In race for California's US Senate seat, congressman faces off with first-time politician

Rep. Adam Schiff is seeking a seat in the Senate after more than two decades in the House of Representatives. His opponent, Steve Garvey, spent nearly two decades as a first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, and is making his first foray into elected politics.

Schiff became a household name during the first impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump. The former federal prosecutor served in the California State Senate before heading to D.C.

"I want to build more childcare facilities and recruit a bigger quality childcare workforce. I want to bring down the cost of energy by investing in alternatives to fossil fuels that will drive the cost down," Schiff said. “I'm going to continue focusing on delivering for Californians, on addressing this Tijuana pollution crisis, on addressing our need for immigration reform.”

Garvey is a California baseball legend, who believes his business and philanthropic experience will translate into political acumen.

“In the 70s and 80s, California was the heartbeat of America, and it's just not now, and it should be. This vast state that arguably the greatest farming and ranching in the world and agriculture and water and mountains and so forth needs help,” Garvey said.

On Politically Speaking — NBC 7's weekly show exploring political issues impacting San Diego — Garvey answered questions about the hundreds of millions of dollars he owes in back taxes.

"I think anytime with personal issues, it's very, very important to be diligent with them and stay with them, so we're making progress. We should settle everything by the end of the year," Garvey said.

Garvey also said he does not support a national ban on abortion and that he believes Americans have the right to bear arms.

In his one-on-one interview, Schiff discussed the Tijuana River Valley sewage crisis and maintained that building housing in California would persist as a priority should he be elected to the upper house.

"I would start with housing. We have to build a lot more housing to bring down the cost of housing because people can’t afford a place to live," Schiff said. "So I’m focused at the federal level and will be in the Senate on dramatically expanding the low-income housing tax credit, something that will incentivize the development of millions of new homes."

Both candidates discussed their stances on immigration. Schiff has gone on record saying the bi-partisan border security bill that died in the Senate earlier this year after Trump voiced his opposition was "wrongheaded from the start."

“I think we need a broad approach that strengthens enforcement on the border with a lot more border personnel that strengthens the resources to adjudicate asylum claims quickly,” Schiff said. “It's a terrible system where people are made to wait for years before they determine whether they're eligible for asylum.”

Garvey explained what he meant when he said immigration needs to happen "the American way."

"We have a wonderful process where people around the world can go to by going through the documents. Then when it's their turn, they get the opportunity to come to America,” Garvey said. “I think we need to get back to 'Remain in Mexico,' have support from Mexico and work with them. Let's finish off the border wall.”

You can see the candidates' full interviews on Politically Speaking on NBC 7's website or YouTube.