Mike Gin Emphasizes Independence

Redondo Beach Mayor Mike Gin, who is running for the 36th Congressional District seat recently vacated by Rep. Jane Harman, wants to bring a "different and more pragmatic conversation" back to the House of Representatives.

In an interview with Patch, Gin, a Republican who has spent his entire life in the district, said he finds the extreme polarization in Congress "very frustrating and disappointing."

"In my opinion, this polarization and this partisanship that exists back there is being made the priority over solving problems and addressing issues for the American people," he said.

"I consider myself to be an independent Republican who will look at all aspects of an issue and who will not be beholden to the desires of Mr. [John] Boehner or Ms. [Nancy] Pelosi, very frankly," Gin said. "I'm going to put the interests of this district and our nation as a whole first whenever I make a position on whether or not to vote for legislation or sponsor or co-sponsor legislation."

He cited the current fight over the repeal of health care reform as an example of  over-the-top partisanship.

"Congress's time would be better spent addressing specific issues within the legislation," he said. "To me, efforts to try to repeal that legislation speak to the polarization and the partisanship that exists back there that I think most of us are very, very tired of."

Rather than work toward an outright repeal, Gin would address the concerns of small-business owners to "ensure our small businesses are protected as much as possible" from increasing health care costs.

He said some parts of the law—including rules that eliminate exceptions for pre-existing condition, allow a greater lifetime benefit, and allow dependents to be covered under their guardians' insurance until age 26—are beneficial and should be preserved.

It's critical to reach across the aisle, he said. He also said it would be beneficial to work with other California representatives.

Because the state has 54 members of the House of Representatives, if California's representatives could form a consensus on common issues, "we could be a very powerful force in the House," he said.

Throughout his tenure in Redondo Beach city government, Gin worked to overcome differences between groups, efforts which made him a popular mayor. He credits "walking the district"—going door-to-door and trying to meet as many residents as possible—for his victories at the local level in his first race for Redondo Beach City Council in 1993 and in the runoff election for mayor. In both races, he received more than 60 percent of the vote, and when he was up for re-election for both positions, he ran unopposed.

Keeping in touch with his constituents—whether it's at the local level as mayor or the district level as a congressman—is a priority, he said. Gin said he hopes to establish citizen task forces to create a road map for his tenure, and he would reinstate Harman's jobs cabinet, which he helped create, to keep local businesses in the loop.

"I think it'll be critical to really have a good pulse on our district," he said.

As an engineer, he has ties to the local aerospace industry, and he said he understands the role of the Los Angeles Air Force Base and the aerospace and technology industries in the district. He's also worked as a field deputy for Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe in the Los Angeles harbor area, which has given him the opportunity to work with the Port of Los Angeles and various nonprofit and social services organizations.

Gin has received endorsements from the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce, as well as several current and former South Bay mayors. Additionally, he was the only Republican noted in a recent Los Angeles Times article as a "credible contender" who would ably represent his district.

Though Hahn ultimately received the Times' endorsement, "I was honored to be mentioned," Gin said.

Here is how the candidate responded to a Patch questionnaire about issues facing the country:

Patch: What do you think is the biggest issue facing our district?

Gin: Job creation is clearly the most important issue facing the next member of Congress representing the 36th congressional district. I've got a strong record of keeping high-paying jobs here in town and creating conditions to let small and large businesses flourish in our City. I will work with people who hold all views to come up with bipartisan policies that will reinvigorate our economy and create long-term growth.

Patch: What do you think is the biggest challenge to our nation's economy and what do you think the federal government should do to facilitate economic recovery? How will you specifically encourage job growth in Southern California?

Gin: Unemployment continues to be the biggest obstacle to our nation's economy. Good-paying and sustainable jobs must be created in order for our nation to fully recover from the economic recession.

I'm a strong believer in entrepreneurship and the creativity of individuals who have created successful small and large businesses that form the economic fabric of our nation. I'm endorsed by the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce because they have seen the importance that I've placed on supporting our small and large businesses in Redondo Beach.

