We need to build more housing immediately– and make it more affordable. The average age of a first-time homebuyer in 1960 was 23 years old. Today, it’s older than 40. On top of that, more and more renters in LA are getting priced out of housing– spending nearly half of their income on skyrocketing rent. Housing is the foundation for creating sustainable, generational wealth, and we need to fight back against the status quo. We need to get to work to ensure Angelenos have affordable, safe, and transit-oriented housing options. In Congress, I’ll fight for Down Payment Assistance for First-Time Homebuyers, so Angelenos can buy a home by the age of 30. We will support renters with a Federal Renters Tax Credit, because more money back in your pocket means more you can save towards your first home. We will work with our partners in labor and development to address supply procurement, spur innovation, and reward regions for climate and wildfire-resilience efforts through a National Housing Development Bank, so we can build more housing—quickly. And I’ll advance legislation to break up the corporate and private equity monopolies holding housing supply hostage and driving prices up.

One in five Angelenos is either undocumented, or a member of a mixed-status family. And on average, Angelenos without status have lived here for more than a decade, are law-abiding, and are paying taxes. Immigrants are the fabric of our families and nation: our children, our parents, our neighbors, our students, our innovators, our healthcare heroes. The diversity of our communities and the strength of our economies require us to not only repair the harm inflicted on our communities, but to reimagine a system that truly values the resilience of our immigrant neighbors and their fight to keep The American Dream alive. In Congress, I’ll advance legislation streamlining the pathway to citizenship, ABOLISH ICE, redirect funding to our judicial system overseeing immigration hearings, and hold participants in unconstitutional actions accountable. Change and accountability, at every level of government, is the only way to kick #ICEoutofLA for good.

Los Angeles is at the forefront of climate innovation, and yet, we’re paying far too much for utilities and subsidizing pollution, when we could be paying less for renewable energy. On top of that, communities like Porter Ranch still live under the shadow of Aliso Canyon’s gas leak, fossil fuel infrastructure continues to pollute our neighborhoods and threaten public health, and no plan exists after decades of promises to clean up Santa Susana. This is unacceptable. In Congress, I’ll fight to expand our deployment of affordable clean energy, demand accountability and oversight over this Administration’s weaponization of the Justice Department to target climate groups and clean energy projects, and partner with our allies in labor to enshrine an American Clean Energy Corps for job training, apprenticeships, and project development, for a just transition to a clean energy economy. 

The Sepulveda Transit Corridor, a planned public transit corridor running alongside the 405 freeway, has been “in the works” since 1980.  Right now, the City tells us we can “expect” phase one to be completed by 2035. But we need public transit now, not 10 years from now. In Congress, I’ll push to speed this and other critical infrastructure projects up. I’ll advance reforms to laws like NEPA that bog down beneficial public transit projects; like the Sepulveda Corridor. I’ll author legislation to fund the municipalities prioritizing building low emission public transit. And I’ll build coalitions with our city, state, and federal leaders to demand progress– so the 32nd District can finally get the public transit it deserves.

It’s a mark of shame that California’s 32nd is home to two major environmental and public health disasters, which have gone unresolved for decades. The communities around the Santa Susana Field Lab have suffered tragedy after tragedy – cancer clusters that have claimed the lives of too many young people and Simi Valley residents. The Department of Energy and the State of California have failed to address this nearly century-old disaster. Similarly, the residents of Porter Ranch have lived with the scourge of Aliso Canyon in their backyard – leaders have promised change for a decade, but the facility is still running today at full capacity. In Congress, I’ll fight to phase out Aliso Canyon by ramping up clean energy storage and incentivizing buildings and home electrification for heat and electric use. I’ll also introduce legislation to impose cleanup and remediation standards for superfund sites like the Santa Susana Field Lab, and hold actors accountable for cleanup delays.

