California — 49th District

Mike Levin

Lowers costs and targets price gouging

Levin focuses on bringing down everyday expenses for families struggling with prices for gas and groceries. He advocates targeting price gouging by major oil companies, supporting clean energy growth to spur job creation, and gradually raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour.

• Proposes legislation to curb price gouging by Big Oil companies.
• Supports gradually raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour.
• Promotes clean technology investments to drive local job creation.

“While our economy has recovered from the pandemic faster than anyone predicted, I know families are struggling with high costs for things like gas and groceries, and I will continue to work to bring down costs and help families make ends meet.”

Armen Kurdian

Stops wasteful spending and cuts regulations

Kurdian considers reducing the cost of living his primary objective, noting that high expenses and job losses cause residents and corporations to leave California. He advocates stopping wasteful government spending and cutting regulatory burdens to bring back manufacturing and shipbuilding jobs.

• Pledges to lower living expenses by curbing wasteful government spending.
• Advocates cutting regulations pushing business employers out of California.
• Proposes partnering with business and labor to restore manufacturing and shipbuilding careers.

“Reducing the cost of living is of primary importance.”

“Let's work with business and labor together to bring back manufacturing and shipbuilding to our state, create long term jobs and careers affordably, and rebuild the economy that has been wrecked by Sacramento.”

Mike Levin

Invests in public schools and tuition-free college

Levin supports robust federal funding for local public schools, expanding STEAM programs, and addressing teacher shortages through loan forgiveness. He also advocates making public four-year colleges tuition-free for families earning under $125,000 and tuition-free community college for all.

• Advocates for the College for All Act to eliminate public college tuition for families making up to $125k.
• Supports expanding STEAM programs and improving public school teacher retention.
• Opposes efforts to privatize public education.

“Instead, I will advocate for our local public schools to get the resources they need to hire and keep excellent teachers, reduce class sizes, and invest in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) programs.”

Armen Kurdian

Refocuses on core curriculum and trade skills

Kurdian argues that public schools are failing kids by focusing on polarizing social issues. He advocates refocusing instruction strictly on core subjects—reading, writing, arithmetic, and science—and expanding physical trade training in construction and manufacturing.

• Focuses public education on core subjects: reading, writing, arithmetic, and science.
• Opposes integrating polarizing social issues into public school curricula.
• Promotes vocational trade education for manufacturing and construction.

“Kids need to be educated in the core curriculum (reading, writing, arithmetic, science, etc.), instead of social issues which polarize them, and sentence them to a life where they will never be able to get ahead.”

Mike Levin

Strengthens grid safety and supports first responders

Levin emphasizes public safety through infrastructure protections, wildfire resiliency, and local funding. He co-authored legislation to increase electric grid safety during droughts and wildfires and holds endorsements from major firefighter and law enforcement groups.

• Endorsed by the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) for wildfire prevention efforts.
• Co-authored provisions in the Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act for electric grid reliability.
• Secured federal funding for local municipal infrastructure and safety projects.

“Congressmember Levin played a significant role in passing the Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act which included provisions he co-authored to increase the reliability and safety of our nation’s electric grid in the face of worsening drought and wildfire.”

Armen Kurdian

Punishes criminals and prioritizes community safety

Kurdian places public safety at the center of his platform, arguing that citizens must feel safe from crime, drugs, and fire. He calls for strictly punishing criminals to keep them off the streets, particularly in lower-income neighborhoods.

• Demands strict punishment and incarceration for criminals to keep streets safe.
• Highlights public safety from crime, drugs, and fire as a core policy priority.
• Emphasizes protecting low-income neighborhoods from criminal victimization.

“Criminals need to be punished to keep them off the streets and prevent them from victimizing our citizens, especially in lower income neighborhoods and districts where crime is a major problem.”

Mike Levin

Expands veteran healthcare and ends homelessness

Levin has passed 18 bipartisan veterans' bills and served in leadership on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee. He earned the VFW 2024 Legislator of the Year award for his work ending veteran homelessness and protecting G.I. Bill benefits.

• Authored and passed 18 bipartisan bills supporting veterans and their families.
• Named 2024 Legislator of the Year by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).
• Secured $128 million to improve facilities and housing at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.

