Rep. Scott Peters, a Democrat, is running for a seventh term in Congress, now representing a stretch of coastal San Diego and inland North County. Before his election to Congress, he spent time on the San Diego City Council, chairing the region’s port district and working as an environmental lawyer.
To help inform voters, the San Diego Union-Tribune asked all the candidates a series of the same questions about their priorities, positions and campaigns. Their emailed answers have been lightly edited for clarity.
Why are you running, and what makes you the best candidate?
I’ve made real, pragmatic progress toward tackling climate change and easing our transition to renewable energy. I’ve passed laws to reduce student debt and veteran homelessness, make prescription drugs more affordable for our seniors and make it easier for homeless service providers to help our unhoused neighbors.
I’m running to continue my work to solve these and other critical problems facing our nation so we can build a future where every American has a shot at opportunity, prosperity and security. In Congress, I will always vote to support a woman’s right to choose, voting rights and gun safety reforms and to protect our democracy.
(Courtesy of Scott Peters)
I’ve made creating a better San Diego my life’s work. First elected in 2012 to California’s 52nd Congressional District, I now serve as the U.S. representative for CA-50. I served as a San Diego port commissioner from 2009 to 2012 and on the San Diego City Council from 2000 to 2008.
What are the top 3 issues facing this district and California generally?
1. The housing crisis is the main impediment to continued prosperity and quality of life in San Diego and California. I introduced the Build More Housing Near Transit Act, which would leverage federal transportation funding to encourage local governments to build more homes near transit.
2. Cross-border pollution flowing from the Tijuana River Valley is threatening public health, military readiness, border security and our economy. I secured $350 million to fix and expand the dilapidated South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant. When we learned it wasn’t enough, I began the fight to secure $310 million more in any upcoming spending package.
3. Unusual “big weather” natural disasters will only get more fierce and frequent as a result of climate change. We must create a more resilient San Diego so families and businesses aren’t hurt by future storms and wildfires.
What are the first 3 things you would do in your next term in Congress?
1. Last Congress we passed historic investments to confront the climate crisis, but much of that money might expire if we don’t speed up the planning and permitting process for clean energy projects. I will continue my bipartisan efforts to make those investments as fast as possible.
2. We will hopefully secure the funds needed to stop cross-border wastewater pollution this year, but I will still focus on securing annual funds to operate and maintain our wastewater treatment plant and for cleanup efforts for the damage already done.
3. This year we’ll spend more on interest on the debt than on our national defense. Social Security and Medicare are projected to go insolvent and face automatic cuts in the next decade if we do nothing. I am working to find a bipartisan solution that puts us on a better fiscal path and ensures that the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share.
What would you do to curb climate change and its effects on California?
California faces severe climate impacts including drought, wildfire and extreme heat. I’ve introduced legislation to boost climate adaptation and resilience, including protecting our iconic sequoias. I have also been on the forefront of the fight to make it easier to build the clean energy infrastructure of the future and the electrical wires we will need to move that energy from where it is produced to cities like San Diego.
We must also 1) decarbonize our economy, 2) impose a price on carbon and 3) develop carbon capture and removal technologies.
How should U.S. migration and asylum policy change, what should guide it, and what specifically will you pursue in Congress?
San Diegans view our border with Mexico as an opportunity, not a threat. The U.S. has always turned to immigrants in times of labor shortages; we should do so again.
I support border security to protect against the smuggling of drugs, guns and people. I support immigration policies that compassionately address the challenges confronting migrants in their home countries and expand and strengthen avenues for legal immigration. It’s important to welcome those seeking refuge and to invest in immigration courts to process migrants’ asylum claims fairly and quickly, as well as improve processing times for visas and legal immigration.
What is your stance on the war in Gaza, and on U.S. involvement in and support of it?
I strongly support Israel’s right to defend itself in response to the barbaric attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, which deliberately targeted civilians and included the brutal rape of women and the kidnapping of children. I cannot, however, ignore the horrific loss of innocent Palestinian lives in the weeks since, nor the ongoing destruction in Gaza. The current war and decades of conflict have traumatized generations of Palestinians and Israelis.
I support a negotiated agreement that includes a bilateral end to violence and the release of all remaining Israeli hostages. The loss of innocent lives must end.
Would you support federal statutory restrictions on, or protections of, abortion rights? Which, and to what extent?
I’ll always believe that a woman should be free to make her own reproductive choices with the advice of her doctor and without the interference of politicians.
In 2022, I helped the House pass the Women’s Health Protection Act to codify Roe v. Wade and ensure everyone has access to the healthcare they need no matter where they live. I also voted for the Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act, to stop my Republican colleagues from criminalizing women who travel across state lines to obtain an abortion. I’ll continue to support legislation that protects the right to an abortion.
Would you support or oppose stricter federal gun laws and background checks? Which, and to what extent?
I’ve voted for every gun safety reform bill since I’ve been in Congress, including the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which became law in 2022. My STANDUP Act also became law in 2022 and is working to help stop violence in our schools before it happens by teaching students and educators how to spot the warning signs and intervene when someone is at risk of harming themselves or others.
I support banning assault weapons, prohibiting concealed carry reciprocity, strengthening background checks and ghost gun regulations and more to finally end our national epidemic of gun violence.
