Georgia Chron - Verbica Challenges Panetta to a Televised Debate on the Issues

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Verbica advances to the General Election

After earning a top-two spot in the general election for U.S. Congress, Verbica calls for a televised debate focused on affordability, public safety, and the future of California's 19th Congressional District.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - GeorgiaChron -- Peter Coe Verbica today challenges Congressman Panetta to participate in a one-hour televised debate devoted to the issues facing voters across Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo Counties.

"The voters deserve a direct comparison of ideas, records, and solutions," said Verbica. "I welcome a respectful, substantive debate before an independent moderator so the public can decide which vision best serves our communities. Let California voters take a clear-eyed look at the crippling policies that have made our state less affordable, driven employers and families to more affordable states, squeezed the middle class, and replaced common sense with political posturing."

Verbica proposes that the debate be hosted by a local television station with equal speaking time, an independent moderator, and opportunities for questions from journalists and members of the public.

Verbica calls for the discussion to cover affordability, inflation, housing, taxes, public safety, border security, energy policy, the national debt, election integrity, and economic opportunity. He also invites Congressman Panetta to compare his record against Verbica's previously released 25-point federal affordability plan and other policy proposals.

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"This campaign should be about ideas — not slogans," Verbica says. "If Congressman Panetta believes his record of reportedly voting against voter ID, against protecting females in sports, and against supporting gender-affirming care for minors* reflects the priorities of this district, I invite him to defend it before the voters. I look forward to explaining my proposals and answering every question put before us."

The campaign states that a televised debate would help voters evaluate the candidates' different approaches to the cost-of-living crisis, federal spending, public safety, energy affordability, and the role of government in restoring opportunity for California families. Californians are ready to move beyond the extremist policies that have made the state less affordable, including:

reducing government waste by ending costly boondoggles, including California's more than $126 billion high-speed rail project;
reforming energy policies that the campaign argues unnecessarily increase gasoline prices;
protecting homeowners' ability to choose natural gas appliances rather than requiring all-electric alternatives; and
investing in long-promised water storage and delivery infrastructure to better serve homeowners, farmers, businesses, and the firefighters who protect our communities.

"California families are being crushed by high housing costs, rising energy bills, inflation, taxes, and policies that make it harder to live, work, raise a family, and retire with dignity," Verbica says. "Voters across this district deserve to hear, side by side, how each candidate proposes to address those challenges. A televised debate is the best way to give voters that opportunity."

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Proposed Debate Format

One-hour televised debate.
Neutral moderator.
Equal speaking time.
Questions from journalists and members of the public.
Hosted by a local television station.
Broadcast to voters throughout California's 19th Congressional District.

About Peter Coe Verbica

Peter Coe Verbica, JD, CFP®, has long combined his business career — including his role as Managing Director & Principal of Silicon Private Wealth® — with civic service throughout the region. He serves as Chair of the Investment Committee for the San Jose Symphony Foundation, helping steward the Foundation's assets in support of music education and youth symphony programs. As former Vice Chair of the Hakone Foundation, he helped preserve and promote one of California's premier Japanese cultural landmarks, reflecting his commitment to cultural understanding and ethnic diversity. Verbica is also deeply committed to the preservation of California's open spaces. His family's legacy is closely associated with Henry W. Coe State Park — the second-largest state park in California — inspiring his lifelong appreciation for conservation, responsible stewardship, and protecting the natural landscapes that define the Golden State.

Notes:

*H.R. 28 (119th Congress, 2025), H.R. 22 (119th Congress, 2025), H.R. 3492 (118th Congress, 2025)

Peter Verbica for Congress
www.peterverbica.com

Paid for by Verbica for Congress