Every child deserves a bright future, and every family deserves the American Dream. Today, childcare is more expensive than both housing and college tuition, and when we force families to decide between paying for childcare or other life expenses, we guarantee parents leaving their careers, children missing school, and the widening of the gender pay gap, and health and wealth disparities. These are all symptoms of a broken democracy, where people that have to sacrifice the most end up getting the least, and together, we can do better. In office, I’ll pass legislation guaranteeing childcare for every child, and I’ll fight for funding to keep class sizes small, pay our teachers and support staff competitive wages, and fund afterschool and mental health programs. Our children are the future– it’s time we start acting like it.

Since 2005, the cost of tuition has nearly doubled– rising faster than the rate of inflation. Today, one in six Americans have federal student loan debt, and the federal student loan portfolio is nearly $1.83 trillion. One thing is very clear– this is unsustainable, and we need to chart a pathway to higher education that doesn’t saddle students with debt that prevents them from buying homes, starting families, or being able to live fully. It’s time for a change. In office, I’ll support the College for All Act, making a college education accessible and affordable to all. I’ll also work with our partners in the trades to expand funding for trade schools and apprenticeships, and support an expansion of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, because those dedicating their careers to the betterment of our communities shouldn’t be going into debt to do so.

For too long, the American healthcare system has placed profits over people. We spend more per capita on healthcare, yet have the highest chronic disease rates, lowest life expectancy, and higher infant and maternal mortality rates than other developed countries. One in three adults put off seeking care when they need it because of costs. Almost 66% of personal bankruptcies are caused, at least in part, by medical debt. And even for people who can afford care, wading through the bureaucratic nightmare of insurance billing still makes it hard to actually receive care. Healthcare stopped working for Americans decades ago, and it’s beyond time to pass Medicare for All. In Congress, I’ll fight for a single-payer healthcare system, and as we build the coalitions across party lines to make it a reality, I’ll continue to address the gaps in the system by introducing legislation cracking down on insurance companies using prior authorizations and AI to withhold quality care, on pharmaceutical companies using loopholes to keep drug prices high, and on corporations and health systems exploiting vertical integrations to keep people sick and in debt. I’ll also codify consumer protections to prevent medical debt reporting to credit bureaus, and demand safe staffing ratios, competitive pay, and education subsidies for those in the healthcare professions, so we can bolster our healthcare workforce and drive wait times down. And as a large percentage of Americans age into retirement, I’m committed to advancing legislation to fund long-term care, because no one should have to choose between dying in debt or dying alone. Better healthcare outcomes keep our country moving, and it’s past time to fix the system.

Production is leaving Hollywood at lightning speed. Feature film shoots in Los Angeles are down 16.8% since just last year, and television and commercial shoots have declined nearly 15%. The rapid disappearance of LA-based production has cost the San Fernando Valley and Angelenos billions of dollars of economic opportunity and thousands of good paying, union industry jobs, from catering and driving, to prop-making, carpentry, and construction. In Congress, I will make restoring Los Angeles-based production one of my top priorities by advancing an uncapped tax credit on domestic productions, reinstating the Financial Interest and Syndication Rules designed to break up corporate control over production, and empowering the FCC and FTC to pursue cases against illegal Hollywood monopolies. The Film & TV Industry is the lifeblood of our district, and it's beyond time for Congress to prioritize it.

Members of Congress should work for us– not special interests. We need our representatives to fix the issues making life unaffordable and home ownership unattainable, not fold to the companies responsible for it. I’m proud to be running a people-powered campaign, and have pledged to not take any corporate PAC money in this race. I am also a proud signatory of the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge, and will not take contributions from oil, gas, and coal industry executives, lobbyists, or PACs, and instead prioritize the health of our families, climate, and democracy over fossil fuel industry profits. In Congress, I’ll fight for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United, vote to ban Member stock trading, fight for term limits, and work to abolish Super PACs. We cannot continue to accept that the will of the voters should be drowned out by the special interests buying our elected officials, and it’s time to restore the power of the vote back to the people.

