Congressional District 2 hopefuls court Shasta voters ahead of June primary
Candidates for California’s District 2 congressional seat — which will represent Shasta under newly-drawn Prop. 50 lines — appeared in Redding for a forum last night. The audience questioned candidates about immigration, voting rights, the environment and how much time they’d spend in Shasta.
Local voters were peppered throughout the seats in the stately Cascade Theatre yesterday evening, with some 100 voters in attendance and seven politicians on stage. The candidate forum was organized by the local chapter of the League of Women Voters providing candidates running for the District 2 congressional seat — which represents Shasta under newly-drawn Prop. 50 congressional lines — a chance to share their views with potential constituents.
Politicians present at the event included D2 incumbent congressional Democrat Jared Huffman, as well as a slew of new candidates including Gregory Burgess, Tim Geist, Robin Littau, Paul Saulsbury, Angelita Valles and Rose Yee. Candidate Nicolette Hahn Niman did not attend.
The upcoming race is of particular partisan significance both locally and nationally. The newly gerrymandered congressional districts are intended to increase the chances that a Democrat, most likely from a county hundreds of miles away, would represent Shasta County’s mostly conservative population. On a national level, that could have a significant impact in Congress where only a razor-thin margin exists between the two parties.
Of the candidates present last night, Huffman and Yee were the only Democrats. Burgess did not list a party according to information available via the Federal Election Commission and the remaining candidates including Valles, Saulsbury, Littau, and Geist were Republicans. In terms of origin, Yee, Geist, Littau, Saulsbury, and Valles’ filed their paperwork from addresses in Shasta County. Huffman’s address on file is listed as Sonoma while Burgess lists his address as Marin.
For last night’s event, organizers selected questions from the audience on topics including voter ID laws, immigration, environmental protections and safeguards for social security and medicare. The most partisan positions were expressed by Yee, who described herself as a “Bernie Democrat,” and by Valles who called herself a “proud constitutional conservative.”
Democratic incumbent Huffman, speaking with the confidence and clarity of a career politician, said one of his priorities would be holding President Donald Trump accountable for the erosion of checks and balances in government. Huffman was also the candidate who most frequently breached his allotted time, repeatedly talking over moderator Blake Fisher’s attempts to move on to the next speaker.
The other four candidates tended to approach their answers in less political terms. Saulsbury, a mobile crisis clinician, and Littau, a coast guard veteran and single mom, leaned on their lived experience to talk about topics such as affordability and health care. Others had quite specific interests, with Burgess mentioning his concern about the fragility of the food system, while Geist circled back to mixed approval and skepticism for the role of artificial intelligence in nearly every answer, regardless of the question at hand.
On the topic of immigration, all seven stated that the system has to change. Yee — an immigrant herself — called for the abolition of ICE, which she referred to as “a runaway paramilitary state sanctioned police force,” saying that the U.S. needs to rethink destabilizing foreign policy that pushes people to leave their home countries for the land of opportunity. Meanwhile, Geist took issue with ICE agents wearing masks while Littau stressed the importance of immigration courts upholding due process, making note that “criminal immigrants” should be deported swiftly.
Huffman said there is an approach to immigration that values both “order and compassion” before criticizing ICE for the killings of Alex Pretti, Renée Good, and others. Valles, the granddaughter of an immigrant agricultural worker, said she’s “adamant about legal immigration” but accused previous administrations of “[allowing] anyone to walk through the door.”
When it came to the environment, candidates were largely united. Most of the candidates talked about the sanctity of national parks, and Yee emphasized her goal to invest further in renewable energy sources. Littau, Saulsbury, and Burgess stressed the importance of entities like the Environmental Protection Agency but emphasized that climate policies need to accommodate the water needs of farmers. Valles agreed that businesses should not be hurt by climate policies while offering a warning about the need for regulation, recalling her experience with intense air pollution while studying abroad in China.
As a ranking member of the U.S. House Committee on National Resources, Huffman noted that he is already on the front lines of defending environmental protections. He also accused the Trump administration of attempting to “whitewash the history of slavery [and] of Native American genocide,” noting Trump’s orders to have references to slavery removed by the National Park Service in Philadelphia and elsewhere.
Candidates divided over support for the SAVE Act — a proposed federal law which would require Americans to provide proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote, among other changes.
“It’s about voter suppression, plain and simple,” Huffman said, prompting a round of applause. Geist, Burgess and Yee agreed, saying they would not support what they see as more barriers to voting. In contrast, Saulsbury and Littau said they would support voter ID requirements with Littau emphasizing that “if you’re an American citizen and you’re going to vote in America, you should have no problem proving your citizenship.” Valles kept her answer brief and quippy. “I think that the Democrats don’t want this, because then they won’t have anyone voting for them,” she said, to which the audience roared with laughter.
As a final question, Fisher queried the candidates on how often they would appear in Shasta if they won, asking whether they would maintain an office in the county. For the five on stage who live in Shasta the answer was a predictable yes, while Burgess said he would split his time equally between counties.
