Ahead of the June primary 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.
Name: Robert George Lucero Jr.
Current job title: Housing Construction Advocate
Age: 53
Political party affiliation: Democratic
Incumbent: No
Other political positions held: City Commissioner
City where you reside: Los Angeles
Campaign website or social media: LuceroforCongress.com
From voter ID to war powers and from immigration to tariffs, Congress has tackled many issues over the past year. What do you, though, see as the top three issues impacting Californians, and what specifically could you do as a lawmaker to address these issues? (Please answer in 250 words or less, and keep your response to future proposals.)
I am the public works investment candidate. I have been a leader in the National Infrastructure Bank Coalition. We have a bill in Congress to invest $5 trillion in our nation’s collapsing infrastructure/public safety investment. This addresses the top three issues of homelessness and housing, public safety and sanitation, and the economy (good-paying jobs).
Speaking of voter ID, the president has implored Congress to approve legislation that would require people to show proof of citizenship in order to vote. What role do you believe the federal government plays in telling states how to conduct their own elections, as dictated by the U.S. Constitution? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
Elections have been left to the states to handle since our founding. The federal government must only guarantee the rights and protections of citizens to not be denied the right to vote.
What, in your opinion, should the federal government focus on when it comes to immigration policy? For example, do you place a priority on border security, visas for high-skilled workers, refuge for asylum seekers, etc., and why? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
The visa system has been abused, the border has been secured, but we don’t need ICE to run a Gestapo on random people. We need more judges to quickly adjudicate asylum cases, and we need to support and protect innocent, hard-working families. The U.S. is 250 years old, and the southern border is only about 100 years old. We need sovereignty, but that is protected more by good foreign policy now than just a “strong border.”
It’s been over a year since Gov. Gavin Newsom asked the federal government for supplemental disaster aid to help Southern California communities rebuild after the devastating Palisades and Eaton wildfires, but neither President Donald Trump nor Congress has acted. What would you do to push for the funding, besides writing letters to the Trump administration or the leaders of Congress? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
As a candidate for Congress, I am calling for a non-partisan effort to rebuild our collapsing infrastructure, which includes our public safety and first responder tools and staff. We are vastly undermanned in police, fire, and other emergency services.
Do you support a ban or restriction on congressional lawmakers and their families from buying or selling individual stocks? Why or why not? And what would you propose to ensure lawmakers aren’t using their positions to engage in insider trading? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
Yes. Because this is the worst element of our current version of Wall Street economics. We have a dying real economy, and everybody, including members, acts like this is the only way to make money. It is pure corruption.
Do you support stronger regulations on pollution and carbon emissions? If so, how would you ensure those regulations aren’t overly burdensome on small businesses or lower-income families? And if not, how do you propose lawmakers protect the environment and curtail the impacts of climate change? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
I am for nuclear power, the cleanest, safest form of energy. We need it for cheap and abundant electricity, which can also be used to desalinate seawater.
President Donald Trump has significantly increased spending for the U.S. Department of Defense. Would you, as a member of Congress, approve additional dollars for the military if the president were to ask for more funding? How would you ensure that any military spending does not end up putting the American people or national security in harm’s way? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
The only spending increases should be in supporting staff for inflation adjustments and for investment in scientific research around particle beam weapons and related technologies. We continue to live in a world threatened with nuclear war, which is an absurd way to run a global civilization, 80 years after the beginning of the atomic age.
Under what specific circumstances do you believe the U.S. should engage in a war? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
In response to a direct attack by another nation, which has not happened since the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.
Do you believe a president should seek congressional approval before engaging in military action overseas? Why, or why not? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
Yes. No more preemptive wars — that destroys the fabric of international law.
Congress, in theory, is supposed to serve as a check on the president through budgetary, legislative and oversight powers. Do you believe Congress has fulfilled that obligation during the past two administrations, with one being a Democrat and the other a Republican? Why or why not? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
Congress is not simply a check on the president. It is the people’s house and should be doing the work of the people, not blocking a president of the opposite party. When the president and Congress cooperate for the good of the people, independent of party, the nation advances.
Governments around the world are increasingly considering an age ban or other restrictions on social media use among young people, citing mental health and other concerns. Should Congress adopt such restrictions? If so, what specific restrictions do you propose? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
This should be debated for sure. I don’t have a set response to this, but I support a robust discussion on this. Our youth are in trouble for sure.
Statistically, violent crime rates in California are on the decline, yet residents still don’t feel safe or at ease in their communities. How do you see your role in Congress in addressing the underlying issues that make Californians feel unsafe in their own neighborhoods? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
Congress has abdicated its responsibility on this issue. Our streets in California are overrun with filth, drug addiction, and mental health crises. I am campaigning for a real New Deal, to create a new CCC/WPA movement, millions of jobs nationwide, from cleaning the streets to rebuilding our bridges, water projects, and flood control. From street sweeping to engineering.
There are term limits to serve in the California Legislature, but none to serve in Congress. Would you advocate for term limits for House members? Why or why not? If you support term limits, how many years maximum should a House member be allowed to serve? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
No! Term limits have hurt legislatures and local governments everywhere. There are no term limits in the original Constitution. The term is supposed to be limited by one simple thing: elections. Vote them out if you don’t like them. We end up with worse, rookie, ill-equipped career politicians. I am opposed to the 22nd Amendment. It was a racist, anti-FDR, corrupt Amendment that should be overturned immediately. Don’t like dinosaurs running your future? Vote them out.
What’s a hidden talent you have? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
I have some classical voice training for singing and public speaking.