In the November election, San Luis Obispo’s North County voters will choose a congressional representative for California’s 19th district. This year incumbent Democrat Jimmy Panetta is running against Republican Jason Anderson. The district includes parts of Santa Clara, Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties.
This will be Rep. Panetta’s fifth term in Congress if re-elected. He said his main priority in office is to continue to focus on affordable housing. Panetta also said he hopes to continue to work on bipartisan efforts with lawmakers across the aisle.
“That's how I look at this job, the three pillars of my job – casework, federal funding, but also ensuring that we pass legislation,” said Panetta. “I'm not in the entertainment industry. I'm in the legislation industry. I'm there to get things done, and I will work with anybody who helps me do that.”
Meanwhile, Republican challenger Jason Anderson said, if elected, he would also focus on finding commonality within a divided country.
“I believe that all Americans want to get along. We want to get together and move forward,” said Anderson. “My biggest goal is finding coalitions, building coalitions and making sure that we're working on the important issues.”
Energy is among Anderson’s chief priorities, according to his campaign website. The Republican candidate told KCBX that he opposes offshore wind because it wreaks havoc on the environment. He also said that increasing the use of electric cars would overburden the electrical grid.