Kitchen Table Economics

By Wendy Greuel

The American Dream has always been based on the idea that hard work should be rewarded. This was my family's story. My grandfather built my family's small business from scratch to make sure his kids and grandchildren had better opportunities than he had. It's the story of millions of people around the L.A. region and across America.

Today, increasing income inequality is pushing our middle class beyond the breaking point and threatening the American Dream itself. As our economy continues the long road back from the Great Recession, too many of our people still haven't found a grasp on the economic ladder, with local unemployment here in L.A. County still above eight percent. In Congress, I will work to expand economic opportunities, raise wages and support good jobs and businesses here in the 33rd.

Support local jobs first

My top priority will always be local jobs. I intend to fight vigorously for legislation expanding opportunities in our local technology and film industries.

I strongly support tax credits to ensure more projects are produced locally, hiring local employees. Today, we're losing too many productions and too many jobs to states and countries able to offer better economic incentives. TV and film are the backbone of our local economy, and we should make sure those great jobs stay here for as long as the cameras keep rolling. From my days working at DreamWorks to my service on the California Film Commission, this has long been a passionate issue for me.

Additionally, we need to invest in transportation projects that make the city more accessible for employers and their employees and create good construction jobs in the short-term. LAX is the #1 origin and destination airport in the world, yet we have no light rail access in and out and traffic is often paralyzing. We can create jobs and promote tourism by securing multi-agency federal funding for transportation projects like this one.

Like Henry Waxman, I'll fight for our fair share of transportation dollars, and make sure that we extend innovative financing programs like the America Fast Forward bond program, conceived right here in Southern California. And I want to make sure that our transportation dollars are being used to create local jobs, hiring workers right here in L.A. County. I'll push for that legislative change in Congress + when local tax dollars are paying for a majority of a project, cities and counties should be able to use those dollars to create jobs for its residents.

Fight for Small Business

We must foster an economic climate that promotes innovation and entrepreneurship, especially for our small businesses, which are the backbone of our economy. By making our tax code fairer, simpler, and more equitable, we can support start-ups and our small businesses that are creating jobs here in the U.S. I'll pursue reforms to individual and corporate income tax + like eliminating corporate loopholes and special tax breaks for the oil and gas companies + to create a system that works for all Americans.

I am proud that as a Los Angeles City Councilwoman, I was the architect of historic business tax reform that lowered the business tax by 15 percent, relieved the burden on small businesses by eliminating the business tax on companies grossing $100,000 or less, eliminated the business tax for over 60% of small businesses and returned nearly $100 million to LA businesses and the local economy. I have a proven track record on tax reform and will work to pursue practical, smart reforms in Congress as well.

Raise the minimum wage

No one who works full time should have to live in poverty. Period. Yet the yearly salary of a full-time minimum wage worker is well below the poverty standard for a family. Most minimum wage workers are not teens, and the majority of them are women + this is a basic social justice issue for me, and one for which I plan to fight.

Increasing the federal minimum wage will mean a raise for 22 million Americans. That's why I will fight for bills like the Fair Minimum Wage Act to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. The increase will lift almost a million people out of poverty, enabling our workers to spend more and recycle their earnings back into our economy. In addition to the clear benefits to today's workers, this law will tie the minimum wage to inflation so that wages automatically adjust and we don't have to revisit it again and again every few years.

Stand up for unemployed workers and their families

California and L.A. County continue to have some of the most persistent unemployment rates in the country. For those who are out of work -- through no fault of their own + unemployment insurance is a life preserver helping their families stay afloat. Yet an extreme minority in Congress forced unemployment benefits to lapse, leaving millions without this critical economic lifeline. In Congress, I will fight each and every day to ensure that hard-working families have the unemployment insurance they need to get back on their feet and back to work. There are too many families depending on us to keep playing political games.

Put families first in times of medical emergency

More than twenty years ago, Congress passed the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which ensured that millions of Americans would no longer have to risk their jobs in order to care for their health or that of their family, providing for unpaid leave for family medical events. Yet despite that victory, many workers - especially women + are still put in the unjust position of having to choose between the needs of their families and their financial security. It's time for an update.

That's why in Congress, I will support measures like the "Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act" (the FAMILY Act) to create a paid family and medical leave program. Modeled after successful programs like here in California and other states, the FAMILY Acts would create an independent trust fund within the Social Security Administration, funded by employee and employer contributions -- a self-sufficient program that would not add to the federal budget.

Comprehensive Immigration Reform

I'll also fight for comprehensive immigration reform that gives surety to local workers and employers alike. Not only is it the right thing to do for millions of families + it will have a direct positive impact on the LA economy.

Immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship will bring millions of people out of the shadows. It will also mean billions of dollars in additional federal and state taxes + as millions more workers and employers will pay payroll taxes. One estimate by the Center for American Progress found that immigration reform could bring in more than $600 billion for the Social Security Trust Fund.

Comprehensive immigration reform is the right thing to do both morally and economically.

Invest in our future

Supporting education is a basic investment in our economic future but frankly, we're falling behind our allies in Europe and Asia. I will fight for investments in our schools, universities, and technical programs to give our workers the tools they need to compete in the 21st Century.

We must also take control of our energy future - both for the sake of America's economy and the health of our planet. This is an issue for which Congressman Waxman has gone to bat time and time again, and I intend to carry that legacy forward. Going "all in" on renewable energy and green technology investment won't just reduce our dependency on foreign oil; it will protect our planet and create good jobs here at home.