Town hall with Rep. Darrell Issa draws large audience, protesters

June 03--SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO -- Rep. Darrell Issa faced cheers and jeers in about equal measure during a town hall with constituents Saturday morning, June 3, at San Juan Hills High School.

The meeting, attended by about 500 people with hundreds more left outside to chant and protest, was the nine-term congressman's third in-person town hall since February -- rare among Orange County Republicans, who have largely shied away from public discussions with constituents.

Issa discussed a wide range of subjects: President Donald Trump's decision this week to pull out of the Paris climate accord, the ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the November election, funding for the National Institutes of Health, education reform, the Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act and even toll roads.

"You're my constituents and I want to make sure you're heard," Issa, who also represents portions of San Diego County, said early on, trying to appease the crowd when asked about comments he made suggesting paid protesters were purposefully disrupting some town hall events.

Ticket-holders and protesters converged on the high school at least an hour before the town hall's 9 a.m. start time. Protesters held up signs promising to unseat Issa, drawing parallels to his and Trump's policy positions, and advocating for women's reproductive rights and immigration reform. The congressman's supporters, for the most part, waited in line to enter the auditorium.

"He's more moderate than, say Mimi Walters," said Thea Dunlevie, 19, a UCLA student and San Juan Capistrano resident, referring to another Orange County representative. "He deserves credit for that."

Dunlevie discussed Issa not supporting Trump's withdrawal from the international climate agreement, and his advocacy for a special prosecutor in the investigation into Russian involvement in the Trump campaign.

"He's not in Trump's pocket," she said.

Others, though, were not so sure.

"We're in a political reality where they (representatives) support the party, not the people," said Kit Dameron, 71, of San Diego, who wants to unseat Issa.

Inside the auditorium, the town hall got off to a raucous start, with people yelling about empty seats and chanting, "Let them in! Let them in!" in reference to the protesters left outside.

Issa answered questions for about two hours, seemingly attempting to take the political middle ground on many issues. Beforehand, audience members received a pair of signs saying "agree" and "disagree," and they held them up throughout the gathering -- providing a bellwether for how the crowd felt about Issa's views.

"I am disappointed in the tactic the president took," Issa said about Trump withdrawing from the climate deal, but adding other countries need to step up to the plate more to combat climate change. "I would have preferred he renegotiate from that position of strength."

That answer, and his assurance that he will continue to support more sustainable forms of energy that reduce carbon emissions, seemed to appease the crowd, for the most part.

Other answers, not so much.

When an audience member asked why the Republican Party has been reluctant to make the Russian investigation a priority, focusing instead on leaks coming from the White House, Issa responded that Russia has been an enemy for decades during administrations of both parties. The crowd hissed, and demanded he answer the question more directly.

"He speaks with a forked tongue," Karen Abrams, 54, of Encinitas, said. "He says all the right things, but then continues to vote with the right."

Abrams, who is a stage-three cancer survivor after being diagnosed in 2000, asked Issa about the Republican health care plan that would create high-risk pools.

"I can't afford to be in a high-risk pool," she told the congressman.

Issa responded by saying those who have continuous coverage would not see a spike in costs if they have a pre-existing condition.

"Health care is a deciding factor in my vote," she said, adding she will work to unseat Issa in 2018.

Rod Burns, 58, of San Clemente, said he appreciated Issa holding the town hall, the first he's ever attended, and said he will likely vote for the congressman again.

He said, though, he wished people on both sides of the aisle would listen more -- rather than shouting over each other, which happened multiple times during the town hall.

"The question I wanted him to answer is how do we bring people together," Burns said. "We need to work together, but we can't do that if we're being disruptive and rude."

"I want to be informed on these issues," he said. "But I can't do that if I don't listen to what people have to say."

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