Mike Simon is an electric-vehicle and energy-technology business owner, a political newcomer and one of several Democrats seeking to unseat Rep. Darrell Issa. He lives in Escondido with his family.
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 am running because I’m sick of seeing members of Congress lie to the American people and waste taxpayer money on partisan witch hunts, just to advance their personal careers. The worst example of this is the peddling of election lies by cowards who don’t want to offend Donald Trump by admitting he lost the 2020 election. This “election denialism” led directly to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection and is undermining faith in our elections, which threatens the core of our democracy.
While this was my most immediate impetus for running, I’m also concerned about general dysfunction in Congress, as members seem more interested in attacking the opposite party for political gain than passing legislation to solve our problems. I am the best candidate to address these problems because I am not a career politician and will never lie or waste taxpayer time and money to protect my career.
(Mike Simon for Congress)
What are the top 3 issues facing this district and California generally?
One of the top 3 issues facing District 48 and California is the need for comprehensive immigration reform to curtail illegal immigration, while also streamlining processes for legal residency and citizenship. A draft bill to address this was recently voted down by senators who would rather use this problem as a campaign issue than actually solve it — another example of the cowardice permeating Congress today.
A second top issue is managing our transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy in a way that maintains a strong economy while also addressing climate change. In the area surrounding the Salton Sea, we recently discovered enormous deposits of lithium, a key element used in manufacturing batteries for electric vehicles and grid energy storage. Managing this resource effectively can deliver huge benefits to our district and state.
A third top issue is improving education at all levels, from pre-school through post-secondary vocational training.
What are the first 3 things you would do in your first term in Congress?
First, I would reach across the aisle and bring Democrats and Republicans together to draft a common-sense immigration bill to fund increased physical protection of our southern border, streamline processes for applying for and granting asylum and provide pathways to citizenship for “Dreamers” and other law-abiding immigrants who work in areas where we have critical labor shortages.
Second, I would use the same bipartisan approach to developing a “Comprehensive National Energy Transition Plan,” which would achieve the right balance of fossil fuel, advanced nuclear, and renewable energy. Reflecting my decades of experience in this area, this plan would maximize opportunities for small businesses and preserve California’s status as a hub of energy innovation.
Third, I would pursue educational reforms to invest more in pre-school education, after-school programs for at-risk youth, and vocational training for high school graduates who want alternatives to 4-year colleges that prepare them for lucrative careers.
What would you do to curb climate change and its effects on California?
My Comprehensive National Energy Transition Plan would provide a road map for achieving significant reductions in greenhouse gases while also maximizing job creation and sustaining U.S. technology leadership in energy-related areas.
I would also seek to strengthen international agreements and to provide businesses with greater incentives to market our clean energy technologies abroad, to ensure that the U.S. isn’t the only major nation pursuing aggressive greenhouse gas reductions.
I would strengthen national emergency response and insurance programs to assist victims of wildfires, floods and other natural emergencies that are being exacerbated by climate change.
How should U.S. migration and asylum policy change, what should guide it, and what specifically will you pursue in Congress?
I propose a three-part immigration reform policy.
First, improve protection at the southern border, using a combination of expanded human resources, electronic monitoring and physical barriers.
Second, reduce incentives for people to come to the border illegally, such as by resolving asylum cases more quickly and making it clear that frivolous asylum claims will be rapidly denied.
Third, provide a pathway to citizenship for “Dreamers” born in the U.S. who have become productive residents of our country, while streamlining procedures for granting work visas to hard-working, law-abiding foreign nationals who have skills critically needed by our economy.
What is your stance on the war in Gaza, and on U.S. involvement in and support of it?
I believe that Hamas’ brutal terrorist attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, justified a forceful global response, but that Israel has lost world support and moral legitimacy through its equally brutal military incursion into Gaza.
The U.S. should continue to press for a cease-fire and should use our foreign aid as leverage to get both Israel and the Palestinians to accept each other’s rights to exist and establish the framework of a two-state solution. Neither side can expect a lasting peace without mutual respect, elimination of poverty and political repression, and creation of economic opportunity for citizens of both nations.
Would you support federal statutory restrictions on, or protections of, abortion rights? Which, and to what extent?
I support federal statutory protections for women’s rights to make their own reproductive decisions. Women should have access to competent reproductive care and the same rights, no matter which state they live in.
I believe the federal government should have a role helping to assure that such care is accessible to all Americans, including access to counseling and information on abortion alternatives such as adoption. However, with the exception of late-term restrictions, I believe the difficult decision on whether to terminate a pregnancy is a woman’s personal medical and moral choice, not one that should be dictated by the government.
Would you support or oppose stricter federal gun laws and background checks? Which, and to what extent?
I support a balanced approach that recognizes the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens, but that takes reasonable steps to address our recent epidemic of mass shootings.
When the founding fathers wrote the Second Amendment, the “right to bear arms” effectively meant the right to own a musket. Had the founders envisioned weapons of mass destruction, I believe they would have worded this amendment differently.
Backgrounds checks and closing of gun-show loopholes are examples of common-sense measures we can use to keep the most destructive weapons out of the hands of criminals or people who are mentally unfit.
