Eric Ching, CA-38 Candidate, 2024 Election Questionnaire – Orange County Register

Ahead of the November general election, the Southern California News Group has put together a list of questions to ask the candidates seeking to represent you. Below you will find the full questionnaire. Questionnaires may have been edited for spelling, grammar, length and, in some cases, to remove hate speech and offensive language.

MORE: Read all the candidate responses in our Voter Guide

Name: Eric Ching

Current job title: Entrepreneur

Affiliation with a political party: Republican

Sitting: No

Other political positions: Walnut mayor, mayor pro tem and council member

City where you live: Walnut

Campaign website or social media: www.ericchingforcongress.com

Californians will decide in November on a proposal that would roll back part of Proposition 47, a voter-approved 2014 measure that reduced penalties for certain theft and drug offenses. How can the federal government help states like California balance criminal justice reform with law enforcement? (Be specific with your proposal and keep your response to 200 words or less.)

Based on what I understand from law enforcement, many criminals not prosecuted under Proposition 47 have also committed one or more crimes involving gangs, drug trafficking, money laundering, or moving sex trafficking victims. The federal government has jurisdiction over these types of crimes. I believe that fewer criminals means fewer crimes. I will ask federal agencies to actively pursue these.

Recent efforts to expand the federal deduction for state and local taxes, called SALT, have failed. What changes, if any, would you like to see in SALT? (Limit your answer to 200 words or less.)

I believe that lowering taxes will help stimulate the economy and therefore increase tax revenues, as history has shown. I will support the efforts again.

President Joe Biden has called for an overhaul of the U.S. Supreme Court, including mandatory ethics rules. What reforms, if any, do you think the Supreme Court needs, and how might they be enforced? (Be specific with your proposal and keep your response to 250 words or less.)

I don’t think the U.S. Supreme Court needs a review because it will set a dangerous precedent. If a Supreme Court judge breaks a law, he or she must be confronted with the existing laws.

Should there be an age limit for presidential candidates? What about Congress or the Senate? If so, what is that limit?

No, I believe the current system works.

Would you support legislation that protects women’s access to in vitro fertilization and other fertility treatments nationwide? Why or why not? (Be specific in your answer and limit your answer to 200 words.)

I am not aware of any laws prohibiting women’s rights to in vitro fertilization or fertility treatments.

The Republican Party platform, after the summer convention, calls for the “largest deportation effort in American history.” Is this something you support? If so, what would such an effort look like? If not, how would you address concerns about border security? (Be specific in your answer and keep it to 250 words or less.)

I support the immediate deportation of undocumented criminals and known terrorists after they have served their sentences. I support an immediate strengthening of border security to end drug, weapons and human trafficking. Undocumented people must go through the immigration process just like other immigrants.

The cost of living is high on the list of concerns among voters, especially among young people. What is a bipartisan proposal you have to address concerns about high prices or cost of living? (Be specific in your answer and limit it to 200 words.)

Reduce inflation, the cost of running businesses and wasteful government spending.

Californians continue to rank housing affordability as one of their top concerns. What could the federal government do to reduce the financial burden people are feeling, whether that means renting or buying a home? (Be specific in your answer and limit it to 200 words or less.)

Reduce inflation, the cost of running businesses and wasteful government spending. The federal government should help businesses by pursuing fair trade policies with other countries, making business expansion and investment easier and teaching skills that will lead to good-paying jobs.

How do you see the federal government’s role in helping local municipalities address homelessness? (Be specific in your answer and limit it to 200 words or less.)

Approximately 70% of the homeless population suffers from mental illness and substance abuse. The rest may have family, social or economic problems. We must tackle the core problems first by providing treatments, reducing inflation and stimulating the economy.

After Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared an AI-generated video purporting to be the voice of Vice President Kamala Harris, Governor Gavin Newsom vowed to enact legislation that would make it illegal to manipulate someone’s voice in an ad. What could the federal government do to protect people from deep fakes, or fake AI-generated images, videos and audio? (Be specific in your answer and keep your answer to 200 words or less.)

I believe in the First Amendment. If the ad has not been used to commit crimes, it should be protected.

What is a local infrastructure project you would like to secure funding for in the federal budget? (Be specific in your answer.)

I would support funding high-tech equipment to help law enforcement deter crimes.

What environmental or climate policies would you advocate if elected? (Be specific with your policy proposal and keep your response to 200 words or less.)

Find ways to safeguard water supplies while ensuring residents, farmers and businesses are not affected.

What’s the #1 song on your playlist while you’re campaigning?

“Roadmaker.”