Education has not been fully funded. Teachers need to be paid a livable wage, and more work is needed to close the achievement gap. We need grant programs to help attract more teachers, especially teachers of color, and funding for classroom resources so teachers aren’t forced to spend money out of pocket for basic necessities like paper.

My father was in a car accident when I was a child that rendered him quadriplegic and decimated my family’s finances. We experienced first hand the devastation of a healthcare crisis, which Is why I believe no one should have to choose between medical care they need and bankruptcy. I support medicare for all and believe there is a path in Washington state to make it happen.  

The Stranger: Single Payer is Possible

As the Chair of Wellspring Family Services’ Associate Board we work on issues of family homelessness with a goal of housing 2,000 kids and their families in the next two years. What I’ve learned from this experience is we can’t treat homelessness like a monolith. Family homelessness is different than homelessness due to opioid addiction which is different than mental health issues. We need policy that is appropriate for different causes of homelessness. Also, it is 3x cheaper to keep people housed when compared with getting people out of homelessness. We need to invest in human services to stem the flow of people becoming homeless. Also, our policy needs to reflect that police officers, firefighters and first responders are on the front-lines when dealing with this crisis. Tackling this issue should include their voices and we must invest in the human capital needed to solve this problem which includes compensation and equipment.        

We need to build a wall between ICE and every other government organization. They should not have access to law enforcement, medical, licensing or any governmental records. As the son of refugees who fled an oppressive regime my family came to America because leaders then understood that immigrants were what made America great. I will fight for everyone because it is our shared humanity that binds us together.

Affordable housing and mass transit go hand in hand. Neighborhoods are being gentrified and people in our communities are being pushed further away. We need a robust public transit system so residents can still access job opportunities in urban corridors. The state legislature has an opportunity to encourage development of transit and should partner with local municipalities to streamline the process. 

Seattle Transit Blog Endorsement

We must act now because our kids will have to deal with the ramifications of our actions or in-actions. I-1631 is a comprehensive initiative to protect the environment with a strong focus on equitable solutions so working families don’t bear the brunt of the impacts.

We are the only candidate who does not take corporate PAC money nor are we self-financed. I will support policies that make our government more transparent and accountable to the people. I have experience managing multi-million dollar budgets and will be efficient with our tax dollars.

I’m one of the candidates who has a distinction from Moms Demand Action which advocates for gun safety. I would support legislation that raised the age limit to purchase semi-automatic weapons, require training and liability coverage when purchasing guns and mandate safe storage. Also, the majority of gun deaths are suicide so gun safety also means investing in programs to support the social and mental health services needed to prevent deaths.    

I will champion policies to support our Seniors. We must expand property tax exemptions and lower rents for Seniors, protect medicare and medicaid, work to establish a universal healthcare system here in Washington State and increase funding for home care workers so people can receive quality care in the comfort of their own homes.