Mike Levin

Mike Levin was born in Inglewood, California, in 1978.[1] He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Stanford University in 2001 and a J.D. from the Duke University School of Law in 2005. His career experience includes working as an attorney specializing in environmental and energy regulatory compliance and governmental affairs. Levin previously served as the executive director of the Democratic Party of Orange County and as a board member for the Center for Sustainable Energy.[2][3][4]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was raised in South Orange County by a Mexican-American mother and a Jewish-American father, and I am the grandson of Mexican immigrants on my mother’s side.

Most importantly, I am a husband and father of two great young kids. My work is centered on ensuring their generation inherits a healthy planet and thriving democracy, where every person has the opportunity to be healthy and prosperous.

I'm also the proud representative for California's 49th Congressional District, which includes North County San Diego and South Orange County. Since I was first sworn into office in 2019, I have focused on working across the aisle to deliver real results for the communities I serve. I'm proud to have had 19 of my bipartisan bills signed into law by both this president and the last one. Many of those bills have helped improve education, housing, health care, and job opportunities for our nation's veterans.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I will continue to focus on working with members of both parties to deliver real results for our community. I am proud to have authored and passed 18 bipartisan bills in the House to support our veterans and their families, and I will continue to work to make veteran homelessness an issue of the past. I'm also proud to have secured federal dollars for our local priorities, including funds to address pollution in the Tijuana River Valley; support for our servicemembers stationed at Camp Pendleton; investments in our local infrastructure, and more.As a longtime clean energy advocate, I believe we can combat the climate crisis, protect our environment, and grow our economy at the same time by investing in our transition away from fossil fuels and creating the clean energy jobs of the future here in America. I was proud to introduce legislation to ban new offshore drilling off the California coast and want to continue to work to put our district at the forefront of the accelerated job growth created by the clean technology industry.While our economy has recovered from the pandemic faster than anyone predicted, I know families are struggling with high costs for things like gas and groceries, and I will continue to work to bring down costs and help families make ends meet. I'm working to pass legislation to address price gouging by Big Oil companies and provide relief for everyday Americans paying for it at the pump.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Before I ran for Congress, I was a longtime advocate for climate action and a passionate believer in clean energy, with over a decade of experience in the industry helping to accelerate the transition towards more sustainable power generation and transportation options. As a member of the House Natural Resources Committee and Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, I have led aggressive legislation to protect our planet for future generations.

I also serve on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and lead the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity. I have introduced dozens of bipartisan bills to strengthen benefits and services for veterans, end veteran homelessness, and help veterans get through the COVID-19 pandemic. I'm proud to have 18 of my bipartisan bills for veterans signed into law.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to many important figures in our political and civic history. Here are just a few that come to mind: Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Jr., Cesar Chavez, Bobby Kennedy, Paul Wellstone, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Bill Bradley, and Barack Obama.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Core to my service is an understanding and respect for the history of the institution of the Legislative Branch, so I would recommend any of the great books or movies on the House and Senate, including The House by Robert Remini, Robert Caro’s four-part biography of Lyndon Johnson, Man of the House by former Speaker Tip O’Neill, John Shaw’s JFK in the Senate, or Ken Burns’ excellent documentary The Congress.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

I believe people in elected office must be compassionate, accessible, and hard-working. Instead of going on national TV to become famous or trying to go viral on social media, our public servants need to focus on doing the hard work of listening to their community and making progress to address their priorities. That's what I have tried to do during my time in office.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

As I tell my constituents, I know that "representative" isn't just my job title, it's also my job description. I believe the core responsibility for someone elected to this office is to represent everyone they serve, no matter who they voted for or what political party they belong to. That's what I have done during my time in office, focusing on our local priorities and working in a bipartisan way to deliver results.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember the tragic Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, which caused the lives of seven astronauts. I was seven years old and in first grade at the time.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I had many summer jobs over the years. My first was in high school, when I worked in the medical records department of a nursing home.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Mike was raised in South Orange County, where he attended public elementary and junior high schools. Mike spent his high school years in Los Angeles at Loyola High and then went to Stanford University, where he was honored to serve as student body president. After college, Mike served in the Coro Fellows Program and then attended Duke University School of Law. After law school, he served as Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Orange County and has worked as an attorney focused on environmental and energy regulatory compliance and government affairs.