Huffman, who has completely outpaced his competition in terms of money raised, used the question as a way to pledge his commitment to Shasta voters. “I will absolutely have an office here in Redding, I commit to that. It will be staffed and I will be there.”
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“I think that the Democrats don’t want (the SAVE Act), because then they won’t have anyone voting for them,” (Valles) said, to which the audience roared with laughter.
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MAGA cultists are headed for the “find out” phase of FAFO. They have no idea how much most Americans recognize DJT as the most corrupt and incompetent POTUS in U.S. history and how much his narcissistic, delusional, lie-telling ass is despised. The midterms are going to be a bloodbath for the GOP.
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Also, Angelita, the rifle-toting female figure on your bumper sticker looks like it was inspired by the Mudflap Girl.
No fiscal questions? 17% of our fed budget is spent servicing debt. Fed and State budgets are handing out massive sums of money to fraudsters. Which of these candidates will commit to taking fiscal issues seriously enough to drop the partisan nonsense and act on behalf of taxpayers?
Great question!
I am committed to diligently oppose overspending, to pursue high accountability/consequences for fraud/crime, and use OUR vote to cut excessive unnecessary legislation at the Federal level.
We can all agree: change is needed!!! Career politician’s aren’t getting the job done. If they were, I wouldn’t be running. They approve laws that don’t impact their lives personally, and we the people are opposed to corrupt double standards. This “representative” position was created by our founding Fathers to reflect the values of the constitutents that send them.
So, “Who will go for us?” I will go! Send me.
I’m very motivated to pursue practical, common sense legislative change every moment I’m in this Congressional position. All who know me personally agree: I’m the hardest worker I know, relentless, fearless and fierce. I will honor your vote by reperesenting our District with high ethical standards because that is who I am.
I’m also the most experienced and diverse Congressional Candidate of our entire District 2. I am a residing elected EESD School Board member, a USCG Veteran, a Small Business owner for 10yrs., an engaged resident of Redding for 10yrs, a thriving mother of 4, I have invested years helping other single mom’s/struggling teens in our community, while establishing unity in my neighborhood to deter crime, because it needed to be done.
When I see a problem, I don’t walk past, I walk towards it to be part of the solution.
America needs integrious leadership. We have gotten off course.
I love our home and I’ll fight to restore common sense values that uphold and honor our beautiful Constitution.
I am a truthful God fearing Conservative Republican Congressional Canidate who will boldly represent and protect our Nation with everything I’ve got because the next generation deserves a better legacy from us!
This is very personal to me. Civic engagement has knocked at our front doors and requires a response.
This election is a VERY significant opportunity to turn CA back to common sense legislation by showing up to vote our values! There are some wonderful State Republican Candidates running and I am very hopeful for CA. We don’t need to agree on everything, but who we elect (servant hearted leaders vs. selfish leaders) will determine if our Nation is aligned with building or destroying what we have be given by prior generations. (Prov. 14:1) (Deut. 5-8)
I’m asking for your vote, not your money. That’s my evidence for fiscal responsibility.
Thank you, Please vote.
Uh huh.
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Unless you explicitly reject Trump and the policies of the GOP, your words mean less than nothing. Since the advent of the ongoing Reagan Revolution, the GOP has given us:
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1. Tax cuts for the über-wealthy so that they can consolidate an ever-increasing share of the nation’s wealth.
2. Huge increases in the federal debt, first on the bet that supply-side economics was valid and then when that was disproved, on the basis of nobody gives a shit about the debt. (“Reagan proved deficits don’t matter.” —VP Dick Cheney)
3. Cultural division designed to sway stupid people against their own interests.
4. War after war after war.
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Absent turning your back on all that, you’re just another Republican honking about fiscal responsibility who will go on to ignore that in favor of servicing the interests of GOP doners and power-trippers.
Thanks Scout for the coverage and to the LWV who bring the very essence of democracy to our communities. Thanks to everybody who has the fortitude to run for office.
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I’m looking forward to seeing Jared Huffman become our Congress Person. Regardless of who your candidate is, the most important thing I and all of us can do is make sure everybody we know is registered and everybody I know votes. Hope you do too.
Hats off to the League of Women Voters for putting on a great opportunity for candidates to reach out to interested voters in Shasta County. I had been troubled by the fact no other candidate’s campaign website showed any interest whatsoever in the force which will completely revolutionize the economy and put most human beings out of work: artificial intelligence. I came late into the race as I was retired and continued to hope I could support one of the candidates that would show some initiative on this existential topic. None of the above had manifested any informed thought on AI. So, I am very grateful for that first chance I had to publically make the case that Human Exstinction Should Matter.
Thanks to the LWV for organizing this. There was a stark contrast between well-informed candidates like Huffman and Yee & the others. Vallez repeatedly asked ‘can you repeat the question’. Littau blamed their ignorance of the question’s topic on being too busy working and raising kids to know anything about it. Alrighty then! These forums are essential to evaluating our options and I greatly appreciate LWV and KRCR bringing them to us. Thank you.