Lasting security in the Middle East will come not from endless conflict, and must begin with diplomacy rooted in human rights, mutual recognition, and an end to violence against civilians on all sides. In Congress, I’ll build on the work I did as the Chief Climate Officer at the DFC to continue leading and building coalitions and programs to advance peace, regional stability, and economic growth, like those I supported through my work on the Middle East Partnership for Peace Act (MEPPA). I support a two-state solution that guarantees the safety, peace, and equal right to self-determination for both Israelis and Palestinians, and an immediate end to the atrocities committed against civilians and the violations of international law. The United States should be an active partner in advancing a just resolution that upholds international law, supports democratic aspirations and self-determination, and ensures freedom, dignity, and security for all who call the region home.

50,000 Californians lost their homeowners insurance coverage in the months before the Eaton and Palisades fires burned through our city and displaced 200,000 Angelenos. Adding insult to injury, 70% of insured homeowners affected by the fires have continued to face delays and denials of insurance payments, and there is still no plan from Washington to help us rebuild. When your representative decides to prioritize sound bites for their campaign ad over the needs of an electorate struggling to rebuild, it’s time to vote them out. In Congress, I’ll create the Federal Insurance Consumer Protection Office (FICPO), tasked with the explicit goals of writing and enforcing rules to lower insurance rates, hold insurers accountable for denying claims, and prevent denial or cancellation of coverage based on geographical location. I’ll also work to fund immediate deployment of casework liaisons into communities struck by natural disasters to help displaced Americans navigate resources and claims. When tragedy strikes, our government should be the first ones to help Americans recover, not the last.

Put Simi Valley First by prioritizing adequate remediation and a complete cleanup of the Santa Susana Field Lab, and immediate air quality monitoring. 

Make Housing Affordable with down payments for first-time homebuyers, a Federal Renters Tax Credit, and home insurance reform.

Support Public Safety by undergrounding power lines, funding mental health resources, supporting crime prevention, and protecting our immigrant community from unconstitutional ICE raids.

Open a Simi Valley Congressional Office so we can get federal support without leaving Ventura County.

We must be absolutely clear: antisemitism is real, it is on the rise, it is dangerous, and it has no place in our society. I condemn antisemitism, just as I condemn Islamophobia, and all forms of hatred and bigotry directed at people because of who they are or what they believe. In Congress I will work to codify key sections of the National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism, particularly those that will protect places of worship, and will work tirelessly to build multi-faith alliances condemning the hate that has for too long condemned too many to live in fear because of their faith, identity, or background.

Every night, more than 3,000 veterans sleep on the streets of Los Angeles, and thousands more struggle on the margins of our society - it’s a moral scourge, and it’s a policy choice. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) programs offer substantial support to veterans, but our byzantine systems often make those benefits almost impossible to access. In Congress, I will work to surge aid to veterans in Southern California, and I will work to dismantle the nightmarish bureaucracy that far too many veterans face when attempting to secure basic care.

Specifically, I will:

1. Seek funding to dramatically increase the amount of VA case managers, so that veterans can more quickly access the benefits they’ve earned.

2. Increase the amount of housing built on VA land - including in West LA and in North Hills - and transition portions of it into permanent housing.

3. Expand the amount of satellite mental health service locations throughout the district, so that veterans seeking help can more easily access treatment and therapy.

Veterans have given us everything. It’s imperative we treat them with the respect they deserve, and that starts with helping them access care - including housing, medical services, and workforce training - that we’ve promised them.

While serving as a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, Brad Sherman has allowed the use of cryptocurrency and its corruption to proliferate, including within the Trump Administration. By contrast, I support strong regulation of the crypto industry, including limiting their uses to actions that are transparent and traceable, so that cryptocurrencies cannot be used for money laundering or other forms of illicit activity. Our country should not allow corrupt self-dealing for politicians and the well-connected through untraceable means - instead, we must level the playing field so that all Americans can have confidence and trust in the American financial system.