Ahead of the November general election, the Southern California News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates who wish to represent you. You can find the full questionnaire below. Questionnaires may have been edited for spelling, grammar, length and, in some instances, to remove hate speech and offensive language.
MORE: Read all the candidate responses in our Voter Guide
Name: Judy Chu
Current job title: Member of Congress
Political party affiliation: Democrat
Incumbent: Yes
Other political positions held: Garvey School Board; Monterey Park City Council and Mayor; California State Assemblymember; Member of the State Board of Equalization
City where you reside: Monterey Park, CA
Campaign website or social media: judychu.org
Californians will decide on a proposition this November that would scale back some of Proposition 47, a 2014 voter-approved measure that reduced penalties for certain theft and drug offenses. What is one way the federal government could help states like California balance criminal justice reform with enforcing the law? (Please be specific with your proposal, and keep your answer to 200 words or less.)
Congress can help local law enforcement to have the resources they need to keep our communities safe, while still protecting Californians’ civil rights. That’s why I support the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would establish national standards for police conduct, invest in community policing, and strengthen enforcement of police misconduct. And it’s also why I am working through the Community Project Funding process Democrats brought back to Congress to secure resources for local police departments in my district. This coming Fiscal Year, I’ve requested millions in federal funds for local law enforcement in my district to upgrade communications, acquire new equipment and vehicles, and improve their dispatch systems.
Recent efforts to expand the federal deduction for state and local taxes, called SALT, have failed. What changes would you like to see, if any, to SALT? (Please keep your answer to 200 words or less.)
I believe the cap on SALT deductions must expire, so that Californians can once again deduct 100% of their state and local taxes from their federal tax returns. As a member of the Ways and Means Committee, I voted against Donald Trump’s tax law, which capped SALT deductions starting in 2018, and I am a cosponsor of the bipartisan SALT Deductibility Act which would immediately repeal the cap on SALT deductions.
President Joe Biden has called for an overhaul of the U.S. Supreme Court, including mandatory ethics rules. What reforms, if any, do you believe the Supreme Court needs, and how would they be enforced? (Please be specific with your proposal, and keep your answer to 250 words or less.)
Congress has a constitutional responsibility to act as a check on the power of the Supreme Court as a co-equal branch of government. This is especially important because the Judiciary is the only branch of government that is not elected by the public and serves lifetime terms. If the public knows that Justices are acting with bias, or that Justices are accepting gifts in exchange for favorable rulings, that undermines confidence in our whole democracy. Yet that’s exactly what we’ve seen in recent years, from Donald Trump promising that he would appoint Justices that would overturn Roe v. Wade, to Justice Clarence Thomas accepting lavish vacations and expensive gifts from billionaires with business before the Court. The Supreme Court is facing a crisis of legitimacy, and that’s why I support Supreme Court reform and cosponsor legislation in Congress to enforce a code of ethics for Supreme Court Justices and implement term limits for the Justices.
Should there be an age limit imposed on presidential candidates? What about Congress or Senate? If so, what is that limit?
Age is one of many considerations that voters must weigh when choosing who to cast their ballot for, and I believe that an age limit for the President or Members of Congress would take this decision out of the hands of voters and could disqualify many extremely competent, accomplished individuals who are up for the job. For that reason, I do not support age limits for candidates. The truth is that every individual ages differently, and some of our most effective and energetic lawmakers are also some of the oldest. In a democracy, I believe that voters should be trusted with decisions like whether a candidate has what it takes to perform the job they’re asking voters to hire them for.
Would you support legislation that protects women’s access to in vitro fertilization and other fertility treatments nationwide? Why or why not? (Please be specific in your answer, and limit your response to 200 words.)
Absolutely, and in fact I am an original cosponsor of H.R. 7056, the Right to IVF Act, legislation in the House to do just that. There’s even what’s called a discharge petition that I’ve signed that would bypass the Republican Speaker and force a vote on that bill in the House. None of my Republican colleagues have signed it. Additionally, I am also the lead author and sponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act, legislation that would restore the protections of Roe v. Wade for women nationwide in the wake of the Trump Supreme Court Justices’ disastrous Dobbs decision. I will continue to be a leading voice in Congress for protecting reproductive rights, including the decision of if, when, and how to start or grow a family.
The Republican Party’s platform, following the summer convention, calls for the “largest deportation effort in American history.” Is this something you support? If so, what would such an effort look like? If not, how would you assuage concerns about border security? (Please be specific in your response, and keep it to 250 words or less.)
Unsurprisingly, this idea is right out of Project 2025’s playbook. And I adamantly oppose this alarming, anti-American, and illegal promise by Republicans to deport millions of people, including those living in the United States legally. The logistics of such an operation would tear families and entire communities apart all over the nation. For many years, we know our immigration system has been badly broken. Rather than concentrate on deportation-focused tactics that are historically unsuccessful and counter-productive, Congress should be redirecting our energy to create a more humane, efficient immigration system with clear pathways to citizenship and status. I will continue to support efforts to address the root causes of migration, increase the number of asylum officers at the border, improve our family- and employment-based visa systems, and modernize our borders to stop human and drug trafficking.
Cost of living is high on the list of concerns among voters, particularly among younger people. What is one bipartisan proposal you have to alleviate concerns about high prices or cost of living? (Please be specific in your response, and limit it to 200 words.)
