And months later until donald trump was the presumed nominee for the Republican Party. He is a first generation son of immigrants. I dont understand how he can go home, faces parents, and basically say that he agrees with the view of the Republican Party. Mr. Valadao that is not true. I never said those words. I never supported donald trump. I supported his opponents. We end up with this sort of tie. Jim you said this regarding this political ad. It is out there, i cant change it so i think it clearly represents what we stand for. Can you explain what youre referring to . I cant change that. Mr. Huerta it was not my ad. It was an ad by an independent expenditure. The ad correctly portrays mr. Valadaos position with respect to his views of donald trump and the Republican Party. He allowed the creation of donald trump. He enabled donald trump to be the republican nominee, the president ial candidate. You refused to stand up to donald trump even to this day. Hes not called for mr. Donald trumps resignation. Jim he allowed donald trump to become the nominee . Mr. Huerta thats correct. Jim i thought that was decided in the primary election. Mr. Huerta he had an opportunity and other Republican Leaders had an opportunity to condemn donald trump for his bigotry, his divisiveness. They did nothing. Mr. Valadao endorsing his opponents and supporting his opponents, traveling to other states to help other opponents in the campaign and making statements i would not support that. The point i think meet three brought up is the fact that the best they can throw at me is attaching me to someone ive never been connected to. Its because of what ive done in congress, so i am proud of my record. It is deceiving, its dishonest and for those who care about the community and those who fight for our community in do the right thing this is the best they can throw at me. Jim the valadao campaign released a political ad that criticizes you, mr. Huerta, for making a profit off of a land deal in Fresno County involving the ufw and low income housing. Lets roll that. Mr. Valadao im David Valadao and i approve this message. One of the worst real estate scandals in Central Valley history. Emilio huerta used his influence to take land from the united farm workers that was intended for low income family housing. Huerta sold the land for 1 million profit. Abusing his power and turning his back on the families who needed an affordable place to live. Emilio huerta, just another politician looking out for himself. Jim we should point out that the state attorney general found nothing illegal about that transaction. As to the assertion, mr. Huerta, that you acted in your own best interest and not in those avenue low income family is not in those of lowincome families, how would you were spot . Mr. Huerta i never take advantage of my position that benefit myself or my associates. That was a transaction. It was not property owned by the united farm workers. It was all with the National Farmworkers the buyer backed out, the Service Center came to me and asked me if i could put together a team to buy the property. We purchased the property and were able to sell it and give the National FarmworkersService Center their money they needed to build educational radials and other Affordable Housing throughout the southwestern United States. Investigation of the attorney general came as a result of false acquisitions from the l. A. Times. A hit piece on the ufw. The Attorney Generals Office investigated and found nothing inappropriate with the transaction. Mr. Valadao i think it is unethical. When you try to represent an organization that supposed to be out there to help people, especially the most honorable, and you heard all the stories and things they talk about and you find out they are profiting 1 million and you look at the National Political front where youve got pay for play politics going on this is a scary situation. Maybe its not illegal but does that make it ethical . Does that make it moral . Can you look in the faces of those people and say it is ok to profit with that kind of money . I dont think it was right. Jim you said it was one of the worst land deals in the Central Valley. That is a pretty strong statement. Is that an exaggeration in anyway . Mr. Valadao i think it does a good job for trying what thats good job for training good job portraying what actually happened. Jim would you put mr. Huerta in the same group of the carl kohls of california . Mr. Valadao i could not compare them. Jim probably the worst mortgage fraud scam and case in california history during the bust and boom of the wood real estate market. Mr. Huerta i think the difference between my work in the valley as compared to mr. Valadao, ive done housing for poor people. Hes never built anything. Ive done Credit Unions for poor people. This transaction you mentioned probably happened more than 10 years ago. Even subsequent to that article by the l. A. Times i continued to work with low income communitybased organizations with Housing Development corporations to continue to bring decent, clean, safe, Affordable Housing to communities such as bakersfield, porterville, phoenix, arizona throughout the southwest United States. Community groups have been willing to work with me. Ive worked with the federal home loan bank, tax credit agencies from california, arizona, texas and new mexico. Theres never been hesitation andanybody to bring me in to bring together a deal for local communities. Mr. Valadao its typical of someone whos never actually built a business to undermine, to