Congresswoman Chu Eyes Issues as Election Nears

Congresswoman Judy Chu, who sailed through the primary election in the newly reconfigured 27th Congressional District last June to become the official Democratic Party candidate, is focused on the issues she sees as critical to the San Gabriel Valley as the race to the November elections enters its final weeks.

Chu spoke to Pasadena Now from a taxicab in Washington, D.C. as she rushed to Dulles International for one of her many cross-country flights back to the Pasadena area.

“I want to make sure that we reignite the American Dream,” Chu said.“We have to revive the ladder of opportunity for the people of this country so they could climb up and achieve all the things they are capable of.  We have to build that ladder. We have to ensure that they have access to education, that small businesses can be successful. We have to bring manufacturing back to this country and offer them tax incentives to bring back jobs to America.”

On the home front, Chu said there are many critical issues concerning the 27th Congressional District, including infrastructure needs, particularly in transportation.

“My goal is to ensure that critical projects are completed. We must work on the water contamination issue. There are too many contaminants that pollute our underground aquafer. Although there had been initial works done, less than half of the contaminants have been eliminated. I want to ensure that we have a clean water supply,” the lawmaker said.

Another issue that Chu is passionate about is the effort to transform and upgrade maintenance of the San Gabriel mountains as part of the national parks. She described the San Gabriel mountains as a beautiful and great resource for the Los Angeles County that can rival even the Grand Canyon. Indeed, an estimated two million people visit the mountain every year, she said.

But despite its beauty, the mountains’ public areas are poorly maintained with so many wastes and garbage. She said she wants those mountains to be managed properly.

To encourage business activities in her district, Chu is suggesting to reinvigorate small businesses which she described as the engine of growth for the economy, particularly in the San Gabriel Valley. Statistics show small business creates two of every three new jobs, Chu said.

“It has been difficult for them [small business] in the past three years because of the recession. But things are looking up because of improved consumer confidence. And I believe we are on our way to recovery. But we still need to give small business the chance to succeed,” she explained.

However, the San Gabriel Valley has no small business development center. These centers provide technical help to entrepreneurs to ensure that they success in their endeavors.

“It is my mission to get a small business development center in the San Gabriel Valley and will work with a college or university and ask them if they can sponsor the center inside their campus,” the congresswoman added.  Chu said she is in talks with a local college campus in the area to sponsor such center which could be operational before the year ends and start helping small business in the community.

In the meantime, Chu disclosed that she has planned a series of workshops aimed at helping small businesses. The first workshop will discuss finance, the second will help entrepreneurs to  establish their business and third is on government contracting.

Chu appealed to the voters of Pasadena and the 27th Congressional district that the Democrats need to win in 2012. She called on her supporters “to get every person out there to walk the precinct or contact their friends to mobilize because it is such a critical election and make sure that we elect our assembly members, senators, including me [Chu], and most importantly, President Obama.”