18 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY OCTOBER 23-29, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com pendent redistricting type of state. If we just sat back, if we didn’t do anything, we’re not actually doing something. What we’re doing is allowing the people to choose representatives. We just basically gave them the maps, and they’re going to have to choose from there. Californians were proud of our independent redistricting commission and that’s what we believe in, but we have to neutralize Texas’ new congressional map. This is not something that I’m thrilled about, but I’m excited about it in the sense that this is what we have to do to protect our democracy. But even if Prop. 50 passes in California, do you worry about the 2026 midterm elections? There will be steps that will be taken, and obviously consulting with our constitutional lawyers as to what we need to do to work with each state, to certify those elections going forward. It’s not going to be easy. I think it’s something we need to be vigilant about. But I think a perfect example of that, beyond talking about a hypothetical, about what could happen, we’re actually doing something right now with Prop. 50. These are the types of steps that we will take if something like that happens. Could we have imagined this is what this president would do in the middle of a redistricting cycle—go into Texas, say “bend the knee, give me five seats?” No. But he did that. We reacted, we responded. What I’m talking about is a moment in this country where we really could be coming against something that we’ve never seen before. You repeatedly, proudly state that one of your strengths is your ability to get along with the Republican members. At what point, though, do we cross that line where democracy is at an existential threat? What we’re going through right now, with this government shutdown, is a Republican majority shove through this continuing resolution without any negotiations whatsoever with Democrats. And what did we do? We stood firm; all but I think one Democrat voted for it, and we were unified against the Continuing Resolution, despite it leading to a government shutdown, because they failed to negotiate with us. My friends across the aisle, they voted for it. I stood up and I voted against it. It’s exactly what we need to be doing, not just as a party, but as a country, because when you fail to govern— and to me, governing is compromise, governing is coming to the table, governing is negotiating to reach that compromise. I’m here to make sure that the 19th Congressional District is represented. What that means is that I will work with anybody who’s willing to work with me. At the same time, I’m willing to fight anybody who threatens those values, and when you don’t negotiate, when you don’t compromise, you’re not governing. How far are you willing to go, as a congressman who’s in the minority? Retired Senator Mike Gravel, who spent his final years in Monterey County, wanted the public to know about the Pentagon Papers and read 4,100 pages into the Congressional Record in a historic filibuster. In 1972, Shirley Chisholm was so frustrated with the Democratic Party and her famous line is: “I will be unbought and unbossed.” John Lewis, a leading Congressional advocate for civil rights, was beaten and arrested for leading civil disobedience. I had the fortunate opportunity to serve with John. When he spoke, people listened because of what he had done and the “good trouble” that he did get in. And people looked to him for that type of guidance. These are types of areas which you have to realize, being in the minority, are obviously difficult right now. And my role is to make sure that when we will continue to push back and fight back and stand up to this president, to the majority, and we actually get to the point where we take the majority back. That’s what it comes down to. We have to make sure the elections are certified. Right now, my focus is on taking back the House in 2026. I came into office with President Trump 1.0. We were in the minority for the first two years. Our goal is to give [Minority Leader] Hakeem Jeffries the gavel. When we give him the gavel, he’s going to have the agency. I understand your fear about the election, but our goal is to make sure that we get to that point where we will continue to fight. On a scale of 1 to 10, how concerned are you that there’ll be a fair and free election next year? It’s obviously something we need to stay very vigilant about and focus on, but we also got to realize that we have to win Proposition 50. We have to make sure that we fight fire with fire, that we’re doing. We always have to fight for this democracy. We can never sit back. It’s what I’ve learned in my limited time in Congress. This may be a moment for you, as a lawyer, as a veteran, who has the gravitas to really say, “No, this is not going to happen on my watch.” I’ve continued to stand up to this, and I will continue to stand up to it. This is something that I’ve continued to do. There’s a lot of people who are against Proposition 50. We have to make sure they understand how important it is for our democracy. I can imagine you’ve gotten a lot of grief at the fact that Congress gets paid during the shutdown, while other federal workers do not. If it gets to the point where, at the end of the month, we get paid and other people aren’t, I will not accept that pay. Are you ready for an easier topic? No, this was easy. Well, I was being facetious. The “easier” topic is Israel. The U.S. provides $3.2 billion to Israel annually; it’s an important ally, but things are wildly complicated. The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Last month, the UN Independent International Commission Inquiry concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, finding evidence of genocidal intent, which violates for the five acts of the genocide convention. In the last election cycle, you received $10,000 from the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and according to KQED’s reporting, over $243,000 from AIPAC linked donors—your largest campaign funding source by a factor of 10. You were one of only 15 Democrats to join the Republicans in supporting HR 9495, which many considered an unconstitutional attack on free speech, empowering the Treasury Secretary to designate certain nonprofits as terrorist organizations, including those speaking out against Israel. So considering all this money you raised from AIPAC, I’m curious where you come down today with Israel’s policies and these allegations of Israel’s war crimes. Should local voters be concerned that you’re on the wrong side of history here, or under the influence of your largest campaign contributor? When it comes to my donations or people who give to me and my values, I’m not buying into their values. Let’s make that clear. These are individuals who choose to donate to me based on the values that I have. I’m not changing my stance when it comes to people who give to me. That doesn’t work that way. I don’t do that. They know where I’m at, they know how principled I am. Let’s talk about HR 9495. I need some time to explain it and this is the problem, that people sit there and they take these votes, or they use these emails that they get from some stakeholders, and they automatically go to it without reading the resolution or understanding the history of it, and then automatically coming up with a deduction without having a conversation. What 9495 does—the Stop Tariff Panetta speaking at a press conference on Oct. 3 in San Jose. He joined U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, who represents the eastern portion of Monterey County, and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, among others in expressing support for Prop. 50.
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