In three days, KBSY will be hosting a debate with all three candidates running for the 24th Congressional District.
During the last two days, KSBY Anchor Carina Corral has profiled the incumbent in the race, Democratic Congressman Salud Carbajal, and Republican Justin Fareed, making his third run at Congress.
This time she sat down with a newcomer to this race, Morro Bay’s Michael Erin Woody, the second Republican challenger in the race to Congress who said the pressing issue facing the 24th district is immigration.
"I am against sanctuary city and sanctuary state policies. I think there’s no question that those need to be repealed," said Woody.
He supports citizenship for those here illegally trying to better their lives but said local law enforcement should be able to work with federal agents when dealing with criminals here illegally.
"It continues to exacerbate the problems that we are facing here today with a broken immigration system," Woody added.
Woody also said our current infrastructure is failing the South Coast following the deadly mudslides: "They need a fix right now, they don’t need a fix three years from now. They don’t need it studied."
As a licensed civil engineer, he said there are steps that can be taken now to prevent evacuations every time it rains, an urgency he said Congressman Carbajal does not show.
"Everything from large-scale retaining walls, retention ponds, and other issues like that that can help immediately," Woody said.
He also disagrees with Congressman Carbajal’s stance on the recently passed budget and tax reforms. Woody supports both.
"Everything we’ve seen in this tax package has actually been very helpful in terms of helping people out in the communities, helping out small business owners and helping out individual families," Woody explained, though he splits with President Trump when it comes to his proposal to expand offshore oil drilling, saying statistically it would not add much to the nation’s oil production to outweigh the environmental risk.
Although, he’s not against all oil drilling, "As long as there are ways to expand on land that is safe and secure, that I would be very open to."
You can hear much more of Woody’s ideas Sunday when all three congressional candidates will take part in KSBY’s Decision 2018: The Race to Congress debate, live on KSBY from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
