Manny Lopez | Uptown News

Political newcomer David Peiser makes his case for congressional seat

Encinitas Democrat David Peiser is running for the 49th Congressional District seat, vying to unseat Congressmember Darrell Issa in the November general election.

On April 22, he and a number of fellow Democrats running for various offices throughout the county spoke at a candidate forum in Hillcrest, jointly sponsored by the Uptown Democratic Club and the Democratic Professional Club.

“The interesting thing is that even though my race is not in this geographical area, it is a national race,” Peiser said. “Darrel Issa is a national figure, so actually the stretch to come into San Diego isn’t all that far.”

Peiser is making his first run at public office in a district where Republicans have an edge in voter registration and Issa — the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman and one of the richest lawmakers in Congress — has not lost an election since 2000.

Energizing Democrats and communicating with those in the middle so that they know there is a viable alternative to Issa, is a key part of Peiser’s strategy. He said he hopes to gain some traction locally by taking a bold stance on issues and reaching as large of an audience as possible in hopes of garnering some national attention.

“San Diego is a small town and the word spreads quickly,” said Roger Quesada, president of the Democratic Professional Club. “Forums like these allow candidates to get their message out while getting to know other candidates and at the same time getting valuable practice delivering their message and becoming familiar with the issues.”

The 49th District includes all of North County coastal cities including Oceanside, Vista, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Rancho Santa Fe as well as the southern parts of Orange County. The candidates will run in a blanket primary, or top-two system, in which all candidates run and all voters vote, but only the top two vote-getters — regardless of party affiliation — advance to the general election.

“I feel as if this race is up to me,” Peiser said. “It’s up to me to get out and let people know I’m running and get them to vote for me. I have the power of the people behind me and I think it’s stronger than the power of money.”

According to his campaign website, Peiser holds an MBA from New York’s Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering. In 2001 he founded an IT consulting company and in 2008, co-founded Greenliness.com to offer earth-friendly sustainable products and education.

Peiser is running on a platform that includes creating local jobs and improving the economy. He said that although the stock market has rebounded, the economy remains lackluster for most people in his district. Many who lost jobs during the recession still haven’t found another, he said.

Among his ideas for creating employment, he would increase spending on infrastructure-emphasizing road and bridge repairs. Peiser said he would also focus on renewable energy coming from rooftop installations as opposed to a central solar farm in the desert, which would create more local jobs.

Vocal on environmental issues, he would focus on getting away from using fossil fuels and offshore oil drilling. Peiser said that he would emphasize environmental safety to avoid potential disasters such as when the San Onofre nuclear plant leaked radioactive gas and the possibility existed that the plant would be reopened.

Peiser also said that he would work towards a comprehensive immigration reform package, so that families would no longer be split up. He stated that many undocumented immigrants in this country have for years called America home and they work and pay their taxes and should be given a path to gain citizenship.

Addressing the current political climate is another goal for Peiser in his race against Issa, who has gained significant national attention for his role in investigating the 2012 attack on U.S. diplomats in Benghazi, Libya.

“It’s not just about winning, it’s about bringing our entire community together, because I feel that there has been a lot of divisiveness,” Peiser said. “I think it’s been caused by the guy I’m running against. My intention is to do what I can to bring us together.”

More information on David Peiser can be found at peiserforcongress.com.