Questions
1. California ranks among the top states in per capita expenditures on a number of government programs (i.e. corrections, law enforcement, general government), but just near or below the national average on expenditures for kids’ programs, including education and Medi-Cal. What are your thoughts on this prioritization of expenditures and what, if any, changes would you make in this regard?
Assembly District 10 includes many low-income and under-resourced communities. For example, the County of Sacramento has over 420,000 individuals on Medi-Cal, showing the level of poverty and need in our county and AD 10 includes many of these families in the South Sacramento community. I have proudly represented these communities and focused my efforts to support them, both within my current council district and outside of my district. I have secured funding for many workforce and family resource centers throughout the area to provide services and support to help lift up working families out of poverty. I have worked to secure policy changes and funding needed to help support more affordable housing opportunities in this area. As Chair of the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District, I have focused on the physical environment in these neighborhoods to eliminate the heat island effect and poor air quality that has contributed to poor health outcomes of the community. As an Assemblymember I would continue this work to ensure that resources are directed to the areas with the most need. This includes everything from housing opportunities, workforce development, child care resources, air quality improvement, and direct services.
2. California assumes responsibility for abused and neglected children when we remove them from their homes. Therefore, the State is legally obligated to ensure that children and youth in foster care receive vital services and supports to meet their unique needs and find safety, stability and success. How would you strengthen the child welfare system?
Our children’s safety is extremely important. We need to invest more in the overall health, education, and access to early childhood systems that support outcomes for children. The passing of AB 12, which extended benefits to foster youth from 18 until they are 21 to ensure they can continue to get the services they need, has had a significant impact for foster youth in California. I would work in the Assembly to bring a broad coalition of people to find the best solutions for our youth and to strengthen the vital services that our children need.
3. California ranks poorly in national reports for supporting families with infants and toddlers. The state does invest in programs like evidence-based home visiting – which provide guidance, offer coaching, and connect parents and caregivers to health and social services – but those only reach about 2% of families with young children. What strategies, if any, do you support to aid new and expectant parents and young children during this critical phase of life?
Early care and helping new and expectant parents and young children during this critical phase of life is very important. Assembly District 10 includes a large number of under-resourced communities and there must be a focus on equity and eliminating barriers to opportunities and access to services. I grew up as an undocumented immigrant working in the fields from the age of 5. My immigrant parents struggled to get access to healthcare and faced food insecurity. They worked hard to give my siblings and me a better life in America. I went from going to Sac State, living in my car one summer, to becoming President of my college class. That gives me a different perspective from most politicians. I understand the struggles that so many families face in our communities. Now I want to ensure others get the help they need from the state to achieve their dreams. In the Assembly, children and families will be a major focus for me and I will work to help families get access to the necessary resources to succeed.
4. More than 2.75 million young children live in California, with the majority being income-eligible for child care assistance. Yet just a fraction of eligible children have access to subsidized child care spaces, due to insufficient funding for child care capacity. This gap is most pronounced for infants and toddlers, where child care subsidies served only 14% of eligible families (pre-pandemic). What is your position on this issue, and what, if anything, should be done to ensure that all families have access to high-quality child care?
As someone who has directly been impacted by the lack of child care for my one-year-old son, I know the struggles of not having access to affordable child care. Funding for early childhood education and child care will be a major priority for me in the Assembly. The largest barrier to the workforce for marginalized communities, especially women, is the lack of available and affordable childcare. Without these resources, families are left behind, having to make difficult decisions about who works and who stays home to provide child care and they are shut out of higher wage jobs and educational opportunities. On the City Council, I created an early childhood education task force and pushed for a position in the City of Sacramento Economic Development Department to expand early childhood education and address workforce shortages. All families deserve access to high-quality child care and I will work in the Legislature to make this a reality.
5. The average salary of a California public employee is nearly $87,000, while the average salary of a California child care provider is $35,400, and most other professionals who work with kids are also below the public employee average. What are your ideas, if any, about responding to this disparity?
I firmly believe that we need to pay our child care provider workers higher wages. Currently, as the Chair of The Sacramento Employment & Training Agency (SETA), I am working to reform the mission of SETA so it is much more effective for our region. We are creating a focus on high-wage workforce training and adult education. There also needs to be a better focus on pay equity in the workforce. Women traditionally make far less than men in the same jobs. A working full-time woman on average is paid 80 cents for every dollar a typical man working full-time is paid, that amount is even lower for women of color. Closing the pay gap is an important issue that needs to be addressed and I am committed to continuing working on it when elected to the Assembly.
6. The latest available data shows California ranks 49th among the 50 states in teacher-to-student ratio, 47th in school counselors, and 46th in school administrators. We also rank near the bottom in terms of school nurses, with approximately one nurse for every 2,400 students and no nurses at all in some smaller counties. What are your thoughts on these rankings, and what, if anything, should be done in response?
We can and must do better. It is vital that students have access to as many resources as possible, including counselors and school nurses. Additionally, we must continue to lower the teacher-to-student ratio within our classrooms. I have advocated for fair wages for our educators and believe it is vital to have nurses, librarians, and counselors at schools because they are vital to the overall development of students’ academic, mental and social health. California’s public education system must meet the needs of all students. Schools should be safe spaces for kids and families and provide opportunities for all children in all communities — especially disenfranchised communities. I believe in investing in all levels of education. My mother immigrated with only a 4th-grade education, and my family did not know English for a long period of time and we all worked as farmworkers to survive. At the age of 50, my mother was able to get her GED and an AA degree in Early Childhood Education. We must support all students and families to meet their language development needs.
7. California has the highest percentage of kids who are dual language learners, ages 0-5, (60%) and school-age English Learners (21%) in the country. How should the State support these students’ bilingual/multilingual potential? What are your thoughts on how educators in early education and TK-12 can be prepared to assist these students to meet their language development needs?
California’s public education system must meet the needs of all students. Schools should be safe spaces for kids and families and provide opportunities for all children in all communities — especially disenfranchised communities. I believe in investing in all levels of education. My mother immigrated with only a 4th-grade education, and my family did not know English for a long period of time and we all worked as farmworkers to survive. At the age of 50, my mother was able to get her GED and an AA degree in Early Childhood Education. We must support all students and families to meet their language development needs.
8. Over the past 40 years, state spending on higher education has dropped from 18% to 12% of the state budget. What is your position on funding for public higher education?
As a former Board of Trustee of the California State University and Sac State Student Body President, I understand the importance of funding higher education. Student Basic needs continues to be one of the largest issues facing the community college system. Housing, food insecurity, and meeting their families’ needs continue to be critical barriers to student success. Students cannot succeed when their basic needs are not met. This is why I have supported efforts to address these challenges. I have consistently stood in strong support for additional funding for higher education. In the 2020 election, I not only supported Proposition 15 but also used my