CA-48: Here’s how global warming might flip the House
It's a problem some residents say is worsening as ocean levels rise. Earlier this year, the threat prompted the city of
But the disagreement over what's causing the problem -- exactly why climate change soon could be literally at the doorsteps of island residents -- has become polarizing within the small community. And as neighbors prepare to vote in November's competitive
Rep.
The once soundly-conservative coastal seat, which runs from
Both candidates agree that global warming is real. But one, Rohrabacher, argues that humans don't cause it and shouldn't be asked to change behaviors or laws in order to prevent it. The other, Rouda, has advocated for curbing carbon emissions and promoting clean energy to fight a potentially existential threat.
Second rate problem
Island homeowner
"Dana is supporting (President Donald)
Three houses down the block, the politics are markedly different.
There, flies a banner reading "30 years is enough: Say no to Rohrabacher." Homeowner
"I'm very concerned about climate change. This is my nest egg," Stomber, 61, a former
The election will come less than two months after the Trump administration issued a report predicting a catastrophic 7-degree rise in global temperatures by 2100 that would submerge coastal cities, and an accompanying decision to stay the course. It also will come after a
Framing the race
The chasm between residents' views on global warming is characteristic of the stark political divide that pervades the district, where each candidate argues that the other is out of touch with locals.
Republican Congressman
Rohrabacher, 71, has run on a hard-line anti-illegal immigration platform and called the contest a fight against "an ideological group of leftists who don't represent our values." Rouda, 56, a former Republican who decided to run in response to what he saw as partisan dysfunction in
Rohrabacher has mirrored Trump's harsh rhetoric and scare tactics on illegal immigration. He told the New York Times earlier this year that his constituents "are concerned about illegal immigrants coming into their neighborhood and raping people." The congressman has attacked Rouda's support of sanctuary cities. And he has proposed an immigration plan that wouldn't provide amnesty to anyone in this country illegally and would instate a mandatory e-verify system to check the immigration status of job applicants.
"Our own people are getting shortchanged, especially their children," Rohrabacher said. "(Rouda) doesn't understand that."
Rouda has countered by saying that in 30 years Rohrabacher has done little to reform the nation's immigration system. The Democrat said if elected, he'd support a plan similar to the bipartisan Senate Bill 744, which would provide a pathway to citizenship for younger immigrants raised in
Rouda also emphasizes health care. He supports a tweaked version of the Medicare for All system, in which the government would offer a public health insurance option to compete with private alternatives -- a structure he said would cut medical costs. He favors allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices. And he attacked Rohrabacher for his vote to repeal Obamacare.
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Democratic congressional candidate
Rohrabacher's campaign aired TV ads denying those allegations, saying he'll be "fighting for those with pre-existing conditions." The congressman proposed a plan to have the federal government pay for all pre-existing health care expenses for those who buy private insurance, while tracking qualifying ailments in a national database. Pressed on how such a system would work, his campaign said details still need to be worked out.
The congressman also has accused Rouda of flip-flopping on his health care plan, noting that the Democrat previously had endorsed a single-payer system and had stated publicly that he supported providing federal health care benefits to people who entered the country illegally.
Experience needed?
Part of Rohrabacher's newfound political vulnerability lies in the fact that he has been frequently mired in controversy.
In May, the
The Congressman also has been scrutinized for his defense of
It also was recently revealed that Rohrabacher met twice with a woman who federal officials later charged for being an unregistered agent of the Kremlin -- basically, an accused Russian spy.
Rohrabacher, a top-ranking member of the
Meanwhile, Rohrabacher attacked his opponent's political inexperience, noting that the Rouda has never held elected office.
"He has had zero public service," Rohrabacher said. "If I go back to
Rouda, in turn, has called Rohrabacher inept, noting that the Congressman has passed only three bills in three decades, the last one 14 years ago, and held no committee chairmanships. The Democrat -- who finished second among 16 candidates in June primary race -- said he wants to make the
"I've been in the private sector my entire life, creating jobs," Rouda said. "I'm fighting to create better middle-class jobs... I don't see
Rohrabacher defended his track record, saying he doesn't seek credit for much of his work. He highlighted his role in helping bipartisan efforts to create the county's water reclamation system, which helps protect locals from drought, and the
Rising tides
While the political bout rages, large swaths of the 48th are under threat from rising tides and temperatures.
By 2035, parts of
A jeep makes its way through water flooding on
(Photo by
NASA states on its website that 97 percent or more of climate scientists agree that "climate-warming trends over the past century are extremely likely due to human activities."
Asked about that threat, Rohrabacher acknowledged that earth might be warming, but said the change is part of natural climate cycles that humans aren't causing. He said the notion of manmade climate change is a farce, perpetuated by liberal scientists in order to centralize power "in the hands of "the federal government, the global government."
"I think (issues of immigration and taxes) are certainly more important than the issue of whether humankind is changing the climate of the world," said Rohrabacher, a longtime member of the
That view hasn't hurt him in past elections, but it might cost him votes this cycle, even from some
"Being on the water, if sea levels go up a couple of inches, it's big," Woods said. "If it goes up a foot, it's huge."
But many more of the region's
"I don't call it global warming; I would rather just consider it weather," said
"You have other countries like
"So, why would everyone in the
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