Mike is a passionate believer in clean energy and has over a decade of experience in the industry, helping to accelerate the transition towards more sustainable power generation and transportation options. Mike has served for several years on the board of the Center for Sustainable Energy, based in San Diego, and co-founded Sustain OC in Orange County. For his work in clean energy, Mike was named to the OC METRO 40 under 40.

Mike lives in San Juan Capistrano with his wife, Chrissy, a graduate of the University of Arizona and Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and their two children, ages 7 and 6.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I will continue to fight for affordable, quality healthcare and lower prescription drug prices. No one should have to choose between paying for food and rent, or vital healthcare services and prescriptions.I will always advocate for environmental protection; combatting the climate crisis and promoting the creation of well-paying jobs through the expansion of the growing clean energy economy have been top priorities of my time in office, and my previous work as an environmental attorney.I'm proud to represent the district that includes the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, and I will continue working to improve the lives of the active duty service members, veterans, and their families in our community and across the nation. I will work tirelessly until veteran homelessness is an issue of the past.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I believe that spending as much time as possible in communities and neighborhoods across the district gives me the invaluable opportunity to hear directly from my constituents, so I can better represent them in Washington.

During my first twelve months in office, I have:

Co-sponsored over 233 bills, resolutions, or amendments, over 131 of which are bipartisan.

Introduced 32 bills, resolutions, or amendments, 17 of which have passed in the House.

Held a Town Hall every month, and I have pledged to continue to hold a monthly Town Hall for as long as I have the honor to serve in office.

Held 25 constituent coffees in the community and for constituents visiting Washington, DC.

Held 12 House Parties, bringing the total number to over 210 in neighborhoods across the district since I announced my candidacy in 2017.

During the 2020 appropriations process, I played a leadership role to secure funding for many of our priorities in the 49th District.

For more information, please visit MikeLevin.org.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

We are living in unprecedented times that require accountability, transparency, and a free press. I believe that it's important to hold Washington accountable, now more than ever, and that we must protect the truth, defend our democracy, and put country over party.

I also believe that Congress has a responsibility to secure our election systems against foreign interference and prevent further attempts by foreign powers to influence the results of the 2020 election.

I take the title of "representative" quite literally. From a big picture perspective, what I've tried to do whenever possible is to work across party lines to solve local problems - to be the best representative possible for our constituents in the 49th District.

As evidence of that, well over half of the bills, resolutions, or amendments that I've introduced or cosponsored have been bipartisan. Even though I've only been on the job for a year, I am proud of what we've been able to accomplish thus far.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I hope to be remembered first as a dedicated father and loving husband.

In terms of my service in Congress, I ran as a clean energy advocate and an environmental attorney with well over a decade of experience in helping to grow the clean energy industry, and I hope that I can make my mark accelerating our transition to a cleaner and safer future for our planet.

When I got to Congress, I had the incredible honor of being named to the new Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, which I think is appropriately named: This is a crisis. If you look at the recent National Climate Assessment, the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and the most recent data from NOAA and NASA, there is no question whatsoever that there is a significant climate crisis and that we are contributing to it by virtue of emitting too much carbon into the atmosphere. We need an all-hands-on-deck strategy to get policy outcomes that address climate change in a manner that is mindful of environmental and social justice.

I strongly believe that a shift to a clean and renewable energy economy does not have to come at the expense of jobs. Quite the opposite: an accelerated transition to renewables will help us grow the clean energy jobs of the future.

