SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — One year after the Capitol attack, San Diego lawmakers are reflecting on what they remember, saying it’s still very vivid.
Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-CA-53) was in the House gallery at the time, saying,
"They told us to take our gas masks out and to hide under the chairs. We could hear the rioters, the mob banging on the doors behind us. I'll never forget the sound of the buzzing of the gas masks, or the doors being closed and locked. It was my 4th day,” said Jacobs. “I was under the chair introducing myself to my new colleagues many of whom I had never met before as we went through this traumatic experience."
Meanwhile, Congressman Juan Vargas (D-CA-51) was in his office, telling News 8,
"When they decided to burst into the capitol, I thought, "This is combat. We could easily be killed. Let's defend ourselves.' And so, I told my staff, I said 'Listen, you got two seconds to get out of here or stay. If you stay, we’re fighting. I'm not going to leave. I'm going to stay and vote,'” said Vargas. “And I said "Get the axes off the wall.' We were given two axes by the San Diego Fire Department and I said 'Get them off the walls … they have weapons. We don't have anything, so anything you can find.'"
Both Jacobs and Vargas were holed up for hours and say it could have been so much worse.
Fast forward a year later-they tell News 8 security has been heightened at the Capitol, with more officers and barricades than ever before.
As for other changes, they both acknowledge that day divided the country even more, which is why they say protecting upcoming elections and our democracy is crucial.
“I believe January 6th was the beginning, not the end of something, and I am concerned about the continued effort to overturn the will of the people,” said Jacobs.
“We have to make sure our democracy works. If democracy doesn't work, nothing works. In other words, if we're fighting about who really won, we can't get anything done because there's no legitimacy to who we are in our office and in our positions,” said Vargas.
News 8 also heard from Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA-50).
In a statement, he said:
"Much has happened in the last year, and almost all of it since January 6th.
That was a difficult day to be in the Capitol. But the weeks and months that followed have been devastating for the nation. Today is an ideal occasion to reflect on that fact.
In 2021, America clearly lost control of its southern borders after the Biden Administration opened them to more than a million migrants, including terrorists and violent criminals. The Biden policies also caused tens of thousands of children to be sent or smuggled. Many of them were injured, abused and trafficked. Some died along the way. An unprecedented supply of fentanyl has also poured in, destroying numerous lives. No significant action was taken by this Administration to stop any of this this.
In 2021, our economy suffered from historic joblessness, supply chain disruptions, business closures and the cruelest tax of all: rapid and rising inflation. This White House has no plan to make the economy better and many that will make it worse.
In 2021, the White House badly mishandled its COVID-19 policy. It neither shut down the virus as the President promised, nor carried out the testing system that it demanded be done. On an almost daily basis, the President misleads the nation through masking practices that contradict science, stands by while more and more schools are shut down and repeats clear falsehoods about the vaccines and variants. His demand for destructive vaccine mandates is outrageous – a clear contradiction of our Constitution, federal statute, and common sense.
In 2021, America suffered a deadly and humiliating exit from Afghanistan, which was the product of this President alone. He sent our service members into a confusing mission that cost them their lives, then compounded his betrayal by abandoning hundreds of American citizens in one of the most dangerous places on earth, which he pledged never to do. The months since then have been a continued failure to bring our people home. Many are still there.
These are only some of the difficult challenges that America encountered last year and continues to endure today. My colleagues and I are united and determined that America’s priorities – for our economy, public health, and national security – need new ideas and a new direction.
It’s time for America to look forward and move ahead."
WATCH RELATED: Top stories in San Diego on Thursday, Jan 6, 2022 at 5 a.m.