The final of three candidate forums hosted by the Valley Industry Association turned into what was effectively a town hall for Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, as his opponent in the race to represent the 27thCongressional District was not in attendance.  Garcia spent roughly an hour speaking to his constituents and answering their questions last week at the College of the Canyons University Center.  His opponent, George Whitesides, a former NASA chief of staff and CEO of Virgin Galactic, was unable to attend due to a prior conflict, according to VIA CEO Kathy Norris.  The 27th Congressional District includes the Santa Clarita Valley, the Antelope Valley and parts of the north San Fernando Valley.  Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, speaks to attendees during a candidate forum hosted by the Valley Industry Association on Tuesday evening at the College of the Canyons. Trisha Anas/ The Signal. Garcia said this race is one of just a few competitive races throughout the country, adding that he thinks he’s at an early disadvantage due to the 29% Republican registration in his district compared to the about 42% Democrat registration, with the rest of the voters having no party preference.  “But we still win,” Garcia said. “I think the reason we win is, I think hard work is the great equalizer. I think if you’re in this job for the right reasons, and you’re doing things for your constituents, regardless of what party they’re in, they’re going to appreciate it, they’re going to support you.”  Some of the key issues worldwide that Garcia said need to be addressed are the Israeli three-front war, the Ukraine-Russia war and China’s growing aspirations to take over Taiwan.  Closer to home, Garcia talked about inflation, the national debt, homelessness and high crime rates as “a blizzard of crises” that are affecting the United States.  Attendees ask Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, questions during a candidate forum hosted by the Valley Industry Association on Tuesday evening at College of the Canyons. Trisha Anas/ The Signal. “So in this run for Congress,” Garcia said, “I’m looking at it through the lens of security … Security is a great unifier, and we all crave and deserve security.”  Also brought up was the situation at the Chiquita Canyon Landfill, which Garcia called “a giant pimple on the Earth.”  The landfill has been dealing with an underground reaction on 30 acres of the 150 total acres that it operates. Garcia said it is an environmental disaster due to the potential for toxic waste to find its way into the nearby Santa Clara River, which feeds into Ventura County.  He called on Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency to allow for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to step in and help residents of Val Verde and Castaic.  “They can’t get the toxins down, so it’s still a giant question mark from the physics perspective,” Garcia said. “I’ve gotten the EPA to come in. This is sensitive, but we’ve gotten our satellite reprogrammed to do several orbits over the site a day that’s characterizing where the plumes are and how far of an area around it’s being affected.”  Voters have until Election Day on Nov. 5 to cast their vote. Vote-by-mail ballots were sent out to registered voters this week and must have a postmark on or before Election Day and received by your local election center no later than seven days after the election to be counted if returned by mail. Ballots can also be dropped off at any voting center by 8 p.m. on Election Day. The post Garcia speaks to constituents at VIA event  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.