Congress: 23rd District : Questionnaires were distributed to candidates this month. Answers have been edited to fit the available space.

Mideast Crisis

Q. Do you generally support President Bush’s handling of the Mideast crisis precipitated by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait? Briefly explain any differences you have with Bush’s actions.

Beilenson: Yes. But we should continue to press all diplomatic options and do everything possible to achieve a non-military resolution to the crisis in conjunction with other nations of the world. And the U. S. must act now, as it should have acted years ago, to reduce our dependence on imported oil.

Salomon: Yes.

Honigsfeld: No. No blood for oil. Let’s save the lives of Iraqi women, children and workers. Let’s save the lives of the young, struggling American soldiers, also. Pull out of Saudi Arabia.

Ultimate Goal

Q. Should the ultimate goal of the United States be to force Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait? Or should it be to remove Hussein from power or at least greatly reduce his military capacity, either through war or negotiations? Beilenson: Our goal should be to achieve Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait. This outcome, brought about without war, would cause Saddam Hussein great dishonor, imperil his standing as Iraq’s dictator and lessen his stature throughout the Mideast. However, it should not be U. S. policy to force his removal from power through the use of military force.

Salomon: Reduce his military capacity. Otherwise, he will have nuclear weapons and delivery capacity within five years.

Honigsfeld: I do not support U. S. imperialism around the world. So this question cannot be answered.

Weapons Sale

Q. Do you support the Bush Administration’s proposal to sell billions of dollars of additional weapons, including F-15 fighters, TOW missiles and Apache helicopters, to Saudi Arabia?

Beilenson: No. We should only provide Saudi Arabia with the minimum weaponry required to adequately meet the existing crisis and deter the Iraqis from attacking. Additional, superfluous sales of advanced arms will further escalate the Mideast arms race, serving only to add more gunpowder to regional crises, which we should be working multilaterally to defuse.

Salomon: No. What we sent Kuwait is now in Hussein’s hands. Saudi Arabia cannot defend those weapons. We could lease them so long as we stay there; when we leave, the weapons go.

Honigsfeld: No.

B-2 Bomber Production

Q. Do you favor continued production of the B-2 Stealth bomber beyond the 15 already in production?

Beilenson: No.

Salomon: Yes, if they work.

Honigsfeld: No. Stop the B-2. Fund housing for the homeless, socialized medicine for everyone in the U. S. Double the education budget.

Deficit Reduction

Q. President Bush and congressional leaders recently agreed to a compromise package of tax increases and spending cuts designed to reduce the federal budget deficit by $40 billion this fiscal year and $500 billion over the next five years. This deal, if it gains final congressional approval, would increase taxes on gasoline, cigarettes and alcohol; raise Medicare premiums; impose a new tax on luxury goods, and reduce itemized deductions that can be taken by taxpayers with incomes over $100,000. Do you support his plan? If no, why not? What specific actions would you support to cut the federal budget deficit?

Beilenson: Yes, but I prefer modifications to the plan that would lessen the burden on Medicare recipients and middle-class taxpayers and increase it on high-income taxpayers.

Salomon: Yes, except gasoline.

Honigsfeld: No. Most new taxes will be paid by workers. I support taxing the rich. They made a lot of it through tax monies.

Campaign Spending

Q. Do you support efforts to restrict campaign spending and reduce the amount of contributions that cam be made by special interest groups?

Beilenson: Yes. The enormous amount of special interest money contributed to campaigns is corrupting our political process. I personally refuse all PAC contributions, and I would like to see all PAC contributions eliminated from our system.

Salomon: No.

Honigsfeld: Yes. I mainly care that all candidates’ views can be heard. We don’t have that now.

Campaign Financing

Q. Do you support full or partial taxpayer financing of political campaigns?

Beilenson: Yes. I have introduced legislation providing full public funding for congressional general election campaigns, which would also provide spending limits and eliminate all special interest campaign contributions.

Salomon: Yes. Eliminate taxpayer-supported mass mailings by incumbents.

Honigsfeld: No.

Capital Punishment

Q. Do you support capital punishment? If so, do you think it should be imposed on those convicted of importing or selling drugs?

Beilenson: In general, I do not support capital punishment--but I have voted for imposing it in a limited number of cases, including punishment for persons convicted of being kingpins in illegal drug operations, for those found guilty of espionage against the U. S. in peacetime and for several other categories of heinous crimes.

Salomon: Yes, for drug kingpins and when murder is committed.

Honigsfeld: No.

Abortion

Q. Do you support a woman’s unrestricted right to an abortion within the first three months of pregnancy?

Beilenson: Yes. I was the author of California’s 1967 Abortion Act, which legalized abortion in our states.

Salomon: Yes.

Honigsfeld: Yes.

Abortion Funding

Q. Do you support federal funding of abortions for women who cannot afford them?

Beilenson: Yes.

Salomon: Yes, when criminal or medical considerations are involved.

Honigsfeld: Yes.

Unpaid Leave

Q. President Bush in July vetoed legislation that would have required businesses employing at least 50 people to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year for childbirth, adoption or serious illness to employees or immediate family members. Do you favor this or similar legislation?

Beilenson: Yes. It provides a sensible response to the growing conflict between work and family, and protects the jobs of Americans who must take leave for serious health care problems. Our employment policies must keep pace with changes in the American family and the dramatic shift in our work force, which will soon be more than 50% female, a majority of whom will have young children or elderly relatives to care for.

Salomon: Yes, for businesses employing at least 150 people.

Honigsfeld: Yes. This helps workers. So, I support it.

Oil Exploration

Q. Do you think the present Mideast crisis justifies opening up additional parts of the California coastline to oil exploration?