“I'm proud to have authored and passed 18 bipartisan bills in the House to support our veterans and their families, and I will continue to work to make veteran homelessness an issue of the past.”

Armen Kurdian

Leverages military service to support service members

Drawing on his 25-year career as a U.S. Navy Captain leading military and civilian personnel, Kurdian emphasizes his personal background to advocate for active-duty military, veterans, and their families.

• Leverages 25 years of military service as a U.S. Navy Captain.
• Endorsed by Militaryvoter.com and local military community leaders.
• Centers his campaign on serving veterans and military families in Southern California.

“I am a retired Navy Captain, with over 25 years of service, during which time I led large organizations of hundreds of people: civil, military, union, non-union and others.”

Mike Levin

Reforms campaign finance and rejects corporate PACs

Levin refuses corporate PAC money and promotes campaign finance reform to reduce financial influence in politics. He supports a constitutional amendment reversing Citizens United and advocates for transparent government.

• Rejects corporate PAC contributions for his campaign.
• Supports a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United.
• Pledges to defend government transparency and election security.

“I also will fight for fundamental campaign finance reform to reduce the corrupting influence of money in politics.”

Armen Kurdian

Promotes servant leadership over vanity politics

Kurdian centers his government ethics position on servant leadership, criticizing career politicians for treating office as a vanity project. He emphasizes his thousands of hours of unpaid volunteer service.

• Pledges servant leadership that prioritizes community welfare over party politics.
• Highlights thousands of hours of unpaid volunteer community service.
• Criticizes incumbent leaders for treating public office as a vanity project.

“I belive that public service means placing community and the welfare of others over yourself.”

Mike Levin

Promotes clean energy and bans offshore drilling

A former clean energy attorney, Levin champions legislative action against climate change and supports accelerating renewable energy. He introduced legislation banning new offshore oil drilling off the California coast and works to remove spent nuclear waste from San Onofre.

• Introduced legislation to ban new offshore drilling off California's coast.
• Prioritizes moving 1,700 tons of spent nuclear fuel away from San Onofre.
• Advocates shifting to clean energy technology to reduce carbon emissions.

“I was proud to introduce legislation to ban new offshore drilling off the California coast and want to continue to work to put our district at the forefront of the accelerated job growth created by the clean technology industry.”

Mike Levin

Supports assault weapons ban and universal background checks

Levin supports federal gun violence prevention measures, including bans on assault weapons and bump stocks. He advocates expanding universal background checks to all internet and gun show sales and funding CDC gun violence research.

• Supports a federal ban on assault weapons and bump stocks.
• Advocates universal background checks on all gun sales, including internet and gun shows.
• Honored with the Gun Sense Candidate distinction by Moms Demand Action.

“I support an assault weapons ban and expanding Brady background checks to all gun sales, including those made over the Internet and at gun shows.”

Mike Levin

Supports comprehensive reform and smart border security

Levin advocates for comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for law-abiding undocumented immigrants. He supports enhancing border security using advanced technology rather than a physical wall and defends protections for DACA recipients.

• Supports comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship.
• Advocates smart border security improvements while opposing a physical wall.
• Supports protections for DACA recipients and prioritizing deportation of violent felons.

“I will be a strong advocate for comprehensive immigration reform and a path to citizenship for law-abiding undocumented immigrants.”

Mike Levin

Protects ACA and supports universal healthcare

Levin works to lower healthcare and prescription drug costs while protecting pre-existing condition coverage under the ACA. He supports adding a public option and ultimately supports Medicare for All.

• Supports Medicare for All (H.R. 676) and public option plans.
• Defends the Affordable Care Act and pre-existing condition protections.
• Advocates lowering prescription drug prices and stopping corporate gouging.

“If elected to Congress, I would strongly advocate for Medicare for All and join those supporting H.R. 676.”

Mike Levin

Defends abortion rights and gender equity

Levin supports protecting reproductive choice and access to contraception, opposing federal abortion bans. He supports federal funding for Planned Parenthood, equal pay legislation, and banning workplace sexual harassment.

• Defends abortion access and federal funding for Planned Parenthood.
• Supports federal equal pay legislation to close gender wage gaps.
• Endorsed by the National Organization for Women (NOW).

“I will always stand for women’s health issues, including access to contraception and the right to make one’s own reproductive choices.”