California — 16th District

Sam Liccardo

Supports pragmatic law enforcement and tough-love parole

Liccardo emphasizes expanding police force staffing while instituting independent oversight, rejecting calls to defund police during his tenure as San Jose Mayor. He advocates for 'tough love parole' featuring frequent drug testing and swift, short jail sanctions for addicted non-violent offenders, as well as passing the Medicaid Reentry Act to cover individuals in the last 30 days of incarceration. He also proposes requiring rideshare and taxi companies to explicitly inform sexual assault victims if internal reports will not be referred to law enforcement.

• Rejects calls to defund police and opposes 'catch and release' depopulation policies, favoring expanding sworn officers and community service officers
• Proposes 'tough love parole' with twice-weekly drug testing and modest, swift sanctions (1-2 days in jail) to lower recidivism
• Supports passing the Medicaid Reentry Act to cover mental health and addiction treatment in the final 30 days of incarceration
• Advocates fully funding the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and requiring corporate rideshare/taxi platforms to inform sexual assault victims that internal disclosures do not trigger criminal investigations

“I refused. Unlike other mayors who chose to defund, I wasn’t going to undo our hard work in rebuilding the department.”

“We must recognize the important and necessary role that jail—with the threat of modest but swift and certain jail terms—can play in enabling accountability and in changing criminal behavior.”

Peter Soule

Supports strict enforcement and penalizing sanctuary cities

Soule focuses on enforcing existing criminal laws to restore neighborhood safety. He proposes withholding federal funds from sanctuary cities that block the deportation of illegal criminal gang members and stripping federal highway funds from states issuing CDLs to non-English speakers. He also advocates for federal legislation targeting bigotry against Christians and Jews.

• Enforce current criminal laws to ensure neighborhood security
• Withhold federal dollars from cities maintaining sanctuary policies that prevent deportation of illegal criminal gang members
• Remove federal highway funds from states issuing commercial driver's licenses to individuals unable to read English
• Support federal legislation to combat bigotry against religious groups including Christians and Jews

“Public Safety and Security--People need to feel safe in their neighborhoods. Current laws need to be enforced.”

“Withholding Federal dollars going to cities who enforce sanctuary city policies that prevent the deportation of criminals who are here illegally.”

Sam Liccardo

Supports deficit reduction and target savings

Liccardo stresses fiscal discipline and balancing federal budgets to curb national debt, drawing on his record of leaving San Jose with a budget surplus. He proposes funding new programs through federal budgetary offsets, including cutting agricultural subsidies and lowering Medicare drug costs.

• Emphasizes balancing budgets and curbing the national debt to prevent crowding out private borrowing
• Proposes offsetting federal expenditures by reducing Medicare pharmaceutical costs and cutting agricultural subsidies
• Highlights his municipal record of pension reform saving taxpayers $3 billion over two decades

“In addition to burdening future generations with more than $34 trillion in debt, deficit spending crowds out private borrowing, resulting in higher interest costs for everyone.”

Peter Soule

Supports deregulation and defunding government waste

Soule argues California's economy is crippled by excessive government regulations and wasteful spending. He supports eliminating wasteful spending, such as defunding California's High-Speed Rail project, to lower costs for residents.

• Cut excessive state and federal regulations that strangle the economy
• Eliminate wasteful government spending and combat fraud
• Support legislation to defund California's High-Speed Rail Project

“California's economy is being strangled by exessive regulations and wasteful spending”

“DEFUND the High-Speed Rail Project after California spent $15 Billion in Federal Funds without laying one mile of track.”

Sam Liccardo

Supports quick-build modular housing and voucher expansion

Liccardo views homelessness as a national crisis requiring innovative housing construction and expanded federal support. He advocates scaling factory-built prefabricated modular housing, expanding Section 8 and VASH housing vouchers while allowing them to be used in transitional facilities, creating 'super-LIHTC' tax credits to streamline financing, and establishing emergency rental assistance to prevent homelessness.

• Promote prefabricated factory-built 'quick-build' modular communities to cut housing costs from $900k to under $150k per unit
• Substantially expand federal housing choice vouchers and remove statutory limits prohibiting voucher use for transitional housing
• Reform the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) into a higher-value 'super-LIHTC' to simplify complex capital stacks and cut development fees
• Establish an ongoing federal flexible emergency rental assistance program to prevent families from falling into homelessness

“Enabling better, more cost-effective prefabricated “quick-build” construction is a critical path to getting the 653,000 unhoused Americans off the streets and into dignified housing more quickly.”

“Congress needs to make vouchers more flexible. Under the existing statute, public agencies can’t use a voucher for transitional housing.”

Peter Soule

Supports homeownership tax shields and corporate buy restrictions

Soule proposes lowering housing costs by restricting institutional investors from purchasing residential real estate. He also supports tax incentives to help senior citizens sell their properties without tax penalties.

• Ban large financial institutions from purchasing single-family homes
• Shield Baby Boomers from capital gains taxes when selling homes to increase housing mobility and market supply

“Reduce the cost of housing in California by: Banning large financial institutions from buying single-family homes; Enabling Baby Boomers to sell their homes by shielding them from capital gains tax; and much more.”

Sam Liccardo

Opposes unmonitored ICE oversight practices

Liccardo scrutinizes federal immigration enforcement practices and accountability. He publicly criticized internal oversight policies under the Trump Administration regarding ICE officer misconduct.

• Criticizes federal policies allowing internal self-investigation of ICE conduct and assaults

“According to the @nytimes, the Trump Administration has announced a new approach for investigating brutal, deadly ICE assaults: let ICE grade their own homework. What could possibly go wrong?”