Since the pandemic and corresponding global supply chain issues, Californians have felt the pain of inflation in everyday costs like groceries and necessities like the cost of housing. Under the stewardship of Biden-Harris Administration, however, inflation has now subsided to pre-pandemic levels while our economy remains strong. Interest rates are going down, providing relief for consumers and businesses. But Congress still needs to work together to alleviate supply constraints and put more money in the pockets of working families. As a Member of the Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over the tax code, I was proud to work on and vote for a bipartisan package of legislation, the Tax Relief for American Workers and Families Act, which would do just that. It would expand the Child Tax Credit for 16 million kids, helping families pay for things like school supplies and groceries, and include measures like an expansion of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit which will spur the development of thousands of new housing units, bringing the cost of rent and housing down, especially in places like Southern California.
Californians continue to point to housing affordability as one of their top concerns. What is something the federal government could do to lessen the financial burden people feel, whether that’s with renting or buying a house? (Please be specific in your answer, and limit it to 200 words or less.)
Making housing more affordable is a problem every level of government must work to solve, together. We know that the creation of affordable housing itself can often be burdensome and extremely expensive, which is why, earlier this year, I voted in favor of legislation that made major improvements to the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, a federal tax credit dedicated specifically for affordable housing development. Should these improvements become law, over 15,000 more affordable rental units could be created in California alone. I’m also a cosponsor of legislation that would reauthorize the HOME Investment Partnership Program, the federal government’s largest block grant to state and local governments for the creation of affordable housing for those who need it most. And, through the Community Project Funding process. I’ve secured $8 million over the past three years for the San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust’s affordable housing project pipeline, which fills the gaps in financing to spur construction or renovation of new, affordable units across my district.
What do you see the federal government’s role as in helping local municipalities tackle homelessness? (Please be specific in your answer, and limit it to 200 words or less.)
The homelessness crisis continues to be one of the most serious problems facing our region, with more than 75,000 unhoused people in Los Angeles County. . One of my top priorities in Congress is to help our state and local officials by supporting federal policies to bolster our local supply of affordable housing and to provide more resources to get people into stable housing. Over the past three years, I’ve secured $8 million through the Community Project Funding process to create affordable housing across the San Gabriel Valley. I’ve also secured federal funds for transitional housing for foster youth. And, I am a cosponsor of the End Homelessness Act, which would expand federal housing choice vouchers and homeless assistance grants.
I’ve also worked on legislation that would give cities greater flexibility to build more affordable units with Project-Based Vouchers (PBV), federal affordable housing vouchers attached to the unit rather than the resident. These vouchers play a crucial role in enabling housing authorities to build new affordable units. Cities like Pasadena in my district have proven using PBVs to build permanent supportive housing can reduce homelessness and ensure our neighbors have an affordable and stable place to call home.
After Tesla chief executive Elon Musk shared an AI-generated video purporting to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ voice, Gov. Gavin Newsom vowed to enact legislation to make it illegal to manipulate someone’s voice in an ad. What is something the federal government could do to protect people from deep-fakes, or false AI-generated images, videos and audio? (Please be specific in your response, and keep your answer to 200 words or less.)
As the founder and Co-Chair of the bipartisan Creative Rights Caucus, or CRC, in Congress, I’m closely tracking this issue. I founded the CRC to advocate for the intellectual property of creative workers in Southern California and across the country. Now, AI presents a novel set of challenges for not just them, but for all Americans. I believe Congress needs to consider legislation that protects individuals’ likeness from unauthorized replication, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on comprehensive legislation to set guardrails and ensure that copyright laws are modernized and strengthened to handle the new issues presented by AI.
What is one local infrastructure project you would push to secure funds for in the federal budget? (Please be specific in your answer.)
For decades, Southern California has desperately needed a more robust rail and transit network to reduce traffic and congestion on our freeways, lower our toxic carbon emissions, and better connect those in our communities to work, school, and each other. That’s why I’ve been thrilled to support federal and state investments to fund the expansion of the A Line, formerly known as the Foothill Gold Line. This expansion will have an enormous impact on reducing traffic and pollution in our communities, especially on the 210 during rush hour. Critical projects like this one are why I have been so proud to support federal investments like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. With this law, Congress and the Biden-Harris Administration paved the way for over a trillion dollars of strategic investments to improve our roadways and infrastructure across the country. California is expected to bring in over $41 billion of this funding—and that doesn’t even include additional competitive grant funding that can be used to support projects like the A Line expansion!
What is one environment or climate policy you’d champion if elected? (Please be specific with your policy proposal, and keep your answer to 200 words or less.)
In August 2022, Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which included the largest investments in clean energy in our nation’s history. Recent estimates have shown that this law could reduce greenhouse gases in the U.S. by as much as 41 percent by 2030, and it has already created over 150,000 new clean energy jobs. And as a member of the Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over taxes, I helped include more than $300 billion in federal tax credits in this law for clean energy, which are actively helping consumers, nonprofits, public entities, and private companies to create a clean economy powered by high-paying, good jobs. This law also created home energy rebate programs that will be implemented in each state, including California, to help low- and middle-income families afford cost-saving electric appliances and energy efficiency improvements. I’ll champion these rebates of up to $14,000 per household, when California is expected to finalize its program early next year.
Additionally, I’ll continue to advocate for protecting the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, which President Biden recently expanded by more than 100,000 acres in line with my bill, the San Gabriel Mountains Protection Act.
What’s the No. 1 song on your playlist while you’re on the campaign trail?
Somewhere Over the Rainbow (ukelele version)
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