Candidate for
Member of the State Assembly; District 17

I am a progressive Democrat.

As a progressive Democrat, I have a strong belief in the capacity of government to better the lives of all Californians, and a long track record of fighting for San Francisco's shared progressive values. My supporters will tell you that not only do I have the longest record in this regard, but also I have been the most effective advocate to stand up for these values when they have been under attack.

Some examples include:

● Fighting for tenants. I served as board chair of one of my city's largest affordable housing organizations and am a tenant myself and have fought for tenants facing evictions, including unlawful Ellis Act evictions. As Supervisor, I have fought to build thousands of units of affordable housing across the city, , negotiated agreements to protect rent control in new developments, legalized inlaw units where our most vulnerable tenants live, and prioritized Ellis Act victims for our city's affordable housing opportunities.

● Fighting for immigrants. A former civil rights attorney, I fought for immigrants facing discrimination and abuses in a variety of settings. As Supervisor, I authored our city's Language Access Ordinance and championed a ballot initiative that would have allowed immigrant parents to vote in school board elections.

● Fighting for marriage equality. As a U.S. Senate aide, I fought the so-called Defense of Marriage Act. I worked alongside LGBT leaders to successfully lobby the California Democratic Party to incorporate marriage equality in its platform. A founding member of Asian Pacific Islander Equality, I served as president of the first Asian American bar association in the country to support marriage equality.

● Fighting for working families. As Supervisor, I was also proud to pass legislation to make San Francisco the first city in the country to establish an employee's right to request flexibility and predictability in workplace arrangements. I also fought to allow parents to bring strollers on Muni buses, and to fund child care and after school programs.

● Fighting for neighborhoods. I have served in the leadership of two neighborhood associations that have fought to ensure that proposed developments are appropriate for our neighborhoods, despite the deep pockets of various developers.