Race for East Bay seat clouded by disinformation

A rematch is underway for California’s 8th Congressional District, as eight-term incumbent Democrat John Garamendi faces off against Republican Rudy Recile, a former US Army Major and former Department of Agriculture employee.

The candidates are vying to represent residents in Contra Costa and Solano counties, including the cities of Vallejo, Fairfield, Richmond and parts of Martinez.

Garamendi, 79, has enjoyed a political career spanning nearly five decades, starting with his election to the California State Legislature in 1974. He went on to serve four terms in the state Senate, two non-consecutive terms as California’s insurance commissioner, and was appointed deputy secretary of the interior by President Bill Clinton in 1995.

Two years after being elected lieutenant governor in 2007, Garamendi won a seat in the US House of Representatives, where he currently represents voters in Contra Costa and Solano counties. He has co-sponsored 66 bills signed into law, and has been a vocal advocate for strengthening environmental protections, affordable healthcare and American manufacturing.

Arguably the biggest election hurdle for Garamendi, 79, arose in July, after he was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer and began chemo-immunotherapy in Sacramento. He did not respond to interview requests by this publication, but told the Times Herald that “experience counts.”

“The 15 years that I’ve been in Congress has given me the knowledge, the experience and the position to bring to my district the benefits of existing legislation and additional legislation that I will be able to promote,” Garamendi said.

Recile, 56, a Vallejo resident, faces an uphill battle for the historically blue district, where he unsuccessfully ran in 2022 after 76% of voters backed Garamendi. His success may be further jeopardized by his history of spreading disinformation — rhetoric mirrored by former President Donald Trumpwhom Recile said he is voting for in this election.

“I believe in (Trump’s) policies, and the results he gave us when he was in office,” Recile said, despite admitting that he was initially “going to give (this news organization) a different answer.”

After reading the reasons why Trump was dictated on 88 criminal offenses and impeached twice, he said “a person should be able to make their own decision to determine whether that was bogus or it wasn’t.”

Recile rejected concerns about Trump’s ties to Project 2025, saying that “if there is anything wrong with the policies that are in there, then it’s up to the three branches of government to determine what should be passed and what shouldn’t be passed.”

So why should voters back vote in this upcoming election?

“(Politicians) are supposed to represent the soul and intent of the community,” Recile said. “Regardless of what party you are, I believe that 80% of us can find common ground on almost everything.”

But Recile failed to find steady footing on the reality of numerous current events.

He said he is worried that federal officials are suppressing Americans’ Constitutional freedoms, claiming that John Kerry, the former US senator and secretary of state, wants to amend or “get rid of the First Amendment.” However, Kerry’s comments specifically referenced the First Amendment as a “major block” to efforts to crack down on disinformation and build consensus around issues as a democracy, especially as tech companies and social media have “eviscerated, to a certain degree,” the “referees we used to have to determine what is a fact and what isn’t a fact.”

Recile also parroted false claims that Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg shut down the airspace in areas devastated by Hurricane Helene because, he said, “they feel that the federal government should have more control, when there’s people out there trying to fly drones to help find people to help the local authorities.”

However, the federal agency quickly clarified that temporary flight restrictionswhich were requested by local authorities and law enforcement, were lifted shortly after the hurricane made landfall, and the FAA doesn’t block legitimate rescue and recovery flights. Buttigeg replied directly to Elon Musk’s false claims on X: “If you’re encountering a problem give me a call.”

If elected, Recile said he wants to amend existing federal law to help state and local officials quell criminal activity – specifically citing California’s Prop 47which reclassified some nonviolent felonies as misdemeanors in 2014 and has since been tied to a “modest rise” of property crimesuch as larceny, auto theft and other offenses.

Recile also claims that crime rates across all categories have spiked, arguing that FBI statistics that report otherwise are skewed, because businesses and law enforcement departments aren’t reporting all crimes in order to avoid potentially costly insurance penalties.

One of his proposed solutions is creating special protection districts that would contract and license private security companies to collaborate with local police. Similar to how security within gated communities have powers to patrol and detain, Recile proposed tax incentives for businesses who create an “opt-in” pilot program for residential neighborhoods, which would be funded by individual voting precincts.

Additionally, the Republican candidate said he would work to draft legislation aimed at bolstering economic growth, such as a 20% tax break for property owners that revamp vacant properties with new businesses – and expanding services for military service members who retired early due to disability or injury.

Explaining his focus on veteran resources, Recile said he is concerned about migrants displacing veterans from government-funded housing. He could not provide specific details or evidence of this claim, which was debunked in May 2023 after reporters confirmed that an veterans advocacy group recruited a group of homeless men to pose as ousted veterans.

Yet, Recile remains firm that he is the best congressional candidate to represent District 8.

“Without (faith, family and freedom), how can someone make a decision that’s going to ethically affect all their constituents in their district?” Recile said. “If we don’t protect our constitutional and god-given rights, then we’ll lose our country.”

Originally Published: October 30, 2024 at 6:04 AM PDT