By Mary O’KEEFE

Representative Adam Schiff is the incumbent for the 28th Congressional District in California.
Prior to being elected to Congress in 2001, he served as a prosecutor in the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California from 1987 to 1993 and was a member of the California State senate from 1996 to 2001. He lives in Burbank and serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. CVW interviewed Adam Schiff on issues that are facing the 28th District. There are many issues but we have highlighted a few.

Defunding Law Enforcement

“No, the only time I have used that term is to say that I don’t support defunding the police,” Schiff said.
Schiff added he has a long history of supporting law enforcement. One of his first proposals for federal funding was for body cams for police departments. This was a proposal that provided $75 million in new funding for the body cameras. Schiff also obtained federal funding for the Verdugo Regional Crime Lab in Glendale and continues to get federal funding support for the lab. This lab has helped to reduce the number of forensic DNA samples awaiting analysis and helps reduce a backlog of forensic and database DNA samples.

“I think that there are a number of things we need to do in terms of law enforcement, in terms of reform. I think we passed one of the most important police reform packages – that of the George Floyd Police and Justice Act – which has a whole cross-cutting set of measures designed to improve training and to address issues of qualified immunity and to encourage best practices,” he said.

Schiff has a history of supporting crime prevention programs for youth, dating back when he was in the California Senate.

“[We need to continue] investing in prevention but making sure law enforcement gets the resources that they need,” he said. He added that, as a prosecutor, he worked hand-in-hand with law enforcement but also prosecuted when law enforcement went bad.

Homelessness
“I have a long history of working on this issue, beginning in the state legislature, and got the first funding for one of the homeless shelters in our district,” Schiff said.

He continues to get funding and support for the Armory Center and Union Station. He added that each year since he has been in Congress he has worked to expand the availability of affordable housing, to increase the number and value of Section 8 vouchers to make certain veterans and others weren’t discriminated against. He has hosted and appeared in town hall meetings with those working with the homeless, including with homeless veterans.

“Each year I have supported increases to community block grants which can be used for homelessness and public housing,” he added.

This year he introduced the Affordable and Homeless Housing Incentives Act, which would create new tax incentives for property owners who sell to nonprofits and public agencies to develop affordable housing or homeless shelters.
Although recently Schiff has received attention as one of the leads in the impeachment of President Trump, he has been active with several other issues recently including COVID-19-based issues by supporting the Heroes Act. He has also worked for unemployment relief for independent workers and has held numerous informational town hall meetings with LA County Public Health, fire officials and LA County mental health officials and veterans as well as the EDD.

Schiff and opponent Eric Early are on opposite sides of just about every issue. Early stated he wishes the federal government was in control of the California response to COVID-19 and wants to reopen businesses and schools.
Early is an attorney and managing partner with Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae LLP. He lives in the District 28 area.

“I started this law firm with four other lawyers about a decade ago,” Early said. “We are up to approximately 35 lawyers.”

The law firm, he added, represents a lot of large companies including large title insurance companies. The firm also represents individuals, some of whom have been victims of fraud. He is the attorney for Fair Education Santa Barbara, which had filed a lawsuit against Santa Barbara Unified School District and Just Communities Central Coast, Inc. According to Fair Education Santa Barbara, a grassroots group of parents, Just Communities unlawfully discriminates on the basis of race [specifically Caucasian], ethnicity, sex and religion.

Early states he is not a politician though he did run unsuccessfully in 2018 for California attorney general. He does have several issues with Schiff, including his feeling that the representative has not served his district.

Defunding law enforcement
“Defunding the police is not the way to do things,” Early said.

He wants to increase funding to law enforcement and to meet with law enforcement to work on reform. He is very much against the California laws Prop 47, Prop 57 and AB109.

“That’s a huge issue for me,” Early said. “I support law enforcement completely.”

He does not support Black Lives Matter and said sees it as a business more than a movement. He said he knows Black lives matters, but all lives matter.

As far as police reform, he said police departments are always working on reform and working with community relations.

Homelessness
“This has got to be a massive effort,” he said of the attention needed by both federal and state officials.

Early is not in favor of just about everything done by Gov. Gavin Newsom or Mayor Eric Garcetti. He spoke of seeing homeless camps not too far from his office in LA and his home. He added that many of those on the street are suffering with mental health illness.

He plans, if elected, to work with the state legislation to “spruce up” vacant buildings to use for the homeless. He does feel that law enforcement needs to enforce the laws and move some homeless off the streets. He added that he feels many have a criminal background.

He said he does have a plan to get an estimated 60,000 homeless people off the streets, and stated the Dream Center is an important part of that plan. The Dream Center has several community centers in the LA area that include a food bank, clothing and assistance programs.

To learn more about these two candidates, watch the debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters Glendale/Burbank that was held on Oct. 5. Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuAXQ9d8naw or https://tinyurl.com/y3sbcmp3.