Candidate for
United States Representative; District 51

About Myself

I was born in Pittsburgh on September 4, 1942, and raised in New York City. I moved to the San Diego area in 1970. My wife, Jane, and I have two adult children. My son Adam lives in the San Diego area with his wife, Kim, and my granddaughter Madeline! My daughter, Erin, is a middle-school teacher in Westchester, New York.

Since I was a young boy, I have been interested in science and the way in which scientific advancements change society. I also have been committed to the battle for justice and equality.

In 1961, when I was 18 years old, I spent several months in the Mississippi State Penitentiary as a "Freedom Rider" in the Civil Rights Movement. My political optimism stems from those times: by our individual involvement, we can change history! And my commitment to a world free of racism and discrimination continues on.

In 1970, after receiving a P.h.D. in the History of Science from Cornell University, I moved to San Diego and began teaching at San Diego State University. During my twenty years as a Professor of History at SDSU, I challenged my students to do more than think "grand" thoughts. I taught them that ideas don't mean anything unless they are put into action to help people and to make the world a better place. It's a lesson that I continue to impress on others while in the United States Congress.

Running for public office!

In the late 70s, the Principal for my children's local elementary school announced that the school was going to be closed. As a parent, I was frustrated with the local School Board, and I felt that my children were not getting the education or attention that they deserved! That led me to my first run for public service on the San Diego School Board in 1979--and I will never forget it!

My "back to basics" approach toward education - including mandatory homework - won me wide support with parents all across San Diego. During that time, we hired a more responsive Superintendent, test scores went up, and millions of dollars in bureaucratic waste was eliminated.

Because of my demonstrated leadership on these issues, I was selected as School Board President in 1982.

My increasing civic involvement led to my election to the San Diego City Council in 1987. There I started to take on issues such as bringing good jobs to my community and broadening San Diego's economic base.

I also created the city's first Economic Conversion Committee and wrote the city's Economic Conversion Plan. I found creative ways to fight neighborhood crime, including the introduction of Police Walking Patrols and a Citizen Graffiti Patrol with the area's first 24-hour graffiti hotline.

My ability to work with my colleagues was seen once again and was chosen by fellow my Councilmembers to serve as the Deputy Mayor of San Diego in 1991.

Bob Goes to Washington!

In 1992, I had the great honor of being elected to the United States House of Representatives.

The 51st Congressional District is one of the most diverse areas in the nation. Encompassing the southern half of the City of San Diego, the South Bay cities of Chula Vista and National City, and all of Imperial Valley, the District's population is approximately 55% Latino, 15% Anglo, 15% Filipino and 15% African-American.

In my first term in Congress, I became one of only a handful of freshman legislators to get legislation passed--a critical law amending the Clean Water Act and allowing San Diego to save billions of dollars!

We also began the process of solving the seven decades-old problem of millions of gallons of raw sewage flowing from Mexico--and eventually polluting our beaches.

The Filner Express!

I have also been successful on winning funding and private support for re-opening the San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railroad. Appropriately labeled the "Jobs Train", this railroad line will finally provide a critical link to points east for local businesses. It will make our San Diego Port much more attractive to a wider range of shippers and stimulate thousands of local jobs in San Diego and Imperial Valley!

As the Senior Democratic Member of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, I am in a unique position to provide leadership to many areas of critical importance to Southern California.

The committee is responsible for the Coast Guard, the Federal Maritime Administration, the commercial shipping industry, and the passenger cruise industry. We also play an important role in the effort to provide the port security necessary in a post-9/11 world.

California's Border Congressman!

Our 51st Congressional District, which is the San Diego-Imperial Valley region, is uniquely positioned in relation to the emerging opportunities of Mexico and the Pacific. I represent the whole California/Mexico border from San Diego to Yuma, Arizona! For 7 terms now, I have worked hard to both enhance border advantages and to meet border challenges. I am always looking for ways to open the doors to new opportunities for the families in our district!

My work on U.S.-Mexico relations led President Clinton to ask me to join him on an international mission to meet with former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo. In 2004, with President Vicente Fox, I once again stepped forward to encourage increased cooperation and collaboration between our two great nations.

I have taken the lead in securing critical funding and support for the International Waste Water Treatment Plant in the Tijuana River Valley.

And I have taken on a similar goal for the New River in the Imperial Valley. To kick-start the clean-up efforts for the New River, I secured several million dollars for the affected communities. We must continue to fight for a clean and healthy environment for our families!

Fighting for us!

My proudest service in Congress is on the Veterans Affairs Committee. Recently, my leadership led to the beginning of the end to the "veteran's disability tax". My "Military Survivors Equity Act" led to military widows being able to retain their full survivors' benefits. My legislation also provided health care for Filipino-American veterans of World War II.

Caring for our veterans and their families is one of the costs of war. They make incredible sacrifices for our country and should be able to depend on the health care and pensions promised by our Government. We must keep the promises made to our veterans!

As your Congressmen, I have brought home millions of dollars to improve roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure. Soon there will be funds to study a high-speed magnetic-levitation train from San Diego to a potential new airport site in Imperial Valley; this would create thousands of jobs in an area where the unemployment rate hovers near 30%.

Many American families suffer from sub-standard healthcare, especially minority populations. I am working for approval of the "Healthcare Equality and Accountability Act", which will provide grants to improve the health in border communities and to combat HIV/AIDS, infant mortality, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, asthma, sickle cell anemia disease and other public health problems.

These are only some of the matters that I have been working on since I have been your Congressmen. I will continue to fight for economic and educational opportunities for all Americans. I urge you to help me continue the work I've started for a better California--and for a better America!