Issues

My campaign is self-financed. I am not receiving money or special influence from any corporation, or any political special interest group. I am voluntarily limiting campaign spending to under $2000.

I believe in honesty and transparency. I don't believe in backroom deals. If elected, I will set up a permanent website through which any resident of District 5 can contact me to voice their thoughts on any issue. To my knowledge, this is not at all common for a DCC Member to do. Most of the time, the voices of most registered Democrats are not adequately considered in relation to the SCCDCC.

My ethics include being open-minded and viewing issues analytically. My core beliefs include ensuring that everyone's basic needs of life are met, and that everyone's human rights are respected. I DON'T just 'jump on the bandwagon' in regard to whatever the media is currently focused on. If elected, my goal is to be responsive to the needs and concerns of District 5 residents.

I have personally been advocating for the fundamental human rights of Ohlone Peoples for many years. We live on unceded Ohlone land; no ratified Treaties exist for this region, where genocides have occurred. Ohlone Peoples should have a voice in the protection of their Ancestral burial, cultural, and sacred sites; and a voice regarding the ecological management of unceded lands.

Residents of Santa Cruz County are under extreme economic pressures. It is often difficult for residents to access the (imperfect) government programs that already exist to help lessen the costs of housing, food, medicine, and other necessities of life. The SCCDCC can make statements or pass resolutions that impact government effectiveness in informing people of and allocating these resources.

I personally support the implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and I oppose legislation that seeks to weaken the safeguards that protect the natural enviornment and the cultural environment. CEQA ensures that our local ecology, Ohlone cultural sites, historic sites, and existing human communities are properly considered when large-scale projects are proposed.

Over the last year, I drafted and presented two Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors Proclamations that were successfully passed. In 2019, I was involved in the drafting of California Democratic Party Resolution 20-11.25. Since 2019, I have successfully introduced Resolutions that have been passed by the DCCs of Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Mateo, Contra Costa, Monterey Counties.