San Diego Democrats map out plans for House majority
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Now that Democrats have taken the House, San Diego's representatives are making plans to capitalize on their new power.
Why it matters: They want to use the new majority to lower costs, investigate President Trump's administration and push for funding to address Tijuana sewage pollution and nuclear waste.
State of play: City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert's victory in the 48th Congressional District means all five local House members are Democrats.
- They'll be serving under a new Democratic majority that gives local lawmakers more clout to get benefits for the San Diego region, SDSU political scientist Brian Adams told Axios.
The big picture: Ending the war in Iran and reversing Trump's tariffs are at the top of the list for von Wilpert, Rep. Scott Peters and Rep. Sara Jacobs, they said in statements to Axios.
- Reps. Mike Levin and Juan Vargas said their highest priority is making life more affordable.
- "Democrats now have an extraordinary opportunity to deliver real results for working families," Levin said.
Zoom in: Peters, Jacobs and Levin also want to enact universal child care, build more housing, regulate AI development and lower health care and energy costs. Von Wilpert wants to pass the PRO Act, making it easier to form unions.
On the local level, Peters and Levin mentioned:
- 💧 Ending the cross-border sewage crisis
- 🛂 Fixing the immigration system, which Peters called "inhumane"
- 🌊 Protecting the coastline
- ☢️ Addressing spent nuclear fuel at San Onofre
Inside the room: When the local delegation included Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, they always worked well together, Jacobs said.
- She hopes the addition of von Wilpert will continue that tradition.
Yes, but: A House majority doesn't give Democrats unilateral power to enact their agenda. Legislation still must clear the Senate and contend with Trump's veto power.
- And the question of what to do with their huge majority is already igniting a power struggle between Democrats' ideological factions, Axios' Andrew Solender reports.
State of play: Many of the Democrats elected to the House last week are moderates running in majority-Republican districts, Adams said.
- "So there is a very strong incentive for the Democratic Party to avoid issues like immigration, where there's a deep party divide," he said.
The bottom line: "I'm hopeful that this big Democratic majority won't just revert back to the status quo, but change it," Jacobs said. "We need to show that government can actually deliver for people."