I also hope to finally get the spent nuclear fuel off our coast at San Onofre. Since Southern California Edison shut down the San Onofre nuclear plant, they have stored 1,700 tons of spent nuclear fuel at the site. This highly radioactive waste will be dangerous for as long as 24,000 years, but is kept in metal containers that are designed to last a few decades at most. The site is threatened by earthquakes, tsunamis and rising sea levels. A recent study said a nuclear accident at San Onofre could cost the region $13.4 trillion dollars in damage.

Since being sworn into Congress on January 3rd, 2019, I have taken the lead in finding a permanent solution and I wrote legislation to prioritize it's removal.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

On January 28, 1986, when I was 7 years old, I vividly remember the tragic explosion of the NASA Space Shuttle Challenger, which killed all seven crew members aboard. Like many, I remember watching the live broadcast of the launch and particularly the story of Christa McAuliffe, who was to become the first teacher in space.

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

One of the greatest challenges that we face in the United States is our growing debt and deficits, which will become an incredible burden for future generations if we don't take responsible action now. Largely because of the 2017 tax bill, we have added $3 trillion to the debt, which is simply not sustainable. I believe that we need a bipartisan commission, like the Simpson-Bowles commission from a number of years ago, to address both revenue and spending to make sure that we get things back on track for our children and grandchildren. I'm ready to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get this done.

If you are a current representative, why did you join your current committees?

As an environmental attorney and the father of two young children, I am very concerned about the health of our environment and the future of our planet. Accordingly, I'm honored to serve on the House Natural Resources Committee, and the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.

Our District has 45,000 veterans, one of the largest populations in the nation. When I was elected in 2018, I made it my top priority to secure a seat on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee. I was also honored to be selected as Chair of the Economic Opportunities Subcommittee.

By building bipartisan coalitions, I have had outstanding success in improving services for veterans. Two of my bills, one improving educational opportunities for veterans and another to strengthen the affordable veterans home loan program, have passed Congress and been signed into law.

Some of my other priorities include protecting veterans from predatory for-profit schools, eliminating homelessness among veterans, expanding eligibility for counseling at the VA, and assisting veterans in successfully transitioning to civilian life.

I also secured $128 million to improve living conditions for active duty Marines stationed at Camp Pendleton.

Despite the deep divisions and intense partisanship in Washington DC, I know that we can work together to find common sense solutions.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

On August 2nd of last year, Dr. Pat Davis and his family were relaxing at Grandview Beach in my district, celebrating his wife's triumph over breast cancer. Suddenly, a coastal bluff collapsed, killing Dr. Davis's wife, one of his daughters, and his sister-in-law. The tragedy had a profound impact on myself and our entire community.

Since that fateful day, I fought tooth and nail to get the federal funding needed to advance projects that will help secure coastal bluffs in our region. As my guest for the State of the Union, Dr. Davis and I highlighted the urgent need for federal action to secure coastal bluffs, and I am proud that we were able to get significant funding that will help ensure that nobody else has to experience the same tragedy as the Davis family.

Campaign website

Levin's campaign website stated the following:

Accelerating Sustainable Energy and Environmental Protection

For the last decade, I have been involved in the clean energy industry as an attorney and non-profit founder and director, and I will be a champion in Washington on issues of sustainability and climate change and their impact on our economy, health, and security. I want to put our district at the forefront of clean energy economic growth. I am honored that our campaign has been endorsed by the Sierra Club and the California League of Conservation Voters.

I feel that a transition to a sustainable energy future is imperative, due to both our depleting natural resources and the environmental impact of fossil fuel use and extraction. The question is whether Americans will be using clean energy technologies developed and manufactured in Asia and Europe, or whether our federal government will spur clean energy innovation to help America lead in this rapidly-growing industry.

I believe strongly in the overwhelming scientific consensus that climate change is driven by human activity. I will be an outspoken opponent of any and all efforts by the Trump Administration to undermine our global leadership on climate and sustainable energy policy issues. I already have been greatly disturbed by Trump’s efforts to undermine environmental protections to aid the fossil fuel industry.

