Democrat Francine Busby and Republican U.S. Rep. Brian Bilbray will face off in the Nov. 7 election for California’s 50th District.
The 50th Congressional District extends from Carlsbad to La Jolla and includes Del Mar, Encinitas, Escondido, San Marcos, Solana Beach, Fairbanks Ranch, Lake San Marcos, Rancho Santa Fe and portions of La Jolla and University City.
Bilbray won out over Busby in a June 2006 election to finish the remainder of U.S. Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham’s term, after the former congressman was sentenced to eight years in federal prison for accepting $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors.
Busby and top campaign aides have accused Bilbray of being investigated by a criminal grand jury, stating that he committed fraud by claiming three properties ” in Virginia, Imperial Beach and Carlsbad ” as his residence. A Carlsbad resident has come forward, claiming he was asked questions about Bilbray by a grand jury.
“I’m raising a serious issue that Mr. Bilbray is being investigated by a criminal grand jury because I have information of this from credible sources, and he needs to answer honestly to the people if he is involved in this so we don’t have a repeat of the same corruption and scandal that we just went through with Cunningham,” Busby said by phone on Monday, Oct. 23.
But according to Kurt Bardella, Bilbray’s campaign spokesman, the congressman’s aim is to preserve a “clear and transparent” image with his constituents and to project a clean and successful track record.
“People throw around recklessly these attacks and accusations,” Bardella said by phone Oct. 23. “Bilbray’s record is pretty clear, and I don’t think anyone else in this race has that record of accomplishment. He believes that the most important team you belong to is a local team, and this is someone who is for the local communities.”
With 20 years of political experience, Bilbray has served as mayor of Imperial Beach and most recently in Congress from 1995 to 2001.
During his past five-month stint, Bilbray has worked to pass legislation signed by President George W. Bush to transfer land at the Mount Soledad Cross to federal control.
He recently introduced legislation to support border security and immigration reform.
“Congressman Bilbray believes that this is one of the most important issues facing the region,” Bardella said about illegal immigration. “We’ve taken the first step needed to secure the border and the southern frontier, and the next step is to address the issue of illegal employment. We need to crack down on illegal immigrant employers and stop illegal amnesty.”
Busby supports putting a stop to illegal immigration but called Congress and Bilbray’s active involvement in building walls and increasing border patrol a “spectacular failure.”
“We need to stop illegal immigration but we need to do it with comprehensive immigration reform,” Busby said. “This is not amnesty, but it is the only commonsense approach that we can take to fix this broken system.”
Although they clash on illegal immigration, both Busby and Bilbray oppose the question Prop A poses on the Nov. 7 ballot, asking voters whether a portion of the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar should replace Lindbergh Field.
“Miramar has made it perfectly clear that’s not an option right now, and national security has to come first,” Busby said.
On a national level, Bilbray hopes to secure additional Homeland Security funding, and he is endorsed by San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders as being the candidate who will “move forward with a good agenda for San Diego,” according to Bardella.
“The important thing is having a congressman who is accessible and who wants to hear what they [residents] have to say,” Bardella said. “He wants their input and does everything he can to get their input. They know what the needs of the community are better than anyone else.”
Busby feels strongly that the November elections center around change and thinks the war in Iraq and increased military spending, skyrocketing healthcare costs and the lack of a national energy policy are issues where Congress and the current administration have taken the country “off the course we need to be on.”
“The bottom line is, do we continue with this Congress who is rubberstamping these policies and this administration who is not holding themselves accountable to any standards of ethics we expect them to?” she said. “We need to stop the influence of lobbyists who have more influence over our members of Congress than voters do.”