PRIORITIES
SUPPORTING WORKING FAMILIES
It’s no secret that California is becoming less and less affordable for working families. As a working father, I understand the need to ensure better jobs, increase access to affordable childcare and paid parental leave, and create a world where our children can thrive. In the Assembly, I will fight for our working families by securing more well-paying union jobs for our district, lowering costs for childcare, strengthening state policies related to paid parental leave, ensuring quality education for our children, promoting a clean and safe environment, and fostering a California that provides access to affordable housing for everyone.
EDUCATION
My twin daughters are juniors in High School, and their experiences have driven me to become passionate about education issues, not just at home but across the state. I’ve served on the District Advisory Council for the Poway Unified School District, and as a board member for three different school organizations within Poway Unified. My three main areas of concern when it comes to education policy are: ensuring that college and community college remain affordable and accessible for all who wish to attend, access to trade schools and/or pre-apprenticeship programs for those who feel that college isn’t for them, and protecting libraries and fighting censorship in all forms. Schools are meant to be safe places for kids to learn about things they might not hear about any other way, and I am firmly committed to protecting that access.
CLIMATE ACTION
AD75 has long been overlooked by state lawmakers when it comes to providing resources and funding for projects in the district, while also being one of the hardest hit in the region by the effects of climate change. I believe these circumstances can be addressed simultaneously by supporting projects in the district, such as wildfire mitigation, renewable energy generation, and rural broadband access. Our communities suffer from a vast disparity in funding and attention simply because we’ve never had representation that works in collaboration with unions and other lawmakers to address these issues or actually bring resources home to our district. I would champion projects that work with California’s Broadband for All plan and San Diego Community Power to bring well-paying union jobs to AD75.
HOUSING
I intend to be a champion for increasing the housing supply across the state in order to bring down costs and ensure that California becomes an affordable place to raise a family again. While AD75 consists mostly of exurbs and rural areas, that doesn’t mean I want to build sprawl in my district. I will be a proponent of policies that encourage urban infill and multifamily development, such as SB9 and SB10, especially near urban public transit. High costs and limited housing supply are at the root of so many of our other issues in California, and I believe it’s vital to have representatives in our legislature who understand the urgency of solving this crisis.
TRANSPORTATION
Our district consists of mostly far suburbs, exurbs, and rural areas where mass transit has never been considered a priority, a view that I aim to change. While it may not be feasible for many of the rural communities here, that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t work to make it a priority. Many of the residents of AD75 work in the San Diego urban core, and the improvement of mass/public transit there, especially in the connections to our far suburbs and exurbs, would improve their lives significantly. I would be supportive of projects that would extend light or commuter rail to our district beyond the Santee Transit Center, and work to ensure the state budget includes increases to allocations for transit authorities such as MTS and NCTS so they can improve frequencies and expand routes.
SOCIAL JUSTICE
I have been very involved in my twin daughters’ education, from serving on several school foundations to even taking the step of running for school board. One of my top priorities is to propose and support legislation that will protect libraries and fight censorship in all forms. Schools are meant to be safe places for kids to learn about things they might not hear about any other way, and I am firmly committed to protecting that access.
I enthusiastically support ACA 5 and will stand up for the corresponding ballot measure during my campaign. The right to marry who you love, as well as access to the rights that marriage provides, is something I hold sacred. This includes protection against discrimination in the adoption process and equal access to health care and end-of-life care.
I believe that California should continue to lead the nation in curbing hate, and protecting our most vulnerable residents from crimes related to hate. It is no secret that my district has a reputation of being a place that is safe for hateful rhetoric and action, and our current and past state representatives have done nothing to change that perception. I am not afraid to publicly stand against any form of hate that takes place in AD75 and anywhere in California.