The four candidates are: Democratic Congressman Howard Berman, Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman, Republican Mark Reed, and Republican Susan Shelly.

The debate is part of “Big Politics – The Series,” which is planned, produced and paid for by the Associated Students of CSUN.  According to its website, the event is a response to a campus call for political engagement.

“Our goal is to educate people on how important the political process is and hopefully help them become more aware and engaged in the issues that affect them,” said A.S. President Amanda Flavin in a news release.  “We also want to underscore the important role the university plays in the region and remind the community that we need to hold our elected officials accountable for their action on issues that affect us.”

The debate will be moderated by CSUN alumnus and KFI Radio host Bill Handel.

This will be the first of three debates that will make up “Big Politics.”  Forums in the future will include a town hall meeting with state legislators Thursday, May 3rd at 6:00 p.m. in the Grand Salon. As well as a discussion on Los Angeles’ mayoral race Tuesday, May 15th, at 5:30 p.m. in the Grand Salon.

According to Berman’s website, he is known for his ability to form bipartisan coalitions.  He helped write a law authorizing embargoes on nations that support terrorism.

Sherman led the effort to prevent taxpayer dollars from being used for unlimited bailouts to Wall Street giants, according to his website.

Reed is running for Congress to restore fiscal discipline, according to his website.

According to candidate Shelley’s website, she is running for Congress so she can offer new ideas and real solutions based on principles in the Constitution that have proven through the centuries to be the foundation of freedom and prosperity.

To learn more about how these candidates plan to fulfill their stated goals, come to the Valley Performing Arts Center  tonight from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.