However, I also believe that the federal government can be an effective partner with communities in job creation.   I believe targeted one-time educational and small business grants are two tools that the federal government can use to help with sustainable job creation. LA Harbor College is currently competing for a federal grant that will allow the College to enhance its curriculum to target the local job market in the refining industry and the port and maritime industries. Community colleges are educational institutions that are closest to the needs of individual communities and regions and can best adapt to the vocational and employment needs of the local region.

In addition, I believe the federal government needs to continue programs such as the Workforce Investment Act (which funds our local South Bay Workforce Investment Board) and Small Business Administration loan programs in order to assist individuals looking for jobs as well as making sure that our small businesses have tools available to them to assist our communities in job creation.

The federal government must also ensure that monetary and tax policies incentivize businesses to expand and create new jobs in our communities.

Patch: Standard and Poor's recently predicted the U.S. credit rating would be downgraded if the federal government could not work together to balance the budget. What budget items do you think should be cut, and what needs to have continued or even increased funding?

Gin: As a local mayor, I've had to work vigilantly to ensure that government spending is kept in check and that we live within our means. Every year I've been in elected office, I have produced a balanced budget for my city. During the peak of the recession, I worked collaboratively with all of our employee unions and groups to help us keep our city budget balanced while still providing a high level of service to our community. Through a variety of salary and benefit cuts combined with shifting some of our services to non-profit organizations in our community, we balanced our budget during a particularly challenging recession. At the same time, our spending cuts combined with business investment in our community over the past two years has created a strong foundation for Redondo Beach's economic vitality and sustainability into the future.

I am proud of that record and that should speak to my commitment to get our federal spending under control. That said, I do not subscribe to the "slash-and-burn" budget mentality. I will call for a comprehensive review of federal spending to look for inefficiencies and areas for reduction in spending, and ensure that we are not penalizing small businesses and individuals for creating economic growth. It's time we take a hard look at our federal spending and how it is negatively impacting job creation in our country. The best way to increase revenues is by growing the economy.

Patch: Where do you stand on No Child Left Behind? What would you do to improve the state of education in this country and in California?

Gin: While constitutionally there is limited oversight on specific education reform, and while "No Child Left Behind' was a bold and controversial approach to establish minimum standards and guidelines, we are lacking an even greater ambition for our nation's future in our children's education. I would work with the individual school districts in our region to ensure that any possible successor legislation to No Child Left Behind addresses local educational concerns and issues.

Our nation's strength and wealth were built on innovation and creativity in our communities.  Education serves as the foundation for our nation's strength. We must ensure that we continue to fund and support scientific research and development and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education in our school in order to get our young people excited about science and math careers. If elected to Congress, I would be one of the few, if only, engineers in the House. I think I would be able to advocate from firsthand experience of the importance of early education in these subjects. These subjects will also help us to sustain and enhance our talent base here in the South Bay to support the aerospace, defense, technology, and creative industries that are an integral part of nation's security and our regional economy.

I would also work on streamlining some of the reporting and processing requirements that local school districts currently experience with federal grants while ensuring a high-level of accountability for any federal grant funds received. Currently, local school districts spend a large amount of time and resources administering federal grants.

However, I also believe that education is a shared responsibility. I believe that parents and families need to play an active role in our educational system. I would work with our local PTA's and local educational foundations to ensure that we engage as many of our families as possible in helping to foster a strong educational environment for our kids both at home and at school. I would look for best practices from throughout our nation that we could adapt and apply here in our local communities.

Patch: Where do you stand on federal environmental policy? The Supreme Court is now considering the merit of a nuisance lawsuit against electric companies over their greenhouse gas emissions. Do you think the courts should get involved in climate change policy or is this a role better suited for Congress?

Gin: In Redondo Beach, I've been a strong supporter of making our city more green and sustainable. Through the work of our citizen task forces that I created as Mayor, our Green Task Force and our Water Quality Task Force created a roadmap for future mayors and City Councils to follow to make Redondo Beach as sustainable as possible.

