Tackling The Issues

As a professor and a former Community College Trustee—on the local and state levels—I change young lives through education.

EDUCATION

As a professor and a former Community College Trustee – on the local and state levels – I change young lives through education. We need to expand college opportunities to prepare our workforce for California’s jobs. We need to grow the quality of California’s workforce and state government can do it through our community college and university systems.

ENVIRONMENT

We need to reduce the carbon we emit through meaningful action and collective sacrifice. We must enforce our efforts to protect fundamental needs such as clean air and water. Santa Clara County should be a model to other counties in open space preservation and sustainable planning. As a former college trustee, I’m proud that we’re making our campus buildings environmentally sustainable, LEED-certified.

HEALTHCARE

I have and continue to serve in healthcare capacities such as the Mental Health Advisory Board. We should be working to improve the quality of care to patients, not finding ways to compromise that care. I support ensuring nurse-to-patient ratios in our hospitals. Patient safety and the quality of care provided to those who are sick or injured should be our highest priority. I support universal health insurance.

EQUALITY

I fought for equal housing and educational opportunities. I have been a lifelong pro-choice advocate and a member of the NAACP. Receiving the 2004 Wall of Tolerance Award signed by Rosa Parks was my proudest moment. I am running for State Assembly because I want to continue my work to create a more equitable society. I support changing the Governor’s workers’ compensation “reform” which uses racial, gender and age discrimination to determine what a disabled worker is paid.

TECHNOLOGY

A recent Wall Street Journal survey of economic forecasters predicted a 42 percent probability of a U.S. recession. Given that Silicon Valley businesses account for one of the largest portions of revenue to the state budget, it’s important to maintain economic competitiveness with research and development tax credits and workforce development programs.