Young will vie with Republican state Sen. John Campbell, American Independent Party candidate Jim Gilchrist, Libertarian Bruce Cohen and Green Party candidate Béa Tiritilli in a Dec. 6 election for the House seat.
Also at Wednesday's demonstration were area activists who said they would be hit by the budget cuts, including inner-city teachers who said their students would suffer and religious representatives who said many poor residents depended on entitlements.
Santa Ana Community College student Genevieve Kotowski said she was upset that Congress was considering making $14 billion in educational cuts from programs that she and other students need.
"It's bizarre and unacceptable," she said. "It devalues education and goes against logic and human decency."
REGRETS?
And in other campaign news, Jim Gilchrist may have been sorry he boycotted a Tuesday night candidates forum in Irvine because it elicited some interesting suggestions on what's arguably his favorite subject: illegal immigration.
Gilchrist is best known as the founder of the Minuteman Project, a volunteer group that patrols the U.S.-Mexico border to deter illegal crossings. He opted out of the forum because he disagrees with the political stances of the League of Women Voters, who co-sponsored the event with the city of Irvine and UC Irvine.
At Tuesday's forum, Young proposed a program that would charge immigrants a $3,000 fee to cross the border if they can provide information about where they'll live and work. Money that now goes to smugglers could be going to the government, and the border patrol could be reduced, Young said.
