California — 48th District

Corinna Contreras, 38, a Democrat and Vista City Council member, is running for Congress representing inland North County cities, the San Diego County backcountry and parts of Riverside County in California’s 48th Congressional District.

Contreras is a Vista native.

The San Diego Union-Tribune emailed a series of questions to Contreras and other candidates to help inform voters about their positions, priorities and plans if elected.

Contreras said she did not use any AI tools in responding to the Union-Tribune’s questions.

1) Why are you running, and what makes you the best candidate?

I’m running to focus on working-class needs.

We need Medicare for All that covers vision, dental and mental health and includes funding community health centers to ensure universal access. We need permanently affordable housing and accessible fair housing resources for tenants. We need expanded public transportation to connect folks to resources and support our seniors with aging in place. We need universal childcare to economically empower families. We need stronger worker protections, living wages, and the right to organize. We need to support our small businesses by creating more pathways to access capital, contracts, and immediate relief from the chaos and unpredictability of tariffs. I will fight special interests and regulate AI. I will protect American sovereignty from foreign governments.

As a lifelong resident of the district and a progressive council member in the city of Vista, I havea long voting record that our community trusts. I am consistent.

2) What are the top 3 issues facing this district?

The high cost of housing and transportation coupled with limited economic opportunities createsunfair barriers for our district.

To alleviate the cost of housing, I will fund mixed income affordable housing by building smart and limiting sprawl into high fire severity zones.

I will fund firefighting and climate resilient infrastructure to ensure you and your forever home are safe from wildfire.

I will fund public transportation between our counties, to create more access for daily needs such as healthcare, groceries, education, and jobs and drastically lower the cost of commuting within our district.

Sweetheart deals for data centers and megacorporate warehouses do not generate the economic opportunities that people need. I will focus on rebuilding and modernizing our crumbling infrastructure with local hiring that will bring economic relief to workers and families and provide our young workforce with the opportunities for good careers that they currently do not have.

3) What are the first 3 things you would do in your first/next term in Congress?

I will impeach the president and hold this criminal administration accountable for their illegal and unconstitutional measures domestically and abroad. I will lead Congress to push back on executive overreach and ensure that our country’s resources are no longer used for other nation’s interests in colonial expansion and war. Additionally, the Supreme Court has been overtaken by special interests and no longer stands as a reasonable check to the power of the Executive branch. I will fight to expand the court and will lead on judicial term limits and impeachment. While working on these foundational actions, I will restore affordability by investing in American infrastructure, energy independence by expanding green and renewable energy production, connecting communities to daily needs like affordable food, childcare, Medicare for All, and local economic opportunities for all that includes a living wage, worker protections and the right to organize.

4) If your party wins control of Congress, what should be its first priority? If your party loses control of Congress, what should be its first priority?

Regardless of which side wins, we need to do right by our fellow Americans. We need to safeguard our government from foreign influences that seek to undermine American safety, sovereignty and prosperity. This is a priority for me and it should be for all candidates as well.

5) President Trump has made cracking down on immigration a cornerstone of his administration, ordering widespread arrests and detentions of immigrants nationwide and directing military resources to a new military zone along the U.S.-Mexico border. What impact have these had on this district? What are your goals on immigrants, immigration and the border, and how would you pursue them if elected? What is your message to constituents who are immigrants?

The unnecessary brutality of Trump’s persecution of non-criminal immigrants and the American citizens protecting their constitutional right of due process has made our community unsafe. We are directly impacted by these practices. We have various agencies that are militarized and patrol our district since we are in the border region. We pass checkpoints and see increased checkpoints. These practices make it difficult for hardworking immigrants to get to their jobs and back to their families safely. The increased funding for militarization would be better spent on Medicare for All.

Our representatives at all levels of government must stand up for the constitutional rights we all have. I have led on this in my community and will continue to lead as your congressional representative.

I am dedicated to creating a pathway to citizenship for immigrants who have been here for 10 years and have no criminal history.

6) It’s been nearly two months since the United States began a war with Iran. Do you believe Americans are better or worse off for it? What should Congress’s role be? Would you vote to let the president continue the war beyond the 60 days after which congressional authorization is required?