I fully support the development of green technologies and alternative energy sources because I believe that we can no longer rely on fossil fuels as our primary energy sources.  Reducing our dependence on fossil fuels (in particular, foreign oil) is also a national security issue, in my opinion.

I do support fossil fuel production in limited cases because we need to have diversity in our energy portfolio. However, our reliance on these traditional fuel sources needs to be reduced for our future needs. This is why I also support research and development activities and streamlined federal regulations that will incentivize alternative energy production.

Patch: Federal energy regulators have approved the test phase of a wave farm off the coast of San Onofre. Do you approve of that project, specifically, and what are your thoughts on the development of wave energy in Southern California, generally?

Gin: As long as environmental dangers are mitigated with this project, I am very interested in learning more about the efficiency and efficacy of this form of energy technology as compared with other forms of alternative energy creation. I believe that America needs a diverse set of tools available at its disposal to create a solid, competitive and long-lasting energy platform.

Patch: Do you think that the nuclear energy plants in California need additional safety regulation? Do you think we should move away from nuclear energy? What would you say to people who are worried that what happened in Japan will happen here?

Gin: The crisis in Japan is a reminder that we must be ever-vigilant with our use of nuclear energy. Nuclear is one of our many sources of electric power that feeds our demanding needs here in Southern California. The regulations we have in place now are at some of the highest international standards. But what we must plan for is the unexpected. We should inspect all of our current nuclear energy plants to ensure they meet or exceed our safety standards. In addition, we should pursue research into  the latest construction technologies to protect the critical elements in our nuclear reactors. This takes time and money, but it is of utmost importance if we are to continue harnessing this clean form of power.

Patch: As a member of Congress, which health care legislation do you support or oppose?

Gin: While I have concerns about the passage of the Health Care Reform package last year, I believe we need to fix healthcare reform, not repeal the legislation altogether.  Specifically, I would support legislation such as the Healthcare Advisors Act of 2011 that addresses increased cost issues on some of our small businesses here in the district to ensure that these businesses can remain competitive for consumers in the insurance marketplace.

Patch: Do you think same-sex marriage should be legalized? Do you think it is a federal or state issue? Why?

Gin: From a strictly constitutional basis, marriage—gay or straight—is not a federal issue. That said, I support marriage equality for gays and lesbians and am in fact married to my husband of 16 years. I have been a visible supporter of marriage equality in both the Republican Party and in the Asian-American community, and it is extremely important to me to be a visible example to the rest of my community that equality under the law should apply to everybody, gay or straight.

Patch: What is your position on America's involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan and now Libya?

Gin: My general philosophy on foreign affairs is that the U.S. has a responsibility to take action when our national security is at risk. In both Iraq and Afghanistan, I believe that we had justifiable reasons to engage in combat. That said, I do not support sustained nation-building activities abroad. Concerning the military efforts in Libya, I was pleased that this was a multi-lateral operation with other nations joining in the effort to support the people's efforts for democracy and self-determination. I am opposed to any U.S. ground forces being committed to that effort, however.

Patch: Do you intend to continue Jane Harman's endeavors to ease traffic congestion in the district? If so, how?

Gin: The Los Angeles region is plagued with a chronic congestion problem. This affects all facets of life and business and is a major detriment to our quality of life. To that end, I'm a strong supporter of working in a collaborative manner with all levels of government and municipalities and agencies to come up with regional comprehensive plans for public transportation and efficient traffic management.

I support the 30/10 plan—this low-risk, low-cost method of super-charging our efforts to increase accessibility and bring up to speed our lacking public transportation infrastructure is greatly needed. At the top of my priority list for public transportation is the extension of the Green Line to LAX and a subway to the West Los Angeles area. These two projects will do much to expand the economic impact of our vibrant tourist industry in LA County. It's good for business, good for the economy, good for the environment and will be a priority for me in Congress.

I also support the extension of federal surface transportation programmatic funds to ensure that both regional and local transportation needs are met.

Editor's Note: This is one of a series of profiles of candidates running for the 36th Congressional District seat. Come back to Patch for more profiles and campaign coverage.