Candidates & Issues

Rep. Henry A. Waxman, 49, a Los Angeles Democrat, has been in the House 14 years and is one of its most influential members. He chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee’s health subcommittee and led the fight for the Clean Air Act, AIDS research and other health issues. He is a partner in a potent Westside-Valley political coalition. He is a lawyer who attended UCLA Law School. He and his wife Janet have two children.

John N. Cowles, 38, a Hancock Park Republican, is vice president of finance for a manufacturing company. This is the self-styled political moderate’s first bid for public office. He has been active in other local GOP activities since 1970 and worked on Gerald Ford’s presidential campaign in 1976 and Ronald Reagan’s in 1980. He has a bachelor’s degree from USC. He is married.

George Abrahams, a Los Angeles Libertarian, and James Green, a Los Angeles Peace and Freedom candidate, are also in the race.

SUMMARY: Waxman has continued to work on legislation; Cowles has called for fiscal restraint.

THE CANDIDATES’ VIEWS

Questionnaires were distributed to candidates in September and were returned in October. Answers have been edited to fit available space. Green did not respond.

Q. Would you support an income tax increase to reduce the budget deficit?

Waxman: “Only at the highest levels of personal income, corporate taxes and the tax on short-term capital gains.”

Cowles: No.

Abrahams: No.

Q. Would you support increasing any other tax to cut the deficit? If so, which one?

Waxman: Yes, on all tobacco and alcohol products. Possibly on major luxury items such as vacation homes, sports cars and other high-priced autos, boats, jewelry and furs.

Cowles: No.

Abrahams: No.

Q. Do you support a tax decrease to stimulate growth?

Waxman: No.

Cowles: Yes. Supports reducing the capital gains tax from 28% to 15%.

Abrahams: Yes, coupled with spending cuts.

Q. Do you support amending the Constitution to require a balanced budget?

Waxman: No.

Cowles: Yes.

Abrahams: No.

Q. Briefly but specifically please describe any cuts in spending or increases in revenue that you would support to reduce the federal budget deficit.

Waxman: Eliminate Strategic Defense Initiative; evaluate domestic programs such as Aid to Families with Dependent Children and Medicare to cut costs (but not at the expense of legitimate beneficiaries), and raise taxes on speculative business ventures and high-income households.

Cowles: Hold line on taxes and spending. Supports Gramm-Rudman deficit reduction targets, which should balance budget by 1991.

Abrahams: Offer to buy out all Social Security participants and accept no future participants. “End all welfare programs, subsidies, protectionist schemes and government enterprises which compete with private enterprise.”

Q. In your opinion, was too much of the federal budget spent on the military buildup during the past eight years?

Waxman: Yes.

Cowles: No.

Abrahams: No.

Q. Do you believe that there is a realistic likelihood that President Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative, commonly known as “Star Wars,” can accomplish its goal of providing a space-based shield against incoming missiles?

Waxman: No.

Cowles: Yes.

Abrahams: Yes.

Q. With regard to SDI, do you believe that we should: Discontinue all funding? Fund research but not development and testing? Fund deployment?

Waxman: Discontinue all funding.

Cowles: Fund research, development, testing and deployment.

Abrahams: Full deployment when technologically feasible.

Q. Do you think that the United States should assist guerrillas who oppose left-wing governments in Central America, as we have done in Nicaragua?

Waxman: “Right-wing movements should not automatically receive our support.” Calls Contra aid “the major foreign policy blunder of this decade.”

Cowles: Yes.

Abrahams: Yes.

Q. Do you believe that the changes occurring in the Soviet Union will lead to significant improvements in U.S.-Soviet relations?

Waxman: Expresses guarded optimism. Must pursue progress on human rights.

Cowles: Yes.

Abrahams: Yes, if the changes are permanent and increase individual liberty.

Q. Should the United States try to influence Israel to exchange Palestinian autonomy on the West Bank for the PLO recognizing Israel’s right to exist?

Waxman: “The U.S. can’t influence Israel to make any territorial concessions until there is an Arab partner to negotiate with.” The United States must remember “our strategic and moral imperative to guard the survival and security” of Israel.

Cowles: No. The United States should facilitate negotiations.

Abrahams: No. “The West Bank is Israeli territory won fairly in a defensive action.”

Q. Do you favor opening up additional parts of the California coastline to oil exploration under any circumstances other than a national emergency?

Waxman: No.

Cowles: No.

Abrahams: Yes.

Q. Given the proliferation of drug use, do you believe that Congress should consider the legalization of marijuana? Cocaine?

Waxman: No.

Cowles: No.

Abrahams: Yes. “All drugs should be legalized.”

Q. Do you support the routine seizing of boats, cars and other vehicles in which illegal drugs are found?

Waxman: “Seizure is appropriate when every step of due process has been conscientiously observed.”

Cowles: Yes.

Abrahams: No.

Q. Do you favor more control over the availability of handguns to the general public? If yes, what sort of control?

Waxman: Yes. Restrict sale of handguns to peace officers, with special provisions for bona fide gun collectors and sportsmen.

Cowles: No.

Abrahams: No.

Q. Has the United States done enough to influence the South African government to abandon its policy of racial separation?

Waxman: No. “In cooperation with other countries, the U.S. ought to cut South Africa out of the world community until apartheid is abolished.” Also encourage black empowerment.

Cowles: No. “We should encourage the development of strong, democratic black political institutions to aid in the peaceful transition to majority rule.”

Abrahams: Yes.

Q. Do you support the unrestricted right of a woman to have an abortion during the first three months of pregnancy?

Waxman: Yes.

Cowles: Yes.

Abrahams: Yes.

Q. Do you favor additional limits on the amount of money that congressional candidates may accept from political action committees?

Waxman: No, unless they are accompanied by expanded federal campaign financing.

Cowles: Yes.

Abrahams: No. “All political spending limitations should be ended.”

Q. Do you support federal financing for child day care for working parents?

Waxman: Yes.

Cowles: No.

Abrahams: No.

Q. Do you support a significant increase in federal spending for research into AIDS?

Waxman: Yes.

Cowles: Yes.

Abrahams: No. “All federal spending on AIDS should be ended.”

Q. Should public health officials trace the sexual contacts of anyone with AIDS or the AIDS virus?

Waxman: No. “In the case of monogamous relations, the infected party should be encouraged to inform his or her partner.” In other cases, “tracing is virtually impossible.”

Cowles: Yes.

Abrahams: No.

Q. Do you support a significantly greater role of the federal government in paying for health care for the elderly and chronically ill?

Waxman: Yes, particularly for treatment of chronically ill elderly patients.

Cowles: Yes.

Abrahams: No.

Q. Do you believe the immigration reform laws that offered amnesty to some illegal immigrants while cracking down on employment of those illegally in this country have been successful? Briefly, what, if any, changes do you support?

Waxman: Too soon to definitively evaluate the program or call for changes.

Cowles: Yes. Favors legislation to prevent the separation of immediate family members.

Abrahams: No. “Immigration laws should be made uniform for all applicants.”

Q. Do you believe that the government should acquire a significant amount of new land for national parks?

Waxman: Yes.

Cowles: Yes.

Abrahams: No.