California June 2 Primary Election: Congressional District 6 candidates on the issues

Voters in the 6th Congressional District are seeing a lot of familiar names on their primary ballots. This is considered a battleground district for control of Congress, and some high-profile leaders are competing for the job. That does not include the congressman representing the current 6th District. As voters recently changed the boundaries under Proposition 50, Congressman Ami Bera is now running in the new 3rd Congressional District. The new District 6 covers parts of Yolo, Sacramento and Placer Counties, including Roseville, Rocklin, Citrus Heights, Orangevale, Fair Oaks, and parts of Sacramento and West Sacramento. The top two candidates from the June Primary will advance to the General Election in November. We interviewed the five leading candidates in the race. In alphabetical order: Congressman Kevin Kiley represents the 3rd Congressional District, and his political experience also includes serving as a State Assemblymember. Kiley was a Republican for most of his political career, but when the congressional district maps were redrawn to favor Democrats he changed his designation to “No Party Preference.” He caucuses with Republicans at the U.S. Capitol. The other leading candidates are all Democrats. Martha Guerrero is the mayor of West Sacramento. She has experience as a licensed social worker and legislative advocate. Thien Ho is the Sacramento County district attorney, best known for his role in bringing the “Golden State Killer” to justice. Dr. Richard Pan is a former state assemblymember and state senator. His background includes pediatric medicine, public health, and vaccine policies. Lauren Babb Tomlinson is the chief public affairs officer at Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte. She has also chaired the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls.On their plans to bring down the price of food and/or make food available to more people:Kevin Kiley (I) Kiley says he very recently helped pass a bipartisan farm bill through the U.S. House. “I think it’s going to be helpful for growers in California, and across the country,” Kiley said. His plan includes tax relief that would leave people with more money to buy groceries. He says he fought for increasing tax relief for Californians, which raised the state and local tax deduction. He also wants to get federal funding for new water infrastructure. “It’s going to make life a lot easier for our farmers, and enable them to be able to feed our state without running into the barriers that they have in the past,” Kiley explained.Richard Pan (D) Pan blames the rising cost of food on several of President Donald Trump’s policies, including tariffs, immigration operations and the war on Iran. “70% of people who are harvesting our food are immigrants, and so what happens is that farmers are struggling with the fact that they don’t have the workforce to grow the crops like they did before,” Pan explained. He says tariffs are not only driving up the cost of food at home, they’re making it harder for American farmers to sell food to other countries. “We can bring down food costs by not doing things to intentionally drive them up, like Donald Trump’s tariffs, like getting engaged into an unconstitutional war,” Pan said. Thien Ho (D) Ho calls President Donald Trump’s tariffs a 22% tax on everyday working people, and that’s where he would start as he worked on bringing down the price of groceries. “We need to go ahead and have Congress step up and provide that check and balance on those tariffs,” Ho said. He wants to restore Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which were cut under H.R.1, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” “The food stamps are there as a safety net for working families,” Ho said. “When I came to this country, we relied upon that in order to get on our feet. We continue to need to have those safety nets for everyday people.”Martha Guerrero (D) Guerrero said recent cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are leading to higher prices for everyone. SNAP benefits were cut under H.R.1, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” She says CalFresh benefits (California’s SNAP program) not only benefit the direct recipients, they also benefit the stores where the SNAP funding is spent. “So they will not go to a grocery store because they don’t have the income and the resources to pay for groceries. And so what’s going to happen is grocery prices are going to go up for the rest of us,” Guerrero said. Guerrero would not only work to restore the benefits that were cut, she says she would try to increase them. She said through her work in West Sacramento and as a legislative advocate, she has seen that the benefits don’t cover enough food for many families and older Californians. She also blames President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the war on Iran that’s leading to rising gas prices. She would try to reverse the tariffs and end the war. “All of these costs are going to go on the backs of farmers and those that are supplying the food in the grocery store, and those costs for those groceries are going to have to go up in order to be able to make the difference for getting that food into the grocery store,” Guerrero explained.Lauren Babb Tomlinson (D) Tomlinson wants to restore funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that was cut under H.R.1, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” “I’ve been talking to churches and food banks who were seeing the demand go up because families have lost