ISSA, CAMPA-NAJJAR TALK HEALTH CARE AT DEBATE
50th Congressional rivals also discuss other district issues
Republican Darrell Issa and Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar squared off in a debate Thursday night, as the two vie to replace former Rep. Duncan D. Hunter in the 50th Congressional District.
The event — moderated by Jack Cronin of NewsRadio 600 KOGO as part of Voice of San Diego’s “Politifest” — arrives as recent polls show the two neck-and-neck, and gave residents the opportunity to hear candidates’ thoughts on health care, homelessness and other challenges facing the district, which covers parts of East County, North County and a southern portion of Riverside
County.
One of the most immediate distinctions between the candidates emerged during a discussion about health care.
Issa, who ended his 18year tenure in Congress in 2019, reaffirmed his opposition to the Affordable Care Act, criticizing it as doing “nothing to drive down costs.”
He suggested Congress look at the expense of getting the federal Food and Drug Administration to certify drugs and the legal costs medical providers face because of aggressive
sode, lead judge Simon Cowell told Graves she looks great and she should never let a stylist change her.
In the months that followed, Graves built an international following on her Instagram page, including many teens and young adults struggling with issues of bullying, self-esteem and sexual identity. She has frequently held live chats on Instagram to offer these youth advice and support, which she said has been one of most fulfilling parts of her newfound fame.
“It means everything to me because growing up I never felt that from anyone other than my family,” she said. “To know that I’ve reached so many people across the world by being who I am makes me feel complete. It makes me want to inspire others to do the same and not worry about what people say about them, because you can be anything you want to be and reach hearts that you never thought you could reach.”
Graves grew up in a musical family in Mira Mesa. Her grandfather was a singer and a Baptist preacher. Her father has performed for decades with the bands NRG and Fattburger and with artists including Marva Hines, Michael Bolton, Celine Dion and The Commodores.
Ed Graves said Celina showed an affinity for music as a baby and was singing into a karaoke microphone by age 3. In her mid-teens she started singing more seriously but bullying at school gave her severe stage fright. For a long time, she would
only sing at home or in the car with her dad. After he recorded her singing to prove to her she had true talent, she created an Instagram page (instagram.com/celinagravesofficial) that she has used ever since as a marketing tool to book gigs singing at parties, weddings and other events.
Last fall, she was working full time in security at Valley View Casino in Valley Center and training for a career in law enforcement when a talent scout from AGT saw her Instagram videos and encouraged her to try out for the show. At her filmed audition in early March, with her father and wife seated in the front row of a packed L.A. theater, she drew a standing ovation from all four judges and the audience.
Judges voted her through quarter-finals, and on Sept. 2, the voting public pushed her forward to the semifinal round. In the semi-finals on Sept. 15, Graves performed one of her favorite songs, “Jealous” by Labrinth, on
the rooftop of a building on the Universal Studios Hollywood backlot. After the show, she watched the video of her performance over and over and said felt she’d given the best performance she could.
“I wouldn’t take anything back,” she said. “I am hard on myself and I critique myself and we’re all our own worst critics. But listening to it back, I felt like I did the best that I could have done.”
On the results show Sept. 16, Graves was called up for elimination aside singer Cristina Rae, who was voted into the finale while Graves was not.
“I immediately smiled because you want to see people you connect with go through,” Graves said. “I was happy for her and I clapped for her and walked offstage with a smile on my face because I had made it that far.”
Graves recently returned to L.A. to watch the live broadcast of the season finale and results show. Spoken
word artist Brandon Leake won the $1 million prize. Graves went back to work on Friday at the casino. She said it has been funny since she began appearing on TV. Many places she goes, including work, people recognize her and want to pose with her for selfies.
She launched a new website, therealcelinag.com, which she will use to promote her music and upcoming concerts. Because of the pandemic, she isn’t able to go on tour, but said her goal
one year from now is to be making music full-time and performing live in front of fans around the world.
Recently a family member in New York sent her $20,000 to help launch the next phase of her career and she has launched a new crowd-funding campaign online to fuel the next stage of her career. The first step will be finishing her album, which will have a mix of original R&B, club songs and slow ballads.
The songwriting process is a family affair. Erica writes poems and lyrics that Celina sets to a melody. Then her father, Ed, finishes the songs by writing the music. Her fa
vorite track is a song called “Changing Ways,” about changing bad habits to make the person you love happy. Graves said having her father along for the journey on AGT and now a part of producing her first album has made them closer than ever.
“It’s just been such a crazy roller-coaster ride for my whole family. He’s really happy,” she said. “This is one of the things he wanted in his life, so for him to watch me and live his dream through me makes me feel whole.”