Spotlight on the CA 20th Congressional District

Republican Candidate, Andy Vidak
Set at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, the 20th Congressional District includes all of Kings County and parts of Fresno and Kern Counties. This district is comprised of parts of Fresno and Bakersfield, all of Hanford and Delano as well as many smaller cities in the Central Valley of California. Farming is the primary industry in this Hispanic majority region. Many of the small communities have been devastated by the national financial crisis and California’s water crisis. Obama environmental policies have prohibited Valley farmers from accessing essential water sources with the rationale that a small fish, the delta smelt, requires protection. (http://video.foxnews.com/v/3940407/the-valley-hope-forgot/). Although Democratic leaning in most state and national elections, the 20th did give George W. Bush nearly 50% of the vote in 2004. Since 2005, Democrat Jim Costa has been the U.S. Representative. Year after year, Costa has failed to go to bat for his constituents in D.C. Instead, he has embraced the tax and spend, job destroying policies of his liberal cronies in D.C.-policies which have resulted in a staggering 15% employment rate in Kings County alone. Farmer and Republican candidate Andy Vidak has a keen awareness and understanding of the economic and water issues that have created the current financial crisis. He has been a tireless advocate for Central Valley's agricultural industry. Andy sees a broken system of government, which no longer hears the people’s voice, and no longer represents their will. He left his farming operation to run for Congress and is ready to roll up his sleeves and “fix the mess” that has been created by career politicians like Costa, who are out of touch, and by a government out of control in Washington DC. In a contest decided by only a margin of a few dozen votes, Jim Costa won. Vidak is seriously considering a rematch in 2012.
Andy Vidak
  • Lifelong Central Valley resident
  • Attended Visalia's College of the Sequoias and California State Fresno
  • B.S., Texas Tech University
  • Manager in California's produce industry at several Westside farms
  • Owner and operator of a Hanford cherry farm, purchased in1997
  • Partner, lettuce cooling facility in San Joaquin
  • Advocate for Water for All and Families Protecting the Valley

ISSUES

Agriculture: 

  • Fight to guarantee a reliable water supply
  • Promote the modernization our water delivery and storage systems
  • Fight to reduce excessive regulation
  • Oppose Estate Taxes
  • Oppose Card Check
  • Oppose Cap and Trade
  • Support increased fair trade and export markets

Economy:

  • Work to create new jobs and put people back to work
  • Oppose increased taxes
  • Vote to defund Obama Care 2010
  • Work to address the health care crisis in a fiscally responsible manner  with input from the citizens of our district
  • Work to stop wasteful spending and over regulation by eliminating earmarks, and fighting for stronger oversight and accountability of all federal agencies
  • Put an immediate freeze on any further bailout or stimulus spending
  • Work to abolish the inheritance tax and reform the tax code
  • Work to reform entitlement programs
  • Demand our fair share of federal tax dollars to be spent in the Valley

Education:

  • Work to improve direct classroom funding
  • Vote to implement greater local control of curriculum and administrative overhead
  • Promote high standards in our schools with greater local discretion on how best to meet those goals
  • Support a reduction in funding to the Department of Education and a cost to benefit analysis of the department's services

Health Care:

  • Work to defund Obama Health Care developing an honest, realistic, pay as we go plan to fund health care reform
  • Work to modify our health care system based on rational solutions taking input from our district, professionals, and leaders in the healthcare industry
  • Encourage innovative private sector solutions which promote increased competition, interstate insurance availability, and  free market answers to health care services and cost control
  • Promote and protect coverage and services for seniors on Medicare
  • Seek affordable coverage of working individuals unable to purchase insurance.
  • Support transferable insurance policies and coverage of individuals with pre-existing conditions
  • Work to reform unfunded mandates by the federal government which drive the cost of services up for all of us
  • Sponsor legislation which promotes tort reform and a more sensible approach to legal liability 

Illegal Immigration:

  • Work to establish a guest worker program for working, law abiding immigrants
  • Support an immigration ID card
  • Ensure funding for border security is properly allocated, guaranteeing the latest technologies and manpower are available to seal our borders
  • Support the prosecution of employers who knowingly hire and exploit illegal immigrants
  • Only when our border is sealed and an immigrant ID & documentation program is in place, will I consider a pathway to citizenship 

National Defense:

  • Put a stop to government policies restricting our freedoms, and will work to restore our economy and ensure our position as a global leader and super power
  • Oppose any legislation that leads to increased U.S. dependence on foreign energy, food, or natural resources
  • Provide the best benefits for our veterans and current uniformed service members, and their families
  • Ensure our troops have the equipment and support they need to achieve their missions safely, effectively, and as soon as possible
  • Support our intelligence community and update our intelligence laws to keep America safe, while upholding the freedoms and civil liberties that we hold dear
  • Support fair and honest Afghani and Iraqi governments as they become self sustaining, independent, and peaceful nations
  • Strengthen our borders

Environment & Energy:

  • Oppose biased, overreaching environmental regulation and policy that directly affects our economy and daily lives
  • Oppose Cap-and-Trade legislation in all forms
  • Promote the clean up and restoration of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ecosystem
  • Support legislation that promotes American made energy and provides American jobs

The 2nd Amendment:

  • As a supporter of the second amendment I am committed to preserving the right of all law-abiding citizens to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes.

Public Safety

  • The primary role of any government is to ensure the safety of its citizens, and in doing so protecting their individual freedoms. I’m tough on crime – period. Reducing gang and drug activity in the Valley is an achievable goal. I will work to combat crime because it is what YOU, our Valley, rightfully demands.

Water Crisis:

  • Work with anyone commitment to creating real results and lasting solutions to California’s water crisis
  • Turn the federal pumps back up and demand a re-evaluation of the Smelt and Salmonid biological opinions
  • Demand federal action to be taken forcing Delta and Bay Area waste water dumping to be immediately stopped, and water treatment standards increased
  • Fight for stronger oversight and accountability of all federal agencies, including the US Department of Interior
  • Demand federal relief in drought situations
"I am not a career politician, but a citizen who has reached the point that I feel compelled to do something to try to fix what is broken. I am willing to put my life, my career, and my farm on hold to do what Congress was meant to do; represent your vote and be your voice in Washington DC. This is your seat in Congress, your vote should be counted; your voice should be heard. As your congressman I will make one promise; each decision I make and each vote I take will be based upon only what is best for the people I will represent because I am you, not a career politician."
Andy Vidak- dressed for the job
The Spotlight On reports are overviews of actual Republican primary winners or top Republican primary contenders. Spotlights should not be interpreted as recommendations to support specific candidates. Before supporting any candidate, do thorough research to confirm that the candidate shares your views on issues you deem most important.