access to those resources. And so on day one, we’ve got to restore the cuts to SNAP,” Tomlinson said. She is also considering a price accountability bill that would prevent grocery stores from using AI to set higher grocery prices in communities of color. “As a mom, I’m absolutely terrified about how many children and families are just struggling to put food on the table,” Tomlinson said.On the issue of whether there should be any changes to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE):Thien Ho (D) Ho says as the only immigrant and refugee who’s running for Congress in the 6th congressional district, he considers immigration to be a very personal issue. “We were victims of an attempted home invasion robbery and we never called the police because we were afraid of getting deported. And what I see happening on the streets right now is illegal and inhumane,” Ho said. He is especially concerned about ICE agents going into homes with an administrative warrant, rather than a judicial warrant signed by a judge, “I’m an expert on Fourth Amendment law,” Ho said. “It violates the Fourth Amendment. It violates the Constitution.” He says work to secure our borders should focus on people who have committed violent crimes. For those who are undocumented with no other criminal history, he wants comprehensive immigration reform. “You’re having people that have the protection of due process that are being snatched off the streets, pregnant women and little kids. It’s illegal and inhumane. One-third of California’s workforce are immigrants,” Ho said. If he’s elected to Congress, he wants to serve on the Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform Committees. Part of that work would include holding ICE agents accountable for violence during immigration enforcement operations. He said as the Sacramento County District Attorney, he rejected requests from ICE and President Donald Trump to help with immigration raids. “I said, ‘Hell no, not on my watch,’ because I will not allow county resources, whether they’re in my office or the county, to be allowed to use in illegal deportations.”Martha Guerrero (D) Guerrero wants to dismantle ICE and replace it with another agency to protect the borders. “I do want to be clear. I’m pro public safety, and what I’ve experienced with ICE has been anything but making sure that we have public safety in our community,” Guerrero said. She also believes ICE agents should be required to provide identification during enforcement actions, and that they should be held accountable for acts of violence. She is especially alarmed at the treatment of people in the Latino community. “Pulling people off the streets when there are people trying to sell their goods, pulling farmers out as they’re trying to pretty much do their job… dragging people out of their lives or ripping them apart from their families, using children to be able to get a parent,” explained Guerrero. Lauren Babb Tomlinson (D) Tomlinson believes ICE should be abolished, with the enforcement duties falling under other existing departments. “I am really terrified by what I’m seeing with ICE. I believe Donald Trump is using it as his personal army,” said Tomlinson. She said she does want to see immigration agents remove undocumented people who are committing other crimes, but she opposes the tactics ICE agents have used under the Trump Administration. “What we have seen is ICE is going after Americans. ICE is taking children away from their families. And that’s not okay,” Tomlinson explained. Her plan also includes more congressional oversight for immigration enforcement.Richard Pan (D) Pan thinks the solution is to close ICE, and either assign its functions to other agencies or create an entirely new agency. “Create an agency that is actually responsive to the people… that follows the law and follows the Constitution,” said Pan. He says his views are shaped in part by violent immigration crackdowns that led to the deadly shootings of two American protesters in Minneapolis in January. He blames both President Donald Trump’s policies, and members of Congress who support the MAGA agenda. “The culture of ICE is broken,” Pan said.Kevin Kiley (I) Kiley believes ICE should be reformed to focus its mission and rebuild trust. “Public trust has been eroded,” Kiley explained. He wants the agency to focus enforcement on the people who pose a threat to public safety, those who are not only in the U.S. illegally but also have a criminal record. Kiley says he voted in favor of requiring ICE agents to have a judicial warrant to enter someone’s home for an immigration enforcement action, blocking immigration operations around schools and child care centers, and requiring ICE officers to show identification. “I’ve actually made it very clear that my support for the current proposals to have multiyear funding, for Immigration Enforcement and Border Patrol, is contingent on having those sort of reforms that will rebuild public trust,” said Kiley. Also on the ballot in the 7th Congressional District: Republican Michael StansfieldDemocrat Tyler VandenbergYou can learn more about the candidates on their campaign websites: Kevin Kiley Martha GuerreroThien Ho Richard Pan Lauren Babb Tomlinson Tyler Vandenberg Michael Stansfield does not have a campaign website as of the time of this report.See our full voter guide here. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

Voters in the 6th Congressional District are seeing a lot of familiar names on their primary ballots. This is considered a battleground district for control of Congress, and some high-profile leaders are competing for the job.