Peter Soule

Supports strict border enforcement and visa reform

Soule prioritizes stopping illegal immigration and protecting domestic labor. He advocates withholding federal funds from sanctuary cities, stopping the flow of illicit narcotics across the border, and reforming the H-1B visa program to prioritize American workers over foreign hires.

• Withhold federal funding from sanctuary cities preventing criminal alien deportations
• Halt the entry of illegal drugs and narcotics into the country
• Reform the H-1B visa program to prioritize hiring American workers over foreign visa holders

“Reforming the HB-1 Visa program to favor the hiring of Americans over foreigners.”

“Withholding Federal dollars going to cities who enforce sanctuary city policies that prevent the deportation of criminals who are here illegally.”

Sam Liccardo

Supports national red flag laws and owner liability insurance

Liccardo advocates for federal gun control measures modeled on his pioneering work as Mayor of San Jose. He supports passing a universal national red flag (Extreme Risk Protection Order) law and requiring gun owners to maintain liability insurance and pay fees to fund local gun violence reduction programs.

• Pass a uniform national Extreme Risk Protection Order (red flag) law
• Promote gun owner liability insurance and gun harm mitigation fee mandates based on San Jose's ordinance

“A uniform national red flag or ERPO law is long overdue, and Congress must pass it.”

Peter Soule

Opposes local Second Amendment restrictions

Soule advocates for protecting gun owner rights and explicitly opposes municipal or state regulations that restrict Second Amendment freedoms.

• Oppose municipal and local policy restrictions on Second Amendment rights

“Opposing local policies that limit our Second Amendment Rights”

Sam Liccardo

Supports eliminating federal agricultural subsidies

Liccardo points to cutting federal agricultural subsidies as a primary mechanism to create budget savings and offset needed investments in federal housing programs.

• Reduce federal expenditures by terminating or reducing agricultural subsidies

“Admittedly, some of my proposed measures will require relatively modest federal budgetary offsets, such as expanding vouchers to address homelessness. For that reason, I’ve focused many other proposals on ideas that provide savings to the federal government, such as cutting agricultural subsidies...”

Peter Soule

Supports expanded oil drilling and ESA reform

Soule proposes lowering utility and food costs by expanding domestic energy production and agricultural water supply. He supports lifting restrictions on oil drilling and refinery construction in California, reforming the Endangered Species Act to lower water costs for farmers, and increasing state water storage capacity.

• Remove restrictions on California oil drilling and refinery construction to reduce energy prices
• Reform the Federal Endangered Species Act to lower agricultural water costs
• Expand regional water storage infrastructure to supply farmers

“Lower the cost of water to farmers by reforming the Federal Environmental Species Act and by increasing water storage capacity.”

“Make energy more affordable by removing restrictions on drilling for oil and building refineries in California.”

Sam Liccardo

Supports repealing IMD exclusion and expanding Medicaid coverage

Liccardo views severe mental illness and substance use disorder as major drivers of homelessness and crime. He advocates eliminating the federal Institution for Mental Disease (IMD) exclusion to allow Medicaid funding for larger inpatient psychiatric treatment facilities, increasing reimbursement rates, and expanding Medicaid coverage for inmates 30 days prior to release.

• Repeal the statutory 1960s-era IMD exclusion to allow Medicaid funding for mental health facilities with over 16 beds
• Increase Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates for mental health and addiction treatment providers
• Pass the Medicaid Reentry Act to cover individuals in the final 30 days of incarceration

“Removing the IMD exclusion ensures that mental health facilities would have the same eligibility for Medicaid funding as other healthcare institutions.”

“Congress must pass the Medicaid Reentry Act—or something like it—immediately.”

Peter Soule

Supports stopping illicit drug flows

Soule emphasizes combating addiction by stopping illicit drugs and narcotics from entering the country.

• Stop the trafficking of dangerous drugs and narcotics into American communities

“Stop the flow of drugs and narcotics into our country that is poisoning and killing our youth.”

Peter Soule

Supports school choice, basic skills, and parental rights

Soule advocates for federal policies that protect parental rights in education and support school choice. He proposes restricting federal school funding exclusively to institutions that focus on basic academics (reading, writing, math) and present a balanced view of American history, alongside establishing savings accounts for school-aged children and expanding vocational training.

• Enact federal policies safeguarding parental rights and enabling school choice
• Condition federal school funding on basic skills curriculum (math, reading, writing) and balanced teaching of American history
• Expand access to vocational training for students
• Create savings accounts for school-aged children

“Enact Federal policies to protect parental rights and enable parents to send their children to their school of choice.”

“Provide Federal Funding only to schools that adopt curriculum focused on basic skills (reading writing and math) and provide a fair and balanced teaching of American history.”

Sam Liccardo

Supports refocusing federal R&D on basic research

Liccardo launched 'Innovation for Good' (I4G) to foster a pro-innovation Democratic majority. On AI policy, he argues that large commercial technology firms ('hyperscalers') have adequate private capital for applied AI research, and that federal R&D dollars should remain focused on long-term basic scientific research.

• Focus federal R&D funding on basic scientific research rather than subsidizing private tech hyperscalers
• Lead 'Innovation for Good' to harness technology solutions for national challenges

“Hyperscalers have plenty of capital to do AI research; they don’t need the taxpayers’ money, too. Federal research dollars must remain focused on the kind of basic research that the private sector won’t fund...”

Peter Soule

Supports banning Chinese farmland ownership near military bases

Soule advocates for national security restrictions on foreign agricultural land ownership, specifically targeting Chinese purchases near military installations.

• Bar Chinese entities from purchasing American agricultural land near military bases

“Restricting Red China from buying American farmland near our military bases.”