Endorsements: June 2012

Lois Capps for Congress

In the eight times Lois Capps has run for a seat in the House of Representatives, this paper has always endorsed her. We have never regretted it. For the 12 years she has been in Congress, Capps has continually proved that public service and effective politics need not be mutually exclusive in Washington, D.C.

For one thing, Lois Capps works exceedingly hard, returning to her district every single weekend. And she gets things done. Just ask the 10,000 Santa Maria residents who won’t have to pay higher flood insurance because Capps secured around $50 million in federal money for much-needed improvements to the Santa Maria River levee. Or ask the scholars at UCSB’s Palm Center about the quiet but essential role she played in getting the Pentagon’s odious Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy repealed. Working with other representatives, Capps played a major role in returning the Forest Service’s air tanker base to Santa Maria on a full-time basis so that there can be rapid response when fires break out — something our district desperately needs.

Of course, we’ll never forget how Lois Capps was one of the few representatives to vote against giving President George W. Bush unlimited powers to wage war in the wake of 9/11. Had we had more elected officials in Congress like her, perhaps the unnecessary war in Iraq could have been avoided. On environmental issues, Capps has fought to require big utility companies to curb mercury emissions and has been a consistent voice against Big Oil. She’s relentlessly bird-dogged PG&E and SoCal Edison to make sure the utility giants conducted the seismic surveys necessary to ensure their respective Diablo and San Onofre plants can withstand the likely maximum earthquake. She’s pushed hard for legislation to reduce interest rates for college loans and to eliminate the $60 billion in subsidies to financial institutions that sell such loans. And she voted for President Barack Obama’s health-care reform bill, but only after fighting and winning full access to reproductive choice, something that is constantly under attack by the current House majority.