In order to reduce carbon emissions, I believe we must consider several ideas, including a “revenue-neutral carbon tax” that would impose a price on carbon dioxide, which would be matched dollar for dollar with corresponding cuts of existing taxes. We must also continue to explore cap-and-trade policies to reduce emissions, which have been proven to be largely effective when implemented in California and at the federal level.

We must ensure a long-term solution to securely move and store hazardous waste at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. I believe that we must address the short-term issues related to canister safety and explore federal legislation to allow states like California to set stricter nuclear waste safety standards than those mandated by the federal government. We must also get nuclear waste off the California coast as quickly and safely as possible, which means exploration of interim and permanent storage sites. I will work with community leaders to help solve this problem and won’t need on-the-job training to make it happen.

I believe that we must transition from fossil-fuel based power production to sustainable, renewable alternatives, particularly in our district. In the December 22, 2016 San Diego Union-Tribune, I criticized the proposed Carlsbad Energy Center, noting that it “runs counter to the energy-use practices that Californians are adopting in terms of clean distributed power generation combined with investments in energy efficiency.” Accordingly, I believe that we must empower our local communities to choose their own clean energy procurement and production decisions.

Finally, we must end subsidies to oil and fossil fuel companies, including any direct funding or tax giveaways that rig the game in favor of fossil fuels compared to more sustainable energy sources.

Holding Washington Accountable

When President Trump tweets about “fake news” or his staff talks about “alternative facts,” I believe that it’s more important than ever to hold Washington accountable, protect the truth, and put country over party. We are living in unprecedented times that require accountability, transparency, and a free press.

I support efforts at the state level – including in California – to require Trump to make his tax returns public or be kept off the 2020 ballot. I also believe Trump must fully divest from his businesses and enter into a blind trust with an independent trustee. Finally, we must get to the bottom of the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia – before, during, and after the 2016 presidential election.

I also will fight for fundamental campaign finance reform to reduce the corrupting influence of money in politics. We must explore all reform alternatives, including a Constitutional amendment, to curtail and reverse the damage done by the 2010 Citizens United and 2014 McCutcheon Supreme Court decisions. I also strongly support efforts that would allow states to enact their own public financing laws, as well as other measures to improve the transparency and accountability of the campaign finance system.

Providing Affordable Healthcare Coverage for All

If elected to Congress, I would strongly advocate for Medicare for All and join those supporting H.R. 676. According to Physicians for a National Health Program, 95 percent of all households would save money under such a program. Patients would no longer face financial barriers to care such as co-pays and deductibles, and would regain free choice of doctor and hospital, and doctors would regain autonomy over patient care.

In the near term, I believe we must work to repair and strengthen the Affordable Care Act (ACA). I believe that President Trump’s wanton neglect of the ACA is unconscionable. Many ideas to improve the ACA must be explored, including the implementation of “public option” early Medicare coverage within health insurance marketplaces, and the hiring of new full-time federal enrollment assisters to help Americans enroll.

I will defend Medicare and Medicaid, ensure young people can stay on their family health insurance plan, prevent discrimination against Americans with pre-existing conditions, and ensure veterans swiftly get the care and benefits they have earned.

I believe that the American Health Care Act (AHCA), passed last year by Republicans in the House of Representatives and fully supported by Darrell Issa (who cast the winning vote), was a dangerous tax cut for the very wealthy masquerading as healthcare reform. Independent analysis suggests that 36,400 residents in the 49th Congressional District would have lost coverage under the AHCA, including 3,800 children.

Achieving World-Class Education

We must work to ensure that every child in the 49th Congressional District can achieve their full potential. Our education system must prepare students well for the jobs of the future. I believe our teachers are heroes and should be at the core of any plan to improve public schools. I am also very honored that the California Teachers Association has endorsed our campaign.