That does not include the congressman representing the current 6th District. As voters recently changed the boundaries under Proposition 50, Congressman Ami Bera is now running in the new 3rd Congressional District.

The new District 6 covers parts of Yolo, Sacramento and Placer Counties, including Roseville, Rocklin, Citrus Heights, Orangevale, Fair Oaks, and parts of Sacramento and West Sacramento.

The top two candidates from the June Primary will advance to the General Election in November.

We interviewed the five leading candidates in the race. In alphabetical order:

Congressman Kevin Kiley represents the 3rd Congressional District, and his political experience also includes serving as a State Assemblymember. Kiley was a Republican for most of his political career, but when the congressional district maps were redrawn to favor Democrats he changed his designation to “No Party Preference.” He caucuses with Republicans at the U.S. Capitol.

The other leading candidates are all Democrats.

Martha Guerrero is the mayor of West Sacramento. She has experience as a licensed social worker and legislative advocate.

Thien Ho is the Sacramento County district attorney, best known for his role in bringing the “Golden State Killer” to justice.

Dr. Richard Pan is a former state assemblymember and state senator. His background includes pediatric medicine, public health, and vaccine policies.

Lauren Babb Tomlinson is the chief public affairs officer at Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte. She has also chaired the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls.

On their plans to bring down the price of food and/or make food available to more people:

Kevin Kiley (I)

Kiley says he very recently helped pass a bipartisan farm bill through the U.S. House.

“I think it’s going to be helpful for growers in California, and across the country,” Kiley said.

His plan includes tax relief that would leave people with more money to buy groceries. He says he fought for increasing tax relief for Californians, which raised the state and local tax deduction.

He also wants to get federal funding for new water infrastructure.

“It’s going to make life a lot easier for our farmers, and enable them to be able to feed our state without running into the barriers that they have in the past,” Kiley explained.

Richard Pan (D)

Pan blames the rising cost of food on several of President Donald Trump’s policies, including tariffs, immigration operations and the war on Iran.

“70% of people who are harvesting our food are immigrants, and so what happens is that farmers are struggling with the fact that they don’t have the workforce to grow the crops like they did before,” Pan explained.

He says tariffs are not only driving up the cost of food at home, they’re making it harder for American farmers to sell food to other countries.

“We can bring down food costs by not doing things to intentionally drive them up, like Donald Trump’s tariffs, like getting engaged into an unconstitutional war,” Pan said.

Thien Ho (D)

Ho calls President Donald Trump’s tariffs a 22% tax on everyday working people, and that’s where he would start as he worked on bringing down the price of groceries.

“We need to go ahead and have Congress step up and provide that check and balance on those tariffs,” Ho said.

He wants to restore Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which were cut under H.R.1, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”

“The food stamps are there as a safety net for working families,” Ho said. “When I came to this country, we relied upon that in order to get on our feet. We continue to need to have those safety nets for everyday people.”

Martha Guerrero (D)

Guerrero said recent cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are leading to higher prices for everyone. SNAP benefits were cut under H.R.1, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” She says CalFresh benefits (California’s SNAP program) not only benefit the direct recipients, they also benefit the stores where the SNAP funding is spent.

“So they will not go to a grocery store because they don’t have the income and the resources to pay for groceries. And so what’s going to happen is grocery prices are going to go up for the rest of us,” Guerrero said.

Guerrero would not only work to restore the benefits that were cut, she says she would try to increase them. She said through her work in West Sacramento and as a legislative advocate, she has seen that the benefits don’t cover enough food for many families and older Californians.

She also blames President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the war on Iran that’s leading to rising gas prices. She would try to reverse the tariffs and end the war.

“All of these costs are going to go on the backs of farmers and those that are supplying the food in the grocery store, and those costs for those groceries are going to have to go up in order to be able to make the difference for getting that food into the grocery store,” Guerrero explained.

Lauren Babb Tomlinson (D)

Tomlinson wants to restore funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that was cut under H.R.1, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”

“I’ve been talking to churches and food banks who were seeing the demand go up because families have lost access to those resources. And so on day one, we’ve got to restore the cuts to SNAP,” Tomlinson said.

