The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce held its annual Congressional Luncheon Friday, bringing together four of the region's representatives to get their ideas about the issues facing the region.
The Congress members attending were Democrats Susan Davis, 53rd Congressional District, Scott Peters, 52nd Congressional District, and Juan Vargas, 51st Congressional District, along with Republican Darrell Issa, 49th Congressional District. Republican Duncan Hunter, 50th Congressional District, was scheduled to appear but canceled.
Whether it was housing or job creation, all of the representatives toed the party lines, particularly when talking about immigration.
“I think the important thing is to stop making it a partisan issue. President Obama separated families in many cases,” Issa said, who also said he wants to confirm the adults are the children’s parents.
Peters called for communication across the aisle. “I'm really frustrated that Republicans just want to talk to Republicans. If they would just talk to some of us, many Democrats would support reasonable fixes on immigration," Peters said.
Vargas expressed doubt that much could be achieved. “I don’t think we're going to have a lot of things accomplished. I think Republicans are going to push a really hardcore right-wing Supreme Court justice and that’s going to be poison for the system,” Vargas said.
Housing was another issue the representatives said they want to solve. Davis said, “Finding affordable housing here is really a challenge. Some of the ideas that people have don't really create that housing. So, that’s really the key."