Beilenson: No. The very small amount of additional oil that would be produced is outweighed by the known detrimental effects to this fragile ecological area and to our coastline. Instead, we need workable national energy policies so that the United States becomes more energy-efficient and develops alternative sources of energy.

Salomon: No.

Honigsfeld: No. We need public transport, light rail, car-pooling--not drilling that may pollute our precious beaches.

Assault Rifle Ban

Q. Do you favor extending President Bush’s ban on the import of semiautomatic assault rifles to the domestic production of such weapons?

Beilenson: Yes.

Salomon: Yes.

Honigsfeld: No opinion.

Waiting Period

Q. Do you favor a seven-day waiting period on the purchase of handguns to permit background checks on buyers’ criminal and mental health records?

Beilenson: Yes. I am a co-sponsor of the Brady Bill.

Salomon: No. I favor instant computer fingerprint checking. Weapons should be sold only through federally licensed dealers with computer access to an FBI file with records of all convicted felons and certified psychopaths.

Honigsfeld: No opinion.

Endowment Restrictions

Q. Should Congress impose any content restrictions on obscene or indecent materials in reauthorizing the National Endowment for the Arts?

Beilenson: No.

Salomon: Yes. I favor a judicial panel to block public funding of religious desecration and pornography.

Honigsfeld: No. No new restrictions on artists, writers and speakers.

Arts Support

Q. Do you think the federal government should continue to support the arts through the NEA?

Beilenson: Yes.

Salomon: Yes.

Honigsfeld: Yes. We need art so we can live. Artists are workers, too.

Civil Rights Legislation

Q. Do you support civil rights legislation passed last month by the House that would give women and blacks who are victims of sexual or racial harassment in the workplace the right to sue their employer in federal court?

Beilenson: Yes. I co-sponsored this bill, which merely restores Congress’ original intent in providing employees with protection against discrimination in the workplace.

Salomon: Yes.

Honigsfeld: Yes.

Anti-Crime Legislation

Q. Do you support anti-crime legislation passed by the Senate in July that would re-establish the federal death penalty, limit death-row inmates’ appeals and relax the exclusionary rule that prohibits the use of illegally seized evidence in criminal trials?

Beilenson: No. I strongly oppose restricting individuals’ constitutional rights, although I am not opposed to the death penalty in certain limited cases.

Salomon: Yes.

Honigsfeld: No.

Immigration Reform

Q. Do you support immigration reform that would increase the number of visas allowed for family members of those who are already in the United States as well as skilled workers?

Beilenson: No.

Salomon: Yes, in categories of economic advantage to the United States.

Honigsfeld: Yes.

Reducing Drug Use

Q. Do you believe our present strategy of criminal prosecution, interdiction of supplies, and imprisonment of users and dealers is significantly reducing the level of drug use in the United States? If no, what should be done?

Beilenson: No. The problem is clearly getting worse. More must be done to meet the demand for drug treatment by those wishing to get off drugs, and to otherwise reduce demand for drugs through education.

Salomon: No. I favor much stiffer sentences for pushers.

Honigsfeld: No.

Drug Decriminalization

Q. Would you consider supporting the decriminalization of drug use?

Beilenson: I have considered it often because constituents of all political persuasions raise this question frequently at town hall meetings and other forums. I have concluded that it would not be a sensible policy for our country to adopt despite the attraction of a possible lessening of street crime and drug-related gang violence.

Salomon: No. My No. 1 priority is to create 18-year-olds who are literate and drug-free.

Honigsfeld: Yes.

Limiting Terms

Q. Do you support limiting the number of terms members of Congress can serve? If yes, what should be limits be for members of the House and Senate?

Beilenson: No.

Salomon: Yes. But before amending the Constitution, we should try eliminating the unfair advantages of incumbents.

Honigsfeld: No.

China Trade Status

Q. Should the United States revoke China’s most-favored-nation trading status until the president certifies that China has made specific human rights progress?

Beilenson: Yes. Our continued granting of most-favored-nation status in order to provide leverage with China’s leaders had not resulted in significant progress toward Chinese human rights.

Salomon: Yes.

Honigsfeld: No.

Land Exchange

Q. Should the National Park Service exchange 59 acres in Ventura County for about 1,100 acres of the neighboring Jordan Ranch owned by entertainer Bob Hope, permitting park agencies to buy another 4,600 acres of Hope’s land in the Santa Monica and Santa Susana mountains for $10 million? Beilenson: Yes, but certain environmental considerations must be met.

Salomon: No. Public parklands should not be turned over for private development.

Honigsfeld: No answer.

Income Tax Returns

Q. Are you willing to publicly release your income tax returns and those of your spouse prior to the November election?

Beilenson: Certainly, if any question were raised about whether or not I had paid taxes, or whether there were problems with my tax returns, I would release those returns immediately. Meanwhile, all of my income and assets are disclosed annually as required by law.

Salomon: Yes.

Honigsfeld: Yes.

Congressional District 23 The predominantly Democratic district includes west San Fernando Valley communities and extends over the mountains to the Westside.

CONTENDERS Anthony C. Beilenson, 57, a Democrat from Tarzana, has been in the House 14 years. Before that, he served 14 years in the state Legislature. An attorney, he sits on the powerful House Rules Committee.

Jim Salomon, 34, a Republican from Beverly Hills, is making his second try at unseating Beilenson. A businessman, he was Los Angeles County director of Republican Ed Zschau’s unsuccessful U. S. Senate campaign in 1986.

John Honigsfeld, the Peace and Freedom Party candidate, is a bilingual mathematics teacher. A Los Angeles resident, he also opposed Beilenson in 1988.