Stephen Houlahan, a Democrat, registered nurse and former Santee council member, is running for Congress in California’s 48th Congressional District. The 48th includes Fallbrook, Poway, Ramona, Santee and all points east, including rural inland San Diego County from the U.S.-Mexico border all the way to Riverside and Imperial County. To help inform voters, the San Diego Union-Tribune asked the candidates a series of the same questions about their priorities, positions and campaigns. Their emailed answers have been lightly edited for clarity. Why are you running, and what makes you the best candidate? Having lived in the 48th CD for my entire life, I have intimate knowledge of this community. My wife and son live with me in Santee, where I have served as a member of the city council and coach for my son’s sports teams. As one who values the wild lands, I have led efforts to preserve them. I headed efforts to Save Mission Trails Park from a power station, protected the San Diego River, and prevented a major pipeline construction through our area, saving residents from billions in costs. Given my concern for community, which the current congressman does not care to protect, I was compelled to challenge him. I believe that I am the better public servant, having served my community directly and indirectly my entire life. The incumbent actually resides outside the district, so he lacks a real connection to the community. My endorsement by National Security Leaders for America (741 retired military and civilian national security officials) confirmed the necessity for my challenge. What are the top 3 issues facing this district and California generally? The high cost of living in California is making it difficult for many to live in this state. Restrictive zoning and other regulations increase the cost of housing. These regulations should be reviewed to ensure they are cost-effective and have the intended effects. Reforming our regulatory system will reduce the cost of housing. Climate change is increasing the cost of fighting wildfires, floods and other extreme climate events in California. Many residents in rural and semi-rural areas can no longer afford, or even find, fire insurance. Our state offers insurance, but more than that is required. More funding for research into new methods of addressing climate change must be found. Homelessness is a major problem for cities across California. We have 12% of the nation’s population and 30% of the nation’s homeless population. One direct cause of homelessness is the high cost of housing. Providing affordable housing for the currently homeless is a critical first step in addressing this problem. What are the first 3 things you would do in your first/next term in Congress? Advocate for increased funding for research and development of carbon sequestering technology. Climate change is real, it’s here now, and it affects all of us. Researching new methods of alleviating the effects of climate change will be cheaper than ignoring the deadly and devastating effects of climate change. Support legislation restoring Roe v. Wade protections. Women should have the right to choose, or not choose, to have an abortion. We’ve already heard the deadly results of the overly restrictive regimes some states have adopted. Putting women at risk of death because they are denied health care is unacceptable. Work to pass the bipartisan border security bill that Republicans killed at Trump’s behest. We need the additional border agents, administrative judges and technology provided by this bill to secure our border while we work on comprehensive immigration reform. I will also support a comprehensive immigration bill. What would you do to curb climate change and its effects on California? Climate change operates on a global scale. Partners in the Paris Climate Agreement should be asked to join the U.S. in declaration of a global climate emergency. As a member of Congress, I would advocate that this be done immediately, since trillions of dollars of damages are occurring annually from hurricanes, wildfires and desertification of agricultural lands. Related losses of human lives have been estimated at 250,000 to 5 million annually. To support the emergency declaration, I would support expenditures for engineering new ways to remove carbon from the atmosphere, create and implement new farming methods, adapt the power grid and construct/retrofit energy-efficient buildings. Both conservation and innovative engineering are necessary. How should U.S. migration and asylum policy change, what should guide it, and what specifically will you pursue in Congress? Our first step should be passing the bipartisan border security bill that Trump successfully opposed. That would strengthen our current system as a first step on the way to comprehensive immigration reform. Real reform would consider the needs of our businesses in allowing workers, either temporary or permanent, to immigrate. It would provide a path to citizenship for those who have been working and living in this country for years. It would also consider means for improving conditions in Central America and South America that are driving people to leave their homes and come to the United States. It’s been nearly a year since Hamas attacks in Israel sparked the ongoing war in Gaza, which has recently escalated conflicts between Israel and Hezbollah that threatens another war. What is your stance on the war in Gaza and what the U.S.’s role in the region should be? After 76 years of conflict between Israel and its neighbors, it’s time to stop the carnage. People on both sides are suffering and deserving of a better life. Establishing two separate states is the only acceptable long-term solution. There has been so much bloodshed, rancor and lack of trust that the two parties cannot reach agreement on their own. I believe the U.S. should lead an effort to form an international body, including Arab states, to develop, oversee and enforce an agreement forming two states, so both peoples have a homeland. Would you support federal statutory restrictions on, or protections of, abortion rights? Which, and to what extent? I support legislation restoring the protections under Roe v. Wade on a nationwide basis. Legislation should protect access to IVF or other fertility procedures helping people form a family. Terminating a pregnancy may be the most difficult decision a woman ever has to make, but that decision should be hers, and hers alone. We can reduce unwanted pregnancies by providing more information on contraception. When pregnancies do occur, tax deductions for children — perhaps starting in mid-pregnancy — and subsidized childcare would make it easier for single mothers and young couples to complete the pregnancy. Would you support or oppose stricter federal gun laws and background checks? Which, and to what extent? I own guns for protection. I recognize the importance of the Second Amendment, but it does not authorize anyone to own any type of weapon available. Fully automatic weapons, including bump stocks, don’t belong in civilian hands. Nor do weapons that hold 20, 30, 40 or more cartridges. These are weapons of war that jeopardize the life of ordinary citizens, schoolchildren and police officers. They should be illegal for the public to own, as they were when assault weapons were banned for 10 years. Requiring effective background checks would keep criminals and the mentally unstable from purchasing or possessing a gun.