Schiff lays out district priorities for his ninth-term in Congress

Continuing to address helicopter noise in his district and preserving more open space are some of the key issues Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) wants to focus on during his ninth term in Congress.

On Tuesday night, Schiff received nearly 78% of the votes during the general election and won his reelection bid for the state’s 28th District in the House of Representatives, defeating Republican candidate Lenore Solis, who received about 22% of the votes.

“We have a diverse and talented population and it’s a lot of fun to represent,” Schiff said Thursday in his district office in Burbank. “There’s a lot of challenges, too, and we just got a few more challenges on Tuesday night, but I’m very excited about the new term.”

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One of the challenges the congressman referred to is president-elect Donald Trump, who defeated Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton to the surprise of many Americans.

Schiff spent a lot of his time during this year as an official surrogate for Clinton, campaigning on behalf of the former secretary of state, which included speaking at the Democratic National Convention and opening for former president Bill Clinton at a rally outside the Olive Recreation Center in Burbank.

“It was quite a stunner, I think, for everyone — Democrats and Republicans,” Schiff said. “It was a joyous stunner for many Trump supporters and a bitter pill for many Hillary supporters, but that’s how elections are. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. This was particularly a hard one to lose, but pick yourself up, dust yourself off and live to fight another day.”

Schiff, who has been in Congress since 2001, will have served the people of the 28th District during three administrations — first with former President George W. Bush, then outgoing President Barack Obama and now Trump.

With the makeup of Congress shifting further in favor of Republicans and a new commander-in-chief coming in, Schiff said helping his constituents has become more difficult.

“When you have one-party rule, the minority party has a very important responsibility to be the guardian against abuse and overreach,” he said.

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With the presidential campaign over, Schiff said he will again put more emphasis on the needs of his constituents, including his ongoing battle to reduce helicopter noise, particularly over the San Fernando Valley.

In 2015, Schiff helped in efforts to have the Federal Aviation Administration launch a helicopter-noise-complaint system for Los Angeles County. Though the system has been around for a few years, Schiff admits that it “still has a lot of bugs in it,” but he is working to make it easier for residents to call in and file their complaints.

“If the FAA can’t get people to voluntarily improve behavior and preserve a better quality of life, then I think they ought to take the next step, which is regulating the airspace,” he said. “They’ve been very reluctant to do it, but they’ve done it in other parts of the country.”

Schiff isn’t just focusing his efforts on matters in the sky. He is also looking to continue protecting and preserving open space in his district.

Recently, Schiff introduced the Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act, which aims to add more than 193,000 acres of mountain ranges — including the Verdugo Mountains, the San Gabriel Mountains, the Santa Susana Mountains and the Simi Hills — to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

“It would add a very substantial area and help preserve wildlife corridors and hiking trails, a lot of what has drawn people to want to live here in the foothills,” Schiff said.

At the end of the day, Schiff said his responsibility is to ensure that the people who live and visit his district are happy and safe.

“It’s helping veterans get the assistance they need, people with immigration issues or people with trouble with Social Security or disability benefits,” he said.

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Anthony Clark Carpio, anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio