A fundraising reception for San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond’s campaign for Congress will be held Tuesday in Dana Point.
Desmond announced in January that he would challenge Rep. Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, in the coastal 49th Congressional District, which stretches from Ladera Ranch and Laguna Niguel to Del Mar.
Desmond will be joined in speaking by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Bonsall. Issa represented the district from 2001-19, but opted not to seek re-election in 2018. Levin became the first Democrat to represent the district when he was elected in 2018.
The seat was among five California gained in the congressional reapportionment that followed the 1970 census.
Issa returned to the House in 2021 after being elected to represent to adjacent 50th District, left vacant by Duncan Hunter’s resignation in 2020 after pleading guilty to campaign finance violations.
Tickets are priced from $500 to $7,000, according to an invitation obtained by City News Service. The legal maximum contribution for a House campaign is $7,000 per election cycle, based on a $3,500 limit for a primary election and another $3,500 for the general election, according to the Federal Election Commission.
Desmond, a Republican, has said that if elected he will “fight for” the following:
— “lower costs and affordability for families and seniors struggling with inflation and rising living expenses”;
— “safer communities by addressing crime, homelessness, and mental health challenges head-on”;
— “a strong border that fixes our broken immigration system by securing our border and creating a legal process”; and
— “support for our military and veterans ensuring they receive the resources and respect they deserve.”
Desmond was a member of the San Marcos City Council from 2004 to 2006 and the city’s mayor from 2006-18. He has been a member of the Board of Supervisors since 2019.
Levin has said his top priorities as a House member include combating climate change, protecting natural resources, and “capitalizing on the economic benefits of a sustainable energy future.” He has led legislation to transition the United States to zero-emission vehicles, ban new offshore drilling along Southern California’s coast and “responsibly develop renewable energy on public lands.”