House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Mike Levin talk government reform, ethics in Oceanside

A week after the House voted to approve rules for an impeachment inquiry, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi almost entirely avoided discussing it and President Donald Trump at a community event in Oceanside on Monday.

At the event, with dozens of pro-Trump protesters amassed outside, Pelosi joined Rep. Mike Levin and more than 250 San Diego County residents for a discussion focused mostly on campaign finance and ethics reform.

Pelosi and Levin, a freshman Democrat from San Juan Capistrano, touted House Resolution 1, the first bill Democrats passed when taking control of the House earlier this year.

The bill, dubbed the For the People Act of 2019, is an anti-corruption bill that seeks to expand voting rights, propose new financial disclosure requirements on campaigns and creates incentives for elected officials to build campaigns around small donors rather than large corporate donations.

The bill has little chance of passing. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., made it clear early that he does not intend to take it up in the Senate.

But that didn't deter House Democrats from making it a priority and some candidates from using it as a campaign issue.

"We're breaking down the cynicism that exists in our electoral system by saying to people, your voice is as important as anyone," said Pelosi, a San Francisco Democrat. "To do that we must rid our political system of dark, special-interest money."

Getting money out of politics could open the door for progress on other issues, she said.

Levin echoed the point.

"Whether it be health care, gun violence prevention or any of the rest of them, campaign finance reform is the overarching issue that impacts all of it," said Levin. "If we took meaningful steps in that direction it would dramatically improve our system."

Pelosi and Levin also discussed threats such as voter suppression efforts and the strategic spread of misinformation online.

Pelosi said there is an ongoing mission from people inside and outside the country to demoralize voters.

"America is a great country; we're a country of optimism and hope, entrepreneurship and the American Dream," she said, "but online they are sending a message — amplified by their bots — that nobody cares about you in Washington, D.C."

She said the fight against misinformation is at home and abroad.

"We have a fight on our hands for who we are as a country," she said. "Forget politics. Forget Democrats and Republicans. This is about patriotism."

During the forum, the closest Pelosi or Levin came to discussing the impeachment inquiry was when Pelosi said accepting or soliciting campaign help from a foreign government is a crime.

She said that if H.R. 1 became law, it would legally require campaigns to report if they were approached by a foreign government offering such assistance.

It already is illegal to accept such assistance, she said.

"That is part of what makes the current conversation curiouser and curiouser," she said.

Levin said lawmakers are doing their jobs, investigating and legislating.

"One of the biggest myths I've heard that needs to be debunked is … that somehow the House of Representatives in this session has not been productive, that we can't legislate and investigate at the same time," Levin said. "In fact, that is what Congress has been doing since 1792."

Pelosi's visit underscores the priority Democratic leaders are placing on preserving their House majority and protecting freshmen like Levin, who is facing a competitive challenge from Brian Maryott, the Republican mayor of San Juan Capistrano.

Maryott on Monday issued a statement saying Pelosi and Levin were conducting "full-blown damage control."

He said Levin was a hypocrite when it came to campaign finance reform.

"It's utterly apparent that Mike Levin is bought and paid for by D.C. political elites and out-of-state extremists," said Maryott.

Levin has significantly outraised Maryott every quarter and currently has $1.2 million in campaign cash compared to Maryott's $361,446.

Pelosi and Levin's vague references to the Trump impeachment inquiry offered a stark contrast to the scene outside the event on Avenida del Oro.

Dozens of Trump supporters posted up on one side of the street to protest Pelosi, while on the other side another group of pro-Pelosi people held up posters supporting her or criticizing the president.

John Murphy, a 57-year-old from Oceanside, was outside the venue for hours carrying a 10-by-3-foot Trump banner.

"We just want to show our opposition to Nancy Pelosi," he said. "Imagine what could have gotten done if we weren't pursuing impeachment."

Lorrie Bernstein, a 92-year-old from Oceanside, showed up to support Pelosi and encourage House Democrats to continue the impeachment inquiry.

"I am 92 years old and have seen it all," she said. "If they don't impeach Trump, all is over.... We had such a wonderful reputation, then this man comes and ruins it all. I want our country back."

Next up is the March primary for the 49th Congressional District, which stretches from northern La Jolla to Dana Point and includes Vista and Camp Pendleton.

Staff writer Luke Garrett contributed to this report.

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