VOTER GUIDE:

Voters will go to the polls Tuesday for this year’s statewide primary election.

The 46th Congressional District, held by U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher since 1989, has a contested primary on both the Republican and Democratic sides.

Rohrabacher faces lawyer Ron St. John, while Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook faces business technology consultant Dan Kalmick.

We asked the candidates in contested primaries about their stances on issues and compiled their responses in this voter guide.

Over in the 48th Congressional District, Rep. John Campbell is running unopposed, as is his Democratic challenger, Steve Young.

Republicans can vote only in a Republican primary, and Democrats can vote only in a Democratic primary.

Voters who haven’t registered as a member of any party (“decline to state” voters), however, may request either ballot at the polls.

For information on your polling place, go to www.smartvoter.org.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Proposition 98: Bars state and local governments from using eminent domain to take property for private uses. At the same time, it phases out rent control laws on apartments and mobile home parks throughout the state.

Proposition 99: Also bars state and local governments from using eminent domain to take property for private uses, but it doesn’t touch rent control.

If both pass, the proposition with the most votes would take precedence.

DANA ROHRABACHER

IRAQ

“We should make sure the Iraqis are picking up their share of the burden and eventually be equipped to handle the entire load of their own security. Until then, they should be paying all the expenses incurred by our military.”

IMMIGRATION

“First and foremost, we should not be allowing people to come into this country illegally and those who do manage to get in should be denied all health, education and other public benefits, especially social security. If any government authority at any level, determines someone is here illegally, they should work in cooperation with the federal government to deport them.”

LOCAL ECONOMY

“A craft program should be designed to develop domestic energy resources to include oil, gas, nuclear energy and renewables like solar. It’s also important to keep taxes and regulations at a low enough level to permit our residents to prosper.”

FUEL PRICES

“We need to dramatically develop domestic energy resources in order to increase supply and reduce prices and make sure our laws concerning energy technology protect innovators.”

RON ST. JOHN

IRAQ

“The terrorists’ war against us is real and our troops need to stay as long as it is necessary for our national defense. We should support our troops, including their commander-in-chief, and not use this issue for partisan politics. The occupation is not permanent and everyone favors eventual withdrawal.”

IMMIGRATION

“Illegal immigration is a plague that hurts our security and finances, but legal immigration is a great blessing. We should sort out the workers from the criminals and be sure that the workers have a decent legal status. Enforcement should be directed at integrating new immigrants into our taxpaying system.”

LOCAL ECONOMY

“The federal government needs to balance the budget with spending cuts. This will improve the value of our currency and make more capital available for home loans and investment in jobs. Our economy thrives when government stays out of the way and acts responsibly with public funds.”

FUEL PRICES

“Price fluctuations are needed so the market can respond to changes in supply and demand, in this case encouraging conservation and the development of alternative sources of energy. Government should not pander to voters for short term political gain by interfering with this process.”

DEBBIE COOK

IRAQ

“I have signed on to the Responsible Plan to End the Iraq War ( www.responsibleplan.com), which is endorsed by more than 50 congressional candidates across the country. The plan lays out a sensible way to end the war and safely bring our soldiers home.”

IMMIGRATION

“America posts inconsistent signs at its borders, ‘Keep Out’ and ‘Help Wanted.’ No wonder we can’t agree on a policy. We need a rational, comprehensive plan that secures our borders and mandates verification of employee status with programs such as the E-Verify program.”

LOCAL ECONOMY

“The world is on the brink of a green revolution that will transform our transportation system, how we utilize land, and the way we provide goods and services. Policies that advance initiatives in energy efficiency, conservation, and green building, will help grow the demand for these new green jobs.”

FUEL PRICES

“As world oil demand outstrips production, prices will continue to rise—we cannot drill our way out of this crisis. But out of crisis comes opportunity. While the public and private sectors continue R&D; for scientific breakthroughs, Americans must significantly reduce their energy consumption to remain competitive in a world economy.”

DAN KALMICK

IRAQ

“We need the immediate termination of the United States’ involvement in the conflict in Iraq and a redirection of our energy to supporting the troops in Afghanistan. We need to withdraw while working with the neighboring countries, including Iran, to engage in helping stabilize Iraq.”

IMMIGRATION

“We need a policy that is both moral and far while at the same time stimulating our economy by allowing jobs to stay in America and for people in those jobs to pay taxes. We have a shortage of unskilled labor in this country and historically, first generation immigrants fill these jobs.”

LOCAL ECONOMY

“The housing crisis has affected the 46th CD drastically. FHA needs to crack down and regulate the mortgage industry because nothing has changed on the retail side; bad loans are still being made. We must help people stay in their homes. Green collar jobs are also going to help the district.”

FUEL PRICES

Immediately provide loans and incentives for consumers to purchase highly fuel-efficient vehicles. Regulate the profit margin of the retail gasoline industry and cap profits for oil refiners. Also, immediately work to expand bus rapid transit on major arteries.

REP. JOHN CAMPBELL

IRAQ

Clearly, there has been progress on the ground in Iraq and “the surge” has been effective. U.S. casualties in May were near its lowest levels of the 5-year war. There are obviously still many challenges over there, not the least of which are political. But it makes no sense to precipitously make more rapid troop withdrawals and risk a massive destabilization of the region when we can reduce troop levels while maintaining control.

IMMIGRATION

As a member of the House Immigration Reform Caucus, I am committed to securing our borders and preventing amnesty. I strongly support legislation to construct 700 miles of dual-layered security fencing along the southern border, and have fought for measures to increase the number of border patrol agents, aerial surveillance equipment, and motor vehicles for Customs and Border Protection. We must also end birthright citizenship and chain migration, and ought to penalize so-called “sanctuary cities.” I support increased legal immigration, but we must control our borders and enforce existing immigration laws first.

LOCAL ECONOMY

Congress should be looking at a package of business/investment tax provisions that will encourage the movement of capital and thereby create jobs. These tax provisions could include a one-year period of full expensing of newly acquired capital assets; indexing capital gains to inflation so that you don’t pay taxes on the illusory gain that just keeps pace with inflation; and lowering the corporate income tax and capital gains tax rate. We must also continue our commitment to free trade agreements, such as the pending agreements with Korea and Columbia.

FUEL PRICES

We should encourage the exploration of oil from a number of major known reserves within the United States, and lift restrictions to build new oil refineries so we boost our own oil and gasoline production rather than count on foreign countries to do it.

Simultaneously we should be developing alternative sources of energy such as nuclear and clean coal and biodiesels.

STEVE YOUNG

IRAQ

If I’m called on to vote whether to put our troops in harm’s way, I promise that if I won’t send my child, I won’t send yours. Regarding Iraq, we must make the Iraqis take responsibility — Only the Arabs can solve Iraq’s Arab problems.

IMMIGRATION

“Catcher in the Rye” type immigration policies don’t work. ICE is underfunded and vigilante groups on the borders threaten America’s rule of law. Sad experience teaches that America cannot solve the immigration crisis at the border because border solutions merely address symptoms rather than the foreign policy issues. See my solutions at Steveyoungforcongress.com.

LOCAL ECONOMY

Education is the answer. I will propose legislation providing 1) a federal income tax deduction for any educational expense including college tuition, and 2) free tuition for any college student majoring in engineering, hard sciences or mathematics, who maintains a “B” or better average, from year one, through postgraduate studies.

FUEL PRICES

The world knows energy funds democracy — oil is a geopolitical weapon. Energy is a national security issue because the era of cheap oil is over. Short-term, we need to investigate profiteering in the production and supply chain, while bringing diplomatic pressure on OPEC countries to increase production to ease shortages.