Priorities

Reproductive rights / Access to housing / Strong workforce & economy / Quality childcare & education / Environmental justice & climate action / LGBTQIA+ / Gun responsibility

 

It’s important to note that issues affecting large portions of our district are disproportionately felt by natives and communities of color. I am committed to analyzing all legislation with a lens of equity to move our society to a point where race and ethnicity can no longer be used to predict a person’s outcomes in life.

 

STRENGTHENING REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

Reproductive rights are not just a woman’s issue. I am a firm believer that men must consider the shared responsibility of sexual and reproductive health and protect a woman’s ability to make her own choices.

In my first term, I:

  • Cosponsored the My Data My Health bill, using my expertise with technology to protect the PRIVACY of patients so their data cannot be used against them
  • Voted to direct the state government to stockpile the abortion pill in case the Supreme Court limited its availability.

If sent back to Olympia, I will continue protecting reproductive rights for all women and help win the fight for gender equality. I commit to:

  • Protect the access to REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE, including ABORTION and CONTRACEPTION
  • Increase the SAFETY and security of all patients, providers, and clinics

 

DELIVERING AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND TENANT PROTECTIONS

Our neighbors are often pushed out due to the rising cost of living in our community, elders are forced to sell their homes due to increasing property taxes, and renters have few protections. I have firsthand experiences with the problems in the housing market and power imbalance between owners and renters.

In my first term, I:

  • Championed RENT STABALIZATION so that tenants have predictable housing costs and are their finances are not decimated by the rental market
  • Helped pass the MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING bill which ended exclusionary zoning in transit rich areas
  • Voted for the largest ever investment in the HOUSING TRUST FUND so that that we can fund affordable housing

If sent back to Olympia, I will continue fighting to:

  • Strengthen TENANT PROTECTIONS, like rent stabilization, so that landlords can’t exploit renters and can be held accountable if they do
  • Support RENTAL ASSISTANCE to help families navigate temporary life hardships
  • Continue state investment in AFFORDABLE HOUSING
  • Provide housing VOUCHERS so that working people can afford to live in existing market rate housing

 

SUPPORTING OUR WORKFORCE AND FOSTERING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES

Too many people are struggling to make ends meet, and the pandemic has only made this worse.  As a professional soccer referee, I stood with our union to win fair compensation by using a work stoppage. I understand the value of the labor movement and support improved compensation, conditions, and benefits for all working people.

During my first term I achieved a 100% labor voting record.

If sent back to Olympia I will continue fighting to:

  • Support WORKER RIGHTS and LIVABLE WAGES, promoting UNIONS and the ability for workers to organize for quality wages, benefits, and safety protections contribute to increased community purchasing power and a healthy economy.
  • Protect and invest in small businesses by increasing ACCESS TO CAPITAL and INCUBATION PROGRAMS for micro-entrepreneurs
  • Address the barriers to ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES and GENERATION WEALTH for communities of color, communities with low incomes, and immigrants who may lack the necessary capital to start a small business

 

SUPPORTING CHILDCARE, EDUCATION, AND PATHWAYS FOR OUR KIDS

The costs to care for and educate our children continue to climb for families in Washington and force them to make sacrifices. My parents felt those sacrifices as they camped out overnight to get me into the best public schools. When we ensure all our schools and students have the resources they need, we will see incredible results.

In my first term, I’ve worked to grow the state’s capacity for training the next generation of computer scientists and engineers while also closing the digital divide. I’m proud to have become the legislative champion for UW’s Pathways for Inclusive Excellence. Expanding opportunities, and providing them closer to our diverse communities, will help to engage folks who have been traditionally underrepresented.

If sent back to Olympia, I will continue fighting for families in the 37th District and across the state to:

  • Expand access to quality EARLY EDUCATION and CHILDCARE
  • Ensure Washington schools lead the nation in STEM offerings
  • Expand investments in TRADE, certificate, and APPRENTICE programs to prepare young people for jobs in high demand fields
  • Increase access to collegiate education by first funding FREE 2 YEAR COLLEGE

 

PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH

Climate change and pollution are an immediate threat to our existence. The 37th District disproportionately experience air and water pollution due to the proximity to pollution and hazardous water. Washington faces serious impacts to its ecosystem, infrastructure, and water supplies as the climate changes and temperatures increase.

In my first term, I served on the Environment & Energy committee and got to work on the many environmental bills we passed. I personally sponsored bills to:

  • Update our state’s 10 year old climate resiliency plan
  • Establish the nation’s most effective BATTERY RECYCLING program in Washington state

If sent back to Olympia, I will:

  • Fight for ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE disproportionately in BIPOC and lower income communities adjacent to transportation infrastructure and hazardous sites
  • Use the best SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE to create sound policy decisions
  • Support efforts to replace aging systems with CLEAN ENERGY and expanding adoption and accessibility of rooftop solar
  • Lead strong ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS for our state’s valuable forests, waterways, and unique ecosystems

 

LGBTQIA+

Everyone in deserves equal treatment under the law, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity and expression. I will advocate for, and elevate the voices of, the LGBTQIA+ community to ensure equity in all aspects of state government. I am committed to:

  • Reaffirm the RIGHT TO MARRY the partner of your choice
  • Expand access to high-quality health care for LGBTQIA+ individuals, including removing barriers to medications like PrEP
  • PROTECT LGBTQIA+ individuals from violence, particularly transgender women of color
  • Ensure FAIR TREATMENT of LGBTQIA+ individuals in the criminal justice system

 

REDUCING GUN VIOLENCE

A person is killed in Washington State with a gun every 14 hours. Gun violence is all too common now in our society, and the debates that have followed have been predictable. I have lost many friends and community members to gun violence. This is the horrible reality for me and America. Although gun violence is preventable, we all know someone affected by it. I will fight to:

  • Protect “red flag” laws that empower families and law enforcement to prevent gun tragedies by temporarily RESTRICTING ACCESS to guns for individuals at an elevated risk of harming themselves or others
  • RAISE THE AGE to buy a semi-automatic rifle
  • RESTRICT GUNS at city and county council meetings, school board meetings and ballot counting centers
  • BAN GHOST GUNS that people can buy online and assemble at home to evade background checks