put down. We employed folks. We continue to build and grow and provide for the economy. When we talk about jobs, what we do for our community, especially when all the different groups come to us as Business Owners and ask for resources, as for money to support different events. Does a lot of things we do in our communities but to say youve never built anything i would say the people that work for us and our employees enjoy coming to work, especially those who have been with us for over 30 years. I would say that shows weve done a good job for our community. Weve actually created jobs and weve created a business that is successful, gets the economy going and provides a resource, some dollars for our community. What more than that do you want . As far as helping out with all of these clinics. In my role in the Appropriations Committee, making sure the resources are there so people can come in and help direct a little bit. In my role i provided quite a bit of assistance and im proud of that record as well. Ive done it on both sides. Jim congressman valadao, many observers in the valley, this Republicancontrolled Congress has really done nothing to move forward on the issue of Immigration Reform. Do you accept any of the blame for that and if reelected what would you do to get this issue resolved . Mr. Valadao does a lot of folks there is a lot of folks that i would say blame on that. I would start with the president and the former speaker. The very beginning of this congress there was an opportunity to get something done. Speaker boehner told president obama do not do anything. Let us move forward. He chose to take a different path and that ruined this conversation on immigration. Some sort of policies and things that have been a part of major piece of legislation but overall Immigration Reform is something im supportive of and continue to work on behind the scenes especially with other members who are interested and tried to prepare for the next round because a believe theres an opportunity for it. It is something that i take very seriously. Something that i think there is a real opportunity. For us to just throw it out would be a mistake. The president did not help the situation when he decided to make his what he did. Jim mr. Huerta . Mr. Huerta political convenience. He says to latino families in the valley that he supports Immigration Reform but he does everything he can to block it. In march of this year he signed onto a House Resolution to condemn president obamas executive order on the dreamers. He asked the Supreme Court to strike down president obamas action in that regard. When he was on the Appropriations Committee he refused to sign the discharge petition. When he was in the state assembly he voted against allowing dreamers to enroll in local universities, junior college, as california residents so they could avoid paying outofstate tuition. He voted against allowing dreamers to having access to cash to have access to have access to state Financial Aid so that they could continue their education and be contributing members of our community. At every turn he says hes for Immigration Reform his party leader, majority leader paul ryan, has made an agreement with conservative republicans to not bring the immigration bill to the floor. This is his party, his leader, and that is why we dont have mr. Valadao as far as the amicus brief, that was a controversial issue. Anybody who decides to run for congress and put their name on the ballot has understand they are running for congress to write laws. That has nothing to do with immigration. That was specific on the president overstepped his bounds in trying to write law. The president is an executive. The Congress Writes the law. We had to reinforce that and protect that. Anybody that thinks that that especially those that voted no on that have to understand that in four years, eight years, 12 years, 16 years, whoever the president is, if you said that president , what do we have is a future . Do we end up with the dictatorship . I think we have to protect the institution invite to do our protect the institution and fight to do our jobs and pass Immigration Reform the right way. Evan im going to ask a followup. Mr. Huerta when he voted to deny dreamers and the children of immigrants the right to attend college, the right to be able to have an Affordable College education, the right to secure Financial Aid, those children are now here in the valley. That was six or seven years ago. Is that what he will tell the next generation of children . That it was a political move to question the authority of president that his reasons were not endorsing true Immigration Reform because it was not the right time [indiscernible] mr. Valadao after signing on got attacked from the left. Have groups like his come out and attacked me and made it more difficult because we have the opportunity to get something done but as soon as the three of us stepped up to the plate, got attacked on tv, a lot of other members who wouldve been there decided to back off. They figured out they did not have the support. Evan i wanted to ask about amnesty. Millions of undocumented immigrants in this country. A lot of them in the Central Valley. Where do you stand on the issue of amnesty for these people . Mr. Huerta in 1986 my mother along with United Farm Workers Union my mother sitting in the audience, was able to lobby for the passage of a bill which president reagan signed in which farmworkers tremendously benefited. We in the Central Valley, majority of farmworkers that pick our crops