and has been re-elected four times since, he has served in a time where the old norms no longer exist. “The problem with our Constitution,” Panetta says, “is that we have relied on these norms, these precedents, these standards, now realizing that’s all they are. And therefore, it’s up to individuals to enhance them and to make them stronger. But as we’ve seen, individuals can also make them weaker. And this is why it’s important that we lean in now more than ever.” He was sworn in on Jan. 3, 2017 and represents California’s 19th Congressional District which, since redistricting in 2021, includes the coastal half of Monterey County, part of Santa Cruz County (excluding a section of Watsonville) and parts of Santa Clara and San Luis Obispo counties. Before he was elected, Panetta served as a deputy district attorney in both Alameda and Monterey counties. Panetta is a lawyer and a veteran, having served as a U.S. Navy Reserve intelligence officer. He deployed to the war in Afghanistan in 2007, where he received a Bronze Star. Panetta was born and raised in Carmel Valley, the son of the illustrious politician Leon Panetta, who among other positions represented the local congressional district a generation before Jimmy. Panetta recently celebrated his 56th birthday. He is married to Carrie M. Panetta, the presiding judge of the Monterey County Superior Court. They have two daughters. The Weekly caught up with Panetta to talk about the state of the union in uncertain times. Weekly: Welcome, and happy birthday. Panetta: Yeah, I just turned 56 on Oct. 1. It was probably one of the more miserable birthdays I’ve had—being stuck back in D.C. the day of the shutdown. It’s good to be here, but it’s miserable knowing that we’re in the middle of the shutdown at this point. Constitutional scholars agree that democracy ends when power no longer depends on free and fair elections, when the peaceful transfer of power or legal accountability is upended, even if the elections are technically held. I’m curious if you Jimmy Panetta in Carmel Valley. He encourages constituents to reach out any time, even if it’s on his frequent trips back and forth to Washington. “If you ever see me anywhere, be it on a flight, in this district or throughout the world, you should say hello to your U.S. representative.” STEVE SOUZA
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