She is also considering a price accountability bill that would prevent grocery stores from using AI to set higher grocery prices in communities of color.

“As a mom, I’m absolutely terrified about how many children and families are just struggling to put food on the table,” Tomlinson said.

On the issue of whether there should be any changes to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE):

Thien Ho (D)

Ho says as the only immigrant and refugee who’s running for Congress in the 6th congressional district, he considers immigration to be a very personal issue.

“We were victims of an attempted home invasion robbery and we never called the police because we were afraid of getting deported. And what I see happening on the streets right now is illegal and inhumane,” Ho said.

He is especially concerned about ICE agents going into homes with an administrative warrant, rather than a judicial warrant signed by a judge,

“I’m an expert on Fourth Amendment law,” Ho said. “It violates the Fourth Amendment. It violates the Constitution.”

He says work to secure our borders should focus on people who have committed violent crimes. For those who are undocumented with no other criminal history, he wants comprehensive immigration reform.

“You’re having people that have the protection of due process that are being snatched off the streets, pregnant women and little kids. It’s illegal and inhumane. One-third of California’s workforce are immigrants,” Ho said.

If he’s elected to Congress, he wants to serve on the Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform Committees. Part of that work would include holding ICE agents accountable for violence during immigration enforcement operations.

He said as the Sacramento County District Attorney, he rejected requests from ICE and President Donald Trump to help with immigration raids.

“I said, ‘Hell no, not on my watch,’ because I will not allow county resources, whether they’re in my office or the county, to be allowed to use in illegal deportations.”

Martha Guerrero (D)

Guerrero wants to dismantle ICE and replace it with another agency to protect the borders.

“I do want to be clear. I’m pro public safety, and what I’ve experienced with ICE has been anything but making sure that we have public safety in our community,” Guerrero said.

She also believes ICE agents should be required to provide identification during enforcement actions, and that they should be held accountable for acts of violence.

She is especially alarmed at the treatment of people in the Latino community.

“Pulling people off the streets when there are people trying to sell their goods, pulling farmers out as they’re trying to pretty much do their job… dragging people out of their lives or ripping them apart from their families, using children to be able to get a parent,” explained Guerrero.

Lauren Babb Tomlinson (D)

Tomlinson believes ICE should be abolished, with the enforcement duties falling under other existing departments.

“I am really terrified by what I’m seeing with ICE. I believe Donald Trump is using it as his personal army,” said Tomlinson.

She said she does want to see immigration agents remove undocumented people who are committing other crimes, but she opposes the tactics ICE agents have used under the Trump Administration.

“What we have seen is ICE is going after Americans. ICE is taking children away from their families. And that’s not okay,” Tomlinson explained.

Her plan also includes more congressional oversight for immigration enforcement.

Richard Pan (D)

Pan thinks the solution is to close ICE, and either assign its functions to other agencies or create an entirely new agency.

“Create an agency that is actually responsive to the people… that follows the law and follows the Constitution,” said Pan.

He says his views are shaped in part by violent immigration crackdowns that led to the deadly shootings of two American protesters in Minneapolis in January. He blames both President Donald Trump’s policies, and members of Congress who support the MAGA agenda.

“The culture of ICE is broken,” Pan said.

Kevin Kiley (I)

Kiley believes ICE should be reformed to focus its mission and rebuild trust.

“Public trust has been eroded,” Kiley explained.

He wants the agency to focus enforcement on the people who pose a threat to public safety, those who are not only in the U.S. illegally but also have a criminal record.

Kiley says he voted in favor of requiring ICE agents to have a judicial warrant to enter someone’s home for an immigration enforcement action, blocking immigration operations around schools and child care centers, and requiring ICE officers to show identification.

“I’ve actually made it very clear that my support for the current proposals to have multiyear funding, for Immigration Enforcement and Border Patrol, is contingent on having those sort of reforms that will rebuild public trust,” said Kiley.

Also on the ballot in the 7th Congressional District: Republican Michael StansfieldDemocrat Tyler Vandenberg

You can learn more about the candidates on their campaign websites:

See our full voter guide here.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel