What I'm Fighting For
Common-sense priorities for working families and the future
Lower energy costs. No Family should have to choose between keeping the lights on and paying the bills
A plan for AI and automation so American workers don't get replaced without a future
An economy where you can afford a home, raise kids, and retire with dignity
Schools that prepare our kids for real careers, not just student loans
Respect for people who work with their hands, wear a uniform, run a small business, or raise a family
Leadership that represents everyone, not just the highest bidder
WHY I'M RUNNING
I’m running for Congress in California’s 48th District for a simple reason: I live here, this is my community, and I want to represent the people who call it home. I believe deeply that members of Congress should live in the districts they serve not just commute in for photo ops, but understand the day-to-day realities, challenges, and priorities of the people they represent.
As I’ve listened to residents across the district, I’ve heard a consistent message. People want balance. They want good jobs and an economy that works for them not just for those at the top. They want affordability in everyday life: housing, energy, food, and healthcare. And they want strong public education so their kids have a real shot at a better future. These aren’t partisan demands. They’re practical ones.
I’m also running because I’m concerned about the direction of our country and the way politics has drifted away from real life. Too much of what we see today is performative. Candidates run “as brands,” chasing outrage and headlines instead of solutions. And fundraising has become the measure of success treated like a scoreboard rather than a tool to serve the public.
Here’s the part people are afraid to say out loud: both corporate Republicans and corporate Democrats have built a system where endorsements and money often matter more than merit and results. Endorsements can be meaningful, but they are not neutral. They come from organizations with agendas, lobbyists with priorities, and political networks that expect access and influence in return. When a candidate’s support is dominated by establishment power-brokers, it’s fair to ask: who will they listen to when those interests want something that doesn’t help regular people?
In this race, I’ve watched candidates brag about how much money they’ve raised while saying very little about what they plan to accomplish. I’ve watched campaigns roll out long endorsement lists as if they’re a substitute for independence. And I’ve watched professional politicians treat districts like stepping-stones moving around to chase the next opportunity instead of committing to a community.
That’s not leadership, and it’s not representation.
I’m not running to build a political career. I’m running to do the job the way it should be done: with independence, integrity, and a focus on making people’s lives better. I believe Congress works best when it’s grounded in real experience, real accountability, and a willingness to listen not just to donors, party leadership, or political organizations, but to the people who sent you there.
That’s the kind of representative I intend to be
IN FOCUS
Statement on the war in Iran
Over the past year, the Trump Administration has engaged in military strikes across multiple regions of the world including Iran, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Nigeria, Venezuela, Ecuador, and elsewhere not to mention threatening to take over Greenland, Canada and beginning military action in Mexico.
These actions have steadily escalated, culminating in the current conflict with Iran, where strikes have targeted major military and strategic facilities including the deadly bombing that killed 170+ children in a school.
This war is already involving Lebanon, Israel, Iran, Russian, Iraq, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Azerbaijan, and Cyprus. Is this what we expected from an “America First” administration?
Propaganda suggested a “peace-focused foreign policy”. Instead, we are now facing the prospect of another prolonged conflict in a region where the United States has already sacrificed so much for more than two decades.
For those of us in California’s 48th Congressional District, this is not an abstract issue.
San Diego County and Riverside County are home to some of the largest concentrations of active-duty military, reservists, veterans, and military families anywhere in the country. When the United States goes to war, it is our neighbors, our friends, and our families who deploy first.
My thoughts are with the men and women in uniform who may soon be called into harm’s way, and with the families who carry the burden of that service. I also want to express my condolences for the American service members who have already lost their lives in this expanding conflict.
There is no question that the Iranian regime has supported terrorism and has acted against U.S. interests for decades. But Iran is not the only nation in the world engaged in hostile actions toward the United States. Russia, North Korea, and others continue to challenge our security every day.
That raises a serious question: Why this war, why now and how will it end? On the surface it appears that there has been no planning for the day after. Doanld Trump told us that he would be in charge of Venezuela. Does he think that he may now be the leader of Iran?
We also have to ask who benefits from another Middle East conflict? Certainly not the American people.
Oil, and in turn, gas prices are skyrocketing driving up costs even further for American families, while countries like Russia whose economy depends heavily on oil exports stand to gain billions as global supply is disrupted. At the same time, we are committing more American resources, more American service members, and ultimately more American lives.
Under Article I of the Constitution, only Congress has the power to declare war. The President is the "Commander in Chief," but that was originally meant for leading the military once a war was already approved. The War Powers Act of 1973 was passed to stop "forever wars" and make sure the President checks in with Congress within 48 hours of sending troops into a fight. But as we can see, the current president has no regard for Congress
Congress must be the check on the president. The public deserves transparency and our service members deserve to know that when they are sent into danger, it is absolutely necessary for the safety of our nation not the result of politics, timing, pressure from outside interests or the whim of one man.
As someone who lives in CA-48 and represents a community with a deep connection to the military, I will always stand with our service members. But standing with our military also means being willing to ask the hard questions before we send them into another war.
We owe them nothing less.
I am running for congress to be that raised voice who questions actions like these before any of our service members lose their lives for a mission of questionable motives.
Stephen Clemons
Candidate for Congress, CA-48
Energy Affordability
As a senior executive at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), I helped lead the technology and infrastructure strategy that supported low rates, high reliability, and an aggressive clean-energy transition at the same time. We invested early in grid modernization, automation, cybersecurity, and utility-scale clean energy decisions that protected customers from volatility and long-term cost spikes.
That experience matters because high electric bills are not inevitable. They are the result of policy choices, governance models, and whether leaders are willing to hold monopoly utilities accountable.
Here in San Diego, families are paying some of the highest electricity rates in the country. Those rates didn’t just happen they were locked in through franchise agreements that failed to impose meaningful consumer protections or performance accountability. When city leaders had the chance to demand more, they didn’t and residents are paying the price every month.
I’ve seen both models up close.
One puts people first.
The other puts shareholders first.
Statement on the First Amendment
The First Amendment is the foundation of our free society and one of the founding ideals that make the United States what it is today.
The Bill of Rights exists for one reason: to place limits on power and to protect the individual from the government, the majority, and the moment. The very first of those protections guarantees freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, the right to assemble, and the right to petition the government for redress of grievances.
Those rights are not conveniences. They are safeguards.
They exist precisely to protect speech that is unpopular, dissent that is uncomfortable, journalism that challenges power, and political participation that doesn’t follow a prescribed path. Once those freedoms are treated as conditional, tolerated only when convenient or aligned with those in authority, they are no longer rights at all.
A modern example looks like this: During moments of crisis, people in government are starting to say, “free speech should be limited for safety,” or “some voices should be silenced because they’re harmful,” or “now isn’t the time for dissent.”
History shows us that democracies don’t usually collapse all at once. They erode slowly, when people become comfortable with narrowing who gets to speak, who gets to run for office, and which voices are deemed acceptable.
I believe the erosion of constitutional rights especially the First Amendment may be the most serious issue we face today.
Without it, every other right becomes negotiable.
Defending the Bill of Rights isn’t a partisan act. It’s a democratic obligation. And it’s one worth standing up for every time.