We are all worse off now than we were before the illegal war with Iran. Congress can and should pass a War Powers Resolution, stop military funding of this war, and force the president to bring our troops back home. Not one more person needs to die or be injured in this illegal war. It is absolutely shameful that congressional action has stopped short of this. I will not let this war continue. We will hit economic issues that we have not seen in over 100 years if we do not stop this war escalation immediately. We don’t need to suffer more. People deserve a government that watches out for our people’s best interests, not one that abuses its powers and sells us to the highest bidder. I will represent us how we deserve to be represented and I will not capitulate.

7) Recent jumps in the cost of fuel, food and other goods — combined with federal cuts to safety-net programs, new limits on certain federal loans and more — are squeezing residents already struggling with San Diego County’s high costs of living. What relief would you seek to offer, and how?

The dire economic situation we are collectively experiencing is tied to the incompetent leadership of our federal government. We need bold action. The special interests of the wealthy and well connected have raided our tax dollars. I will fight to tax the ultra rich and corporations. I would immediately restore funding for food assistance, housing, healthcare, childcare, and public transportation. To indefinitely lower energy and utility costs and make us independent from global instability, I will push for major federal investments to develop community solar and other local renewable energy resources. In addition, I will expand funding for more public transportation. We can generate the local jobs we need by investing in America and not foreign wars. The money is there and I will prioritize working class needs.

8) Like much of California, this district has been affected by the effects of climate change. How should Congress mitigate those impacts, and what would you do to pursue such efforts?

Climate change is creating conditions for stronger winds, hotter temperatures and strong rain events. County governments have not adequately invested in fire and flood safety. I will invest in fire and flood protection coupled with more safe evacuation routes and community centers that can be used for sheltering those evacuated. I work with our local and tribal governments to ensure we have the infrastructure and resources to keep everyone safe. I will collaborate with our tribal governments to expand career opportunities by implementing traditional ecological knowledge into our land management to ensure we are being proactive stewards of our land.

9) Polling underscores that one chief concern of California voters in the 2026 midterm elections is the issue of threats to democracy. What do you believe are the greatest threats to American democracy? How would you, and how should Congress, protect against these?

Our democracy is under threat. Unconstitutional and illegal actions have caused severe harm to our global relationships. Domestically, we are paying a steep economic price. Incompetent leadership humiliates us on the global stage. We have started wars without an exit plan. We have destabilized our position in the global world order, leaving us open to more harm.

Congress has not acted to protect us. We need new leadership that focuses on restoring democracy, protects the rights of all eligible American voters to cast their ballots in free and fair elections and revokes illegal and unconstitutional war.

10) Do you support a ban or restriction on congressional lawmakers and their families buying or selling individual stocks? Why or why not? And what would you propose to ensure lawmakers aren’t using their positions to engage in insider trading?

I fully support a ban on congressional lawmakers and their families buying or selling individual stocks. This is absolutely necessary as the American people have seen gross sums of money made with non-public information and insider tips that unfairly benefit our elected representatives. This is corruption. It unfairly skews decisions in favor of the ultra rich and megacorporations.

11) By design Congress is supposed to serve as a check on the executive branch through budgetary, legislative and oversight powers. Do you believe that Congress has fulfilled that obligation in recent years? Why or why not? Should Congress do more to hold the president accountable? Explain.

For too long, Congress has not fulfilled its constitution obligation to check the power of the executive branch. The expansion of the executive has happened under both parties and it is time for Congress to represent the interests of the people by holding this president accountable for the gross, illegal and fascist actions it has taken against its own people and those abroad. The American public is dismayed and frustrated that Congress is not stepping up to protect our nation against the extreme tyranny of this administration. I will fight to ensure we hold this president accountable. I will fight to impeach and remove the president and his criminal administration. Anything less is unacceptable.

12) A recent San Diego Union-Tribune poll found voters overwhelmingly disapprove of the job Congress is doing, by higher margins than they disapprove of the job Trump is doing. Why do you think this is? How can Congress win back voters’ hope and trust, and what would you personally do to achieve this?

People do not trust Congressional representatives to care about their needs. They see a corruptgovernment where money buys votes and undermines working people.

I understand that feeling. That’s why I decided to run. In my local community, my leadership has made our district safer, healthier, and more prosperous. As a Councilmember, my progressive policies have ensured 8 years of record budget surpluses, a record drop in crime, and increased prosperity for small businesses. Every community deserves leadership that cares and builds holistic policies that increase the quality of life of everyone.

As a proponent of civic engagement and education, I will bring a new style of leadership to Washington. When we work together we can force Congress to reflect community needs and prioritize people over special interests. I will hold many open events and town halls to build back trust and build policy together.