Candidates running for various positions in the upcoming midterm elections gathered for a forum at Panorama High School last Monday.

A particularly David-versus-Goliath race is occurring in the 28^th Congressional District, which includes part of Studio City, where incumbent Howard Berman has maintained his congressional seat since 1983.

Carlos Rodriguez, an immigration reform lawyer and Cuban refugee, and Merlin Froyd, Head of the Internet Department at Sunrise Ford of North Hollywood and born the year Berman was first elected, are Berman's opponents and both running for the first time.

Rodriguez, whose main issues are jobs and immigration reform, and Froyd, whose top three issues are "jobs, jobs, jobs," were among those that attended the forum. Berman, a strong proponent for transportation issues such as funding for the North Hollywood subway line, was unable to attend since he was at a House session in Washington, D.C.

Candidates had the option to send a representative in their place, but Berman said his 28^th Congressional District staff is congressional employees, not campaign employees.

After candidates gave a four-minute speech to introduce themselves, they answered questions read aloud from note cards submitted by the audience.

Other candidates could weigh in after a candidate answered a question specifically asked of them, as was the case when Alex Padilla, incumbent candidate for California State's 20^th District, was asked, "Please explain what the incentives are that would encourage an entrepreneur to open a new business and hire employees in California as opposed to Nevada, Arizona or Texas?" 

Padilla addressed the reputation California has for not being business friendly and then discussed tax credits for green businesses.

"Believe it or not most companies want to be green because if they are green it is cheaper to do business," said Froyd. "Let's not penalize them; let's create incentives like Padilla was mentioning for becoming green. But don't tell me you're green by voting on AB 32 when you're voting on policies that will make it so difficult to do business in the state of California that businesses leave and go to countries like India and China that have no environmental standards and very low human rights."

The other District 28 Congressional candidates had differing views on AB 32, or Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act passed in 2006, aimed at severely reducing greenhouse emissions by 2020.

Proposition 23, on the November ballot, would suspend implementation of AB 32 until unemployment drops to 5.5 percent or less for a full year.

Rodriguez addressed AB 32 after the forum, saying he didn't want to get involved in the microphone tug-o-war that somewhat occurred during the event.

"I am not buying the green job thing," said Rodriguez. "As long as oil is the cheapest form of producing energy we are going to be doing that and all this money we are throwing toward green jobs is throwing money in the garbage."

Rodriguez then referenced the recent PG&E Northern California gas pipeline explosion and BP oil spill to illustrate the failure of regulation.

Reached for comment after the forum, Berman said AB 32 has already resulted in "an enormous increase in investments in clean energy technologies—and the jobs associated with them."

"I believe that AB 32 is forward-looking, clean energy legislation that can be a model for a national effort to reduce dependence on foreign oil and mitigate the threat of climate change," said Berman. "I am strongly against Prop 23, that would effectively repeal it."

Rodriguez stated after the forum and on his website that he doubts Berman will attend a debate scheduled later this month for the three District 28 candidates, but Berman confirmed he will attend.

Froyd and Rodriguez are also set to attend the debate at Notre Dame High School on Oct. 20 at 6 p.m.