Issues

Creating Jobs & Economic Development
Jump starting job creation – especially among small businesses - is the surest way out of the current economic and unemployment crisis. As your state Assemblymember, I will work to create an economic climate in California that makes businesses want to invest and innovate again. I’ll start by working to develop a statewide economic growth strategy, supporting incentives to expand the green economy, and ensuring access to financing for growing California businesses.

Fixing the State Budget
The sooner the economy improves and the unemployed get back to work, the quicker our fiscal crisis will be eased and the state will be able to more fully fund our important priorities, including education, health care, and transportation. Until then, as your Assemblymember, I will make the difficult decisions necessary to responsibly balance our state budget and pursue overdue reforms to the state budget making process.

Ending State Furloughs
The Governor’s furlough order is hamstringing the Sacramento region’s ability to emerge from the recession. The state is the Sacramento region’s largest employer, and three furlough days a month for state workers translates into a 14% pay cut for 10% of area working families. That creates long-lasting ripple effects across our local economy. For example, Sacramento now has the highest proportion of shuttered businesses of any county in the state. In state agencies, such as the Franchise Tax Board, the Board of Equalization, and CalPERS, furloughs and budget cuts are actually costing the state money. As your Assemblymember, I will fight the Governor’s damaging furlough order and work with our state employees – rather than against them – to find real solutions to fix our state budget problem.

Reforming Health Care
Too many Californians lack health insurance, and the recently-adopted federal health care reforms will take years to implement. We need systemic health care reform here in California that ensures access to quality and affordable health care for all. As your next state Assemblymember, I will help lead the effort to continue improving health care in California by reducing health insurance costs and expanding access to quality health care.

Protecting Our Youth
Children must be provided a safe and quality education, be protected from gangs and drugs, have an opportunity to pursue a college degree, and learn the skills necessary to succeed in the workforce. I have long been a leader in Sacramento in building youth opportunity. Through my efforts, the City of Sacramento created the Office of Youth Development. When gang violence was at an all-time high in Sacramento, I created a privately-funded intervention program in which ex-gang members proactively went into problem areas, worked with gang members to turn themselves around, and actually helped reduce the crime rate. As your next Assemblymember, I will continue to advance new ideas to ensure that our youth are protected and have the opportunity they need to succeed.