State Sen. Ben Allen and U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff offered their thoughts on the election, the pandemic and related topics in a Nov. 17 town hall. (photo courtesy of U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff and state Sen. Ben Allen)

U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) and California Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica) held a virtual town hall meeting on Nov. 17 to inform constituents about plans as the year draws to a close and a new administration prepares to take office.

Titled “2020 Hindsight: What’s Next for Californians,” the town hall allowed the leaders to express their hopes and outline goals in the wake of the Nov. 3 election. Schiff was recently elected to his 11th term representing the 28th Congressional District, which stretches from Pasadena to West Hollywood and includes Hollywood, Los Feliz and Griffith Park. Allen represents California’s 26th District, which includes Santa Monica, West Los Angeles and the South Bay, as well as Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and Hollywood.

Schiff began by stating that the most pressing issue affecting the country at this moment is the coronavirus, and he expressed hope that a vaccine will be available soon.

“Most important to all of us is this surge in the virus which is just galloping across the country, infecting hundreds of thousands. Every week, the totals are just staggering. Our hospitals are near capacity throughout the country, and the death rate tragically continues to climb. Given how quickly we see the virus spreading, there are some very painful days ahead of us,” Schiff said. “What we’re going to need to do until the vaccines are ready is we’re going to have to get really serious about wearing a mask, keeping our distance and limiting our social interactions, which is going to be very difficult over the holidays but for some families, it’s going to be a matter of life and death.”

Schiff said he is optimistic about news regarding some of the potential COVID-19 vaccines being more than 90% effective, but added that a lot of uncertainty remains. In the meantime, he is still working to push forward relief for struggling business owners, homeowners, renters, people who are unemployed, homeless individuals and others in need.

“We’re going to have a real important responsibility when the vaccines are approved, when they’ve been demonstrated safe and effective, to do what we can to advocate for people being vaccinated. But until then, we know what we need to do is to protect ourselves and our country. We need to surge testing and maintain best practices,” Schiff said. “We also need to get help to the American people. There are millions who are already out of unemployment compensation, millions more whose unemployment will run out early next month, lots of businesses around the country that are hanging by a thread. There’s a real sense of urgency to get something done and get it done now.”

Allen focused on the recent election and touted the state’s work in increasing opportunities for people to vote.

“We have been able to have a very high-integrity election that provided a lot of options to people. People who were able to vote by mail if they wanted, people who were able to use a drop box, people who were able to vote any place in their own county at a vote center. I am proud so many people were able to turn out.” Allen said. “Hopefully, with the vaccines the congressman talked about coming on board, we will be able to get our economy back up and running next year and of course, that will bring in economic activity [and] will generate tax revenue, which will help get the state budget back into a strong place. We are working on a lot of different things right now.”

Allen also pointed to many efforts the state has made during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide relief. He said the state’s $30 billion rainy day fund, largely established under former Gov. Jerry Brown, enabled state legislators and Gov. Gavin Newsom to leverage funding for important programs. Those include public safety and infrastructure programs, as well as renter, homeowner and business relief.

Schiff added that more needs to be done, however, and one of the most critical issues is passing a new relief act. He referred to the HEROES Act (Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act), which was approved in the House of Representatives last summer but has since stalled in the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate.

“I am guardedly optimistic that we will get this done. We have to pass a funding bill to keep the government open by the middle of December, so we’re going to have to get a budget bill of some kind done, and that’s a logical time to also provide relief to the American people. Hopefully, we can hammer out both at the same time,” Schiff said. “What I think the impediment has been, because we passed a further relief bill called the HEROES Act five months ago, is that Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, sat on that for about four months, and the reason that he sat on that, that he really didn’t try to get a bill passed, was it divided his Republican members in the Senate. I think a majority of the Republican senators don’t want to do anything more to help American families right now. They think the economy is coming back without helping states or cities or unemployed people or small businesses. They are ready to be done. They make the argument we can’t afford to help them. The question is not whether we have the resources, the question is what are the priorities.”

Allen weighed in on help for people who are unemployed and admitted that there were early problems with California’s computer system, leaving many people unable to file or waiting for days or weeks for compensation. He said the governor has taken steps to fix those problems and more unemployment relief is now being distributed to people in need. The state senator added that his office is available to help people solve problems, which include navigating complicated systems

“Our goal is helping constituents as they struggle through this. Please reach out to us. If you have a concern with something, we can help,” Allen said. “You would be amazed at how many people we have been able to help.”

Both lawmakers also highlighted the need for stronger environmental protection laws to address climate change. Allen said he is working at the local level on issues such as the reduced use of plastics and waste management, and supports broader issues such as maintaining strict vehicle emission standards. Schiff added that he is hopeful the new presidential administration will be more willing to work with state and federal lawmakers to reduce pollution and other factors contributing to climate change.

“The federal government under Donald Trump has been downright hostile. At the end of the day, the federal government has challenged California’s ability to protect the environment for its own citizens,” Schiff said. “To have a federal government that is a partner and not an adversary has a huge multiplier effect.”

The lawmakers also discussed police and criminal justice reform, which they said were important considerations long before the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis. Schiff said he wants to take things a step further and consider reform in the health care and education systems, which unfairly exclude some people of color. Schiff cited a bill he introduced that is currently pending that would make health care a civil right.

Allen added that the state is also working on criminal justice reform, and cited a ban on police use of carotid restraints (which render a person unconscious by cutting off blood flow to the brain) and efforts to make law enforcement agencies more transparent through independent oversight. He also noted a bill that was passed in California this year that allows local governments to request that the state attorney general investigate cases in which unarmed individuals are killed by a police officer.

Schiff and Allen concluded by expressing relief about the outcome of the presidential election and prospects for the future. Both said they are eager to get back to work.

“I think we are all really looking forward to getting back our lives to some level of normalcy,” Allen said. “We’re all very hopeful that these vaccine trials will release [positive] results and that they will continue to hold and they will be able to create a mass distribution system that will get us back to the place where we were.”

Schiff said he is really looking forward to seeing and hugging his 92-year-old father, whom he hasn’t visited since the pandemic began because of the risk the virus presents to older people. He also is very excited about working in a more cohesive federal government.

“I look forward to a return to compassion and decency,” Schiff said. “I also personally look forward to next year when I don’t have the president of the United States calling me schoolyard nicknames and demeaning his office by doing so. I look forward to the next year when every day is not a constant struggle to preserve some of our democratic guardrails. I look forward to having a president who is decent, who tells the truth, who cherishes the same things that I cherish. And that is a lot to look forward to.”