PRIORITIES

HOUSING

The 11th is one of the few affordable areas left in King County, but rising property taxes and housing prices threaten to disrupt our community. For too long, the issue of housing has only been on city and regional radars, and not its impact in rural and small, but nascently influential, communities like those in the 11th. In the legislature, I have guided my fellow lawmakers to take action on housing now in a way that supports smaller areas via clean and green measures, transit-friendly and multifamily builds, and more.

One of my bills that successfully passed created a real estate tax exemption for sales of property designated as affordable housing. Washington needs way more housing than we currently have; therefore, mechanisms for funding and supporting affordable housing needs are necessary. This bill will help the state reach its housing goals.

THE ENVIRONMENT

Here in the 11th we suffer some of the highest levels of environmental health risks in the entire state, particularly with regard to air and noise pollution. We have a responsibility at the state level to ensure we are doing everything we can to combat the climate crisis and keep our communities healthy. I’m proud my bill requiring building owners must ensure their properties meet green energy performance standards passed, and look forward to creating more legislation that make our communities green, healthy, and sustainable, while mitigating the effects of climate change.

The state has set the goal of reducing our carbon emissions in half by 2040. I have become a co-chair of the bipartisan Hydrogen Caucus with Republican Rep. Peter Abbarno of Gig Harbor, and I am excited and confident in our bipartisan approach to enacting green fuel policies as part of our state’s push to reduce carbon pollution.

HEALTHCARE

When I was younger, my family suffered a healthcare crisis that crippled us financially. There are far too many people in the 11th who are dealing with similar healthcare crises and the costs associated with it. The legislature can and should do more to lower the burden of healthcare costs.   

The pandemic has also revealed just who fragile our healthcare system is and why need to take immediate action to improve it. We are losing nurses and doctors at an alarming rate which is leaving hospitals understaffed and causing people to have to wait to receive care. That is why I am committed to working on policies that will increase our healthcare workforce and reduce burnout.

EDUCATION

The COVID pandemic has shown us lingering inequalities and accessibilities affecting many Washingtonian students. We must take the lessons we learned from the pandemic, such how access to reliable internet can make or break a student’s academic performance, providing reliable resources for alternative learning, and better financial and material support for teachers, if we want to do everything we can to close the opportunity gap, support teachers, and prepare our students for the future.

GUN SAFETY

As an attorney and a former federal prosecutor, I have seen first hand the devastation gun violence causes in our communities. Much of this violence is preventable, and I have pursued common sense legislation like banning high capacity magazines that will keep our families and district safe.

PUBLIC SAFETY

We’re experiencing increased incidents of crime that shake public safety. As a federal prosecutor, I know what works to reduce crime: accessible mental health resources, punishment with a focus on rehabilitation, better resources for jails and prisons, and smart data driven policies that enable law enforcement personnel to do their jobs and ensure that people who do commit crimes will not reoffend. 

We can reduce crime without over policing of marginalized communities if we address the root causes of crime, and improve crime response resources. This means investing in peer groups like Choose180 and Community Passageways who help mentor youth away from the criminal justice system and create second chance opportunities for people.