Accusations but Few Surprises in Hahn and Huey Radio Debate

At one point during Thursday's half-hour public radio debate between 36th Congressional District candidates Janice Hahn and Craig Huey, KPCC listeners could hear Huey say, "Don't lie, Janice."

Hahn was talking about Huey's ties to a company that allegedly falsely advertised an Alzheimer's medication, one of the many charges that have been levied back and forth between the Democratic council member and the Republican small business owner in a race that debate moderater Larry Mantle called "very rough" in his opening statements.

The candidates are vying to replace Jane Harman, . The 36th District stretches from Mar Vista to San Pedro, and includes surrounding communities. The election is Tuesday.

Despite it being called a debate, the candidates did not respond directly to each other.

Huey maintained the small-government, libertarian ideology of tea partyers, calling the unemployment rate "government created." On the other side, Hahn championed green jobs and bringing troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Neither candidate dwelled on social issues, sticking instead to economic ones.

Huey, who lives in Rolling Hills Estates and owns a direct mail firm, touted his small-business credentials and hammered at what he considers government waste, saying there is an "assault" on business owners by federal regulatory bodies with "unlimited time and money," a situation that he said strangles economic growth. He also blamed high tax rates for the current economic recession.

"When President Kennedy lowered the tax rate, there was an economic boom that created more revenue. When Reagan lowered the tax rate, there was an economic boom," he said.

In his final statement, Huey brought the jobs issue home: "The South Bay is the aerospace capital of the world, yet we don't have the jobs here," he said.

Hahn agreed that job creation was primary, but she differed on how to attain it, starting with returning troops to the U.S.

"We need to bring that money home and invest in green jobs, infrastructure and new technology," Hahn said. "For every dollar we spend on green jobs and infrastructure, we get $3 back."

Hahn has been for a feed-in tariff program,  would encourage solar panel use, throughout the campaign, which she says will create 11,000 jobs.

"The reason people don't invest in green energy is that the playing field isn't level," she said.

But despite repeated proddings, Hahn was unable to name how much the program would cost.

Hahn supported continued government regulation over businesses, pointing to the Port of Los Angeles, which now prohibits higher-polluting diesel trucks, as a regulatory win. She also agreed that government waste needs to be looked at, specifically health care spending.

The debate, which aired at 10:30 a.m. on Southern California Public Radio, is the candidates' only scheduled matchup. The outcome of Tuesday's election is expected to hinge on voter turnout.

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