Candidate for
Member of the State Assembly; District 40; Democratic Party

Why am I running?

Democracy is based upon the conviction that there are extraordinary possibilities in ordinary people. + Harry Emerson Fosdick

The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

As the abyss between the haves and have-nots widens, more and more people are falling into the cracks. As good paying jobs go away, those taxes previously paid by middle class workers are no longer going into our state's coffers. That means fewer services, crumbling infrastructure. As a union president, I witnessed a microcosm of this phenomenon firsthand.

I want healthcare for every man, woman and child.

I want a quality, affordable education. Including college or vocational training.

It's not about smaller or larger government. It's about getting a decent "return on investment."

I want to see a program like FDR's WPA, dedicated to rebuilding our infrastructure: our roads, our cities, our communities.

According to a recent report, California leads the way in clean energy. I want to continue the charge forward. When California leads, the rest of the country follows.

I don't want corporations running the country anymore.

I want to build on the strength of our diversity. That's why I have reached out to all communities. My staff will look like the district.

I don't want just new jobs; I want good jobs with a livable wage and good benefits, jobs of the future: bioscience, new technologies, environmental, transportation.

I want more affordable housing. We need to find some way out of the subprime debacle. Government should help victims of predatory financial practices.

I want to involve local citizens in their government. I'm going to form a "kitchen cabinet" with representatives from every neighborhood council in the district. I want homeowners and renters, as well as small business and labor at the table.