Condado de Los AngelesCandidato para Supervisor, Distrito 4

Chronic homelessness is a growing epidemic in Los Angeles County. While increasing basic services through institutions like food kitchens can provide some measure of relief, these only serve as temporary solutions. In order to permanently solve the homelessness epidemic in L.A., we must expand County social services as well as provide job training to help the homeless secure good paying jobs and begin to meaningfully contribute to society once again.

There are 44,000 homeless people in Los Angeles – a 12% increase since 2013. This is unacceptable. We need to provide affordable housing for hard working men and women, children, veterans, and the mentally ill. It’s time we take steps to increase funding for programs that offer permanent supportive housing, healthcare services and treatment for individuals who suffer from mental illness, as well as workforce development and vocational training for the unemployed. I will specifically work to enroll veterans who have risked their lives to defend our nation in job training and educational programs that will help them succeed in the workforce and rise to the middle class.

I support a statewide minimum wage of $15 per hour so that workers all across California can lift themselves out of poverty and support their families. A statewide minimum wage increase would help level the playing field with all regional economies and ensure that all counties and businesses are on equal footing.  

Throughout my career I have worked hard to invest in our Ports and generate jobs for our community. In Congress, I co-founded the bi-partisan Congressional Ports Opportunity, Renewal, Trade, and Security (PORTS) Caucus to raise awareness about the critical importance of our nation’s Ports. I am currently working across party lines to advance the National Freight Network Trust Fund Act. This bill aims to increase investment in the Port and freight network infrastructure without raising taxes and simultaneously ensures that our Ports are operating at maximum efficiency, staying competitive, and creating tens of thousands of good paying jobs for folks all across America.

I believe deeply that small businesses are the economic engine of our region and critical to growing our middle class. That’s why on the Small Business Committee, I am working to cut bureaucratic red tape and provide tax incentives to encourage new small business start-ups. It’s also why I introduced legislation to help small businesses get loans and why I am actively working with small businesses to create new jobs in our community.

 I will continue these efforts on the Board of Supervisors. I strongly believe that an educated workforce is a successful one and we need to increase job-training opportunities to provide our youth with applicable skills to obtain and maintain good middle class jobs. I will also prioritize funding for local neighborhood schools to improve the quality of education and make sure our children gain the knowledge they need to succeed in today’s 21st century economy.

Moreover, I will connect local small businesses to international trade networks at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach so that they can grow, thrive and hire more workers locally. 

Finally, I will expand the use of renewable and clean energy to protect our environment, enhance energy efficiency in County buildings and facilities, invest in water recycling and conservation projects and more - all of which will help generate more green jobs.

Despite the heavy drought California faces, Los Angeles continues to consume and even waste large quantities of water. Once elected, I will work to implement conservation measures aimed at cutting down on excessive fresh-water use while simultaneously investing in water recycling options. Moreover, I will work to impose common-sense regulations on residential and public water use, ensure that public parks and buildings reduce their water consumption, and enforce restrictions on corporate and industrial water use. We must also examine the potential of implementing new technologies that monitor water use in County facilities. Monitoring parks, for example, can help prevent excessive watering, water pipe leaks, and other potential unintended blows.

I’ve personally met with our County District Attorney Jackie Lacey and County Sheriff Jim McDonnell and I agree with their objectives to reform the County’s outdated criminal justice system. First and foremost, I believe it must begin with rooting out past corruption and restoring trust between the Sheriff’s Department and the public. In order to do so, we must provide the LA County Sheriff’s Department with the resources and tools they need to cure these problems and restore the public’s faith in law enforcement.

While I strongly support the creation of a Citizens Oversight Commission, we must also reform how the Sheriff’s Department interacts with local neighborhoods by improving its community relations.  I successfully did this on the Los Angeles City Council, where I spearheaded anti-gang and crime reducing strategies like the Watts Gang Task Force to improve community-police relations. It worked exceptionally well in Watts and I know this model, if applied correctly, will work just as well across the County. Part of this approach includes ensuring that LASD is adequately staffed to make sure they are not spread too thin and can spend the necessary time to focus on community-based policing.