and put food on our tables live here in the Central Valley. And they were able to benefit from the amnesty provision. Im not sure if amnesty is necessary for comprehensive Immigration Reform, but we do need to have a pathway to citizenship. We do need to have a mechanism where we can bring the 12 million undocumented immigrants, men and women that work every day and do jobs nobody wants to do in this country, and be able to give them legal status so that we can bring them out of the shadows so they can become taxpaying Community Members and they can contribute to the building of roads and schools and make our communities better. Mr. Valadao there is no such bill in congress that is amnesty by definition. Amnesty is the pardon of a large group of people without punishment. Every piece of legislation and a part of has to do with allowing those that are here to go through a process so they can become legal. There is going to be something that that probably are not the ones we will want to stay because they got some criminal backgrounds but for the people that are working hard in the field, working hard in the restaurant industry, the service industry, we got a come up with a system that addresses the 11 million that are here but you have to have a process to make sure we have guest worker programs that work, visa programs that work. At the end the day amnesty by definition there is no such legislation proposed or in the process of being proposed in congress today. Jim were going to take a break. Youre watching a live debate here on tv 17. Our candidates for californias 21st Congressional District. Were right back after these words. Evan welcome back. A debate between congressman David Valadao and emilio huerta. Thanks so much for being here, gentlemen. Mr. Huerta, you have no Prior Experience in elected office which is not necessarily a bad thing. Everybody starts there at some point. Your critics say you would not be in this race if it was not the fact that your mother is Dolores Huerta who is here tonight. What he say to critics that say that you are riding on her coattails . Mr. Huerta im grateful for the life that my mother has given us. I think it was unique and we certainly were involved and have been involved in have been at the forefront of social change and bringing justice to social issues in the valley since i was a child. I think my track record speaks for itself. Over 20 years as an attorney, ive been active in the community. Just last week i was coaching my mock trial students. I travel to other communities. Ive done work throughout the Central Valley in the state of california both as an attorney, helping nonprofit organizations develop. Building Credit Unions and financial institutions. I think when you look at the work that ive done, my commitment to the community, my dedication, my work ethic, that im qualified. I believe im the best candidate for this office. Evan im going to move to this next question to you, sir. You spent two terms in office trying to push legislation that would modify federal environmental regulations. Trying to bring more water into the valley. Some people critics of yours, would say that you have not been able to do that. The end result is not a big change, people would say. How do you respond . Mr. Valadao we got closer than weve ever been. When you compare where weve been historically on water the situation has gotten so much worse because of all the environmental regulations. The regulation does not change it, it just allows for commonsense reform in between. Weve actually got four or five different pieces of legislation on the senate side right now waiting for senators to come to the table. An appropriations bill which is a step closer with ever been before. Getting senators to introduce the bill is something theyve never done before so now we are getting people to the table and we are getting to the point where we are a most there. Aside from that this other things ive worked on. Picking sure we have funding for making sure we have funding for clinics. Making sure that the farm programs are working the weather working the way they are. Upposed to make sure when programs have more Access Points and Purchase Point throughout the valley. Those are things are things that put into those appropriation bills and are laws that i helped implement. There are things i put in the farm bill agriculture producers looking for new markets and treated with a price their product. Evan mr. Huerta . Mr. Huerta mr. Valadao stood here and said he blamed harry reid and the u. S. Senate for not passing his legislation and knocking laws passed and signed by the president. Now we have mitch mcconnell. A Republicancontrolled Senate and house. Mr. Valadao has been effective in getting his legislation passed it enacted into law. In the meantime, we in the Central Valley our air is getting worse. We are now in the fifth year of the drought. Many of our small communities are being negatively impacted by the drought. As much as mr. Valadao would like to boast that he believes that we will get legislation passed that will benefit the valley, the bottom line, the truth is that hes probably one of the most ineffective representatives with ever had from the Central Valley. Jim mr. Huerta, as a freshman congressman what would your approach be to stabilize water deliveries from the delta to the valley if mr. Valadao has been so ineffective . What would your strategy be . Mr. Huerta the first step would be to reach across the aisle to talk to folks from Northern California to invite stakeholders