I will fight the Trump Administration’s desire to privatize public education. Instead, I will advocate for our local public schools to get the resources they need to hire and keep excellent teachers, reduce class sizes, and invest in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) programs. We need to focus on training and retraining teachers, especially in STEAM, special education, and bilingual instruction. We must address an increasingly dire teacher shortage by improving college loan forgiveness programs, addressing housing accessibility, and making it easier for retired teachers to return to the classroom and provide mentorship.

I believe that any student who qualifies to attend college must be able to do so affordably, and that our community colleges must serve as increasingly important centers for job training and placement. Towards those ends, I will advocate for solutions like the College for All Act, which aims to eliminate tuition and fees at public four-year colleges and universities for students from families that make up to $125,000 per year, and would make community college tuition-free for all income levels.

Finally, I will hold President Trump accountable for his campaign promise of capping annual student-loan payments at 12.5% of income, and forgiving any outstanding loan amount after 15 years.

Creating Jobs for the Future

Our district has vibrant biotechnology, information technology, and clean energy industries and we must advocate for federal policies that support their continued growth.

I will be a vocal advocate for increasing funding for basic scientific research through the National Institutes of Health (NIH). President Trump’s budget outline would have cut $6 billion from the NIH, a direct hit to our district that undermines a longstanding commitment to biomedical science.

Because no full-time American worker should ever live in poverty, I support a gradual increase in the federal minimum wage to $15, implemented at a pace that allows employers to adapt their business plans. Exhaustive research over the past few decades suggests raising the minimum wage produces better outcomes not only for workers, but also for their children and families.

Finally, I believe we must fight for additional Wall Street reform and prevent corporations from sending jobs and profits overseas. We also must guard against the sort of risky business and lending practices that led to our last financial collapse.

Fighting for Women’s Rights

I am honored that our campaign was one of the first in the nation to be endorsed by the National Organization for Women. I will always stand for women’s health issues, including access to contraception and the right to make one’s own reproductive choices. I will fight any legislation or executive action that allows insurance companies to discriminate against women. I believe that only a woman, her family, and her doctor should be able to decide what is best for her health.

I will defend Planned Parenthood, which provides essential preventative and reproductive health care services like cancer screenings, STD testing and low-cost birth control to millions of American women. I will defend equal pay for equal work and fight any effort to allow wage discrimination against women. It is unconscionable that women and men would earn different wages for the same work.

I will fight for federal legislation that specifically bans sexual harassment. Current enforcement is based on a 1977 Supreme Court ruling that makes harassment illegal under the 1964 Civil Rights Act. This gives a conservative judiciary too much leeway in determining constitutes sexual harassment, including allowing federal judges to rely on outdated precedents in order to dismiss claims. This statute should include treble damages, hold harassers personally liable, and extend the statute of limitations to protect victims.

I believe the federal definition of domestic violence must be updated to include stalking and dating violence. Among other things, this would help prohibit stalkers and violent dating partners from having access to firearms. I will also advocate for active GPS tracking of violent offenders, which provides real‐time location information.

Finally, I will make ending military sexual assault a priority of my service in Congress.

Defending our Seniors

Our great nation cannot allow its seniors to go without healthcare or fall into poverty and homelessness. I will fight to ensure that we never forget or neglect our seniors.

We must fight to preserve Medicare and Social Security, essential programs that reflect our shared commitment to support seniors. Darrell Issa once called Social Security a “Ponzi scheme” and threatened to raise the retirement age. I believe that we must oppose Republican efforts to privatize Social Security or raise the retirement age — an unfair idea that will hurt seniors who have worked the hardest.

The American Health Care Act, promoted by President Trump and supported by Republicans in the House of Representatives, would have allowed insurance companies to charge people age 50-64 up to five times as much as younger adults for the same coverage. This age tax on older Americans is unacceptable and would have undermined the prosperity of an entire generation.

According to AARP, over 3 million low- to moderate-income older adults ages 50-64 currently rely on tax credits under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to purchase health insurance coverage. Proposals to replace the current-law tax credits with new “flat” tax credits adjusted for age would substantially