Making life in the 71st Affordable Again.

Every part of living in California and the 71st district has gotten more expensive, and people are struggling to afford necessities like housing, insurance, utilities, childcare, groceries, education, and transportation.

The cost of living has increased faster than incomes, and families are feeling squeezed—college graduates either can’t afford to move out or worry they’ll have to leave the state to afford building their lives.

The median house price in California is about $800,000—in the 60s, it was about $160,000 (adjusted for inflation)… That’s just out of reach for many hardworking people in our state.

But housing costs aren’t our only challenge and we need to address the affordability crisis from multiple angles: eliminating unnecessary or out-of-date burdens to build more affordable housing, addressing rising and unsustainable insurance costs, working with state utility regulators to alleviate energy and utility prices, and every area where we can make changes to ensure families can stay and thrive in our great state.

Preserving and Protecting our Quality of Life.

While we’re taking action to address affordability, we need to ensure we’re preserving the uniquely wonderful quality of life so many enjoy in the 71st Assembly District.

Building more affordable housing doesn’t have to mean destroying our remaining wildlands or causing transportation crises. And we need to ensure we’re preserving our clean water and air while also addressing regulations and energy costs.

Navigating a balance that finds solutions for our very real challenges while also maintaining the quality of life that has inspired so many to make our district their home will be my key focus in Sacramento.

Creating opportunities to thrive today and for the next generation.

Innovation is the driver behind California and the 71st Assembly District’s prosperity. We need to double down on our ability to create opportunities and keep our state and communities thriving.

I arrived in California to attend college, and I’m proud of having paid my way through school thanks to scholarships and part-time jobs. But I was only able to do that because I had the opportunity to come here in the first place! I am so grateful for that, and I want to create these kinds of opportunities for current and future generations.

Right now, our district is home to multiple startups and innovative companies working hard to create that prosperous future—we need to empower those organizations with a business-friendly climate and the chance to find the talent they need to succeed.

That means ensuring we continue to invest in our education system from primary school through community college—we have several in our district—and our world-class university system. It means promoting science and technology advancement right here in our communities.

And providing opportunities to grow and thrive means ensuring employers and their employees can stay in our district and live near where they work.

Creating Safe Communities.

Along with quality of life, people want to feel safe living in their communities—and safety means different things to different people.

Building safe communities means protecting human and civil rights, appropriate and effective law enforcement, and being prepared to prevent and respond to natural disasters.

Communities in the 71st Assembly District are at risk of earthquakes, wildfires, floods, and landslides. We need to take effective action to help prevent disasters with thoughtful management, and respond to destructive events to minimize damage and help those affected recover.

And while we’re at it, we need to work with insurance regulators and providers to ensure people in our communities can afford to secure their assets and future should the worst happen.

There are people in our communities who are afraid right now that their human and civil rights are being compromised—I will work tirelessly in our state legislature to protect the rights of everyone who lives in the communities I represent.