California Congressional District 49 guide: Levin vs. Maryott

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The race in California’s 49th Congressional District is a rematch between Democratic incumbent Rep. Mike Levin and Republican businessman and former San Juan Capistrano Mayor Brian Maryott.

In the coastal district straddling Orange and San Diego counties, the environment, gas prices, tourism and veterans’ needs are prominent issues.

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Who are the candidates?

Levin worked as an environmental attorney in the clean-energy field before being elected in 2018 to the House, where his priorities have included supporting zero-emission vehicles and banning new drilling off the Southern California coast and moving the spent nuclear fuel rods stored at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station out of the area. He has said he also prioritizes strengthening benefits and services for veterans and their families.

The son of a Mexican American mother and a Jewish father, he has said the issue of immigration is “personal” to him and that the U.S. policy should “emphasize both security and humanity.”

Maryott lost to Levin in the 2020 congressional race by 6 percentage points and also ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2018. He is a certified financial planner who was a senior vice president at Wells Fargo Advisors.

He has said his priorities if elected to Congress would include increasing competition in the insurance and health provider markets and calling for term limits for elected officials. He opposes new drilling off California’s coastline and acknowledges climate change but says the state and the nation are moving too quickly to eliminate the use of fossil fuels. Maryott calls for energy independence, including the use of fracking and “clean coal.”

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Where is District 49?

This district stretches from Laguna Beach to Del Mar and encompasses Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and the closed San Onofre station, where spent radioactive fuel rods are stored because there is no federal repository for nuclear waste.

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Where Levin and Maryott stand on inflation

Levin
“I know families are struggling with higher costs at the gas pump and grocery store, and I am focused on real solutions. I helped pass legislation to lower gas prices by cracking down on price gouging by Big Oil, and I also helped pass legislation to lower food costs, fix supply chains and make more goods in America,” he told The Times.

Maryott
“Day after day, I hear from voters in the district that inflation and high gas prices are their No. 1 concern. Reining in out-of-control government spending, unleashing the potential of American energy independence and expanding opportunities for small businesses and tax relief for middle-class families are at the top of my agenda,” he told The Times.

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Where Levin and Maryott stand on abortion

Levin
Levin called the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe vs. Wade “appalling” and co-sponsored a bill that would codify federal protections for abortion. “I will always stand for women’s health, including access to contraception and the right to make one’s own reproductive choices. Only a woman, her family and her doctor should be able to decide what is best for her health,” he said.

Maryott
After the June reversal of Roe vs. Wade, Maryott tweeted: “Today was a historic day on the Supreme Court. The unconstitutional reign of judicially imposed federal law on abortion has ended, and the debate now returns to the states and their elected representatives.”

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Past coverage

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How and where to vote

Ballots have been mailed to all 22 million registered voters in the state. Californians can return ballots by mail, drop them at collection boxes or turn them in at voting centers. They can also cast ballots early at voting centers or wait until Nov. 8 to vote at their neighborhood polling places.

Find out how to register, check voter status and vote here:

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For more election coverage

California voters head to the polls Nov. 8 to vote for U.S. senator, governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, controller, treasurer, attorney general, superintendent of public instruction, the state Board of Equalization, judges, members of Congress and the state Legislature. Local races in Los Angeles include mayor and county sheriff. There are also seven ballot propositions on the table.