Schiff talks housing, cross-border pollution in San Diego

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) made a stop in San Diego Sunday while kicking off day two of his “California For All Tour.”

The Democrat, a congressman representing California’s 30th Congressional District, is running for U.S. Senate. Schiff is currently in his 12th term in the House of Representatives.

The lawmaker serves as a senior member of the House Committee on the Judiciary, which oversees the administration of justice within the nation’s federal courts, federal administrative agencies, and federal law enforcement.

Ten injured after falling from border wall in San Diego County

When it comes to the issues, Schiff touched on California’s housing affordability.

“This is predominantly a problem of supply. There’s simply not enough affordable housing,” Schiff said during his speech. “We can do everything else right, we can provide far more Section 8 vouchers as I want to do, we can make sure everyone qualifies for Section 8 vouchers, we can give people renter’s tax credit as I’m proposing…but if we don’t increase the supply of housing, none of that is going to work.”

Schiff then pointed to San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria who he says is bringing a sense of urgency to this problem.

“The decree that you cut down the time and the process to build new housing and approve new housing and help people find shelter is really a model,” the lawmaker stated in regards to the mayor’s approach. “We all know how difficult it is and I want the federal government to be a much better partner.”

The U.S. Senate candidate also touched on the cross-border pollution issue, saying he wants to bring back the federal resources that can help address the problem.

“It’s necessary to do this to address the pollution and the sewage in the Tijuana River, but also to address the sewage plant north of the border on the U.S. side that is also in need of massive renovation,” said Schiff. “So that we can reopen our beaches, so that we can protect the population, so we can attack what I think is one of the most severe environmental injustices we see anywhere in the state.”

The presidential primary election in California is happening March 5, with dozens of local, state and federal races and several measures on the ballot.

Schiff’s full speech can be viewed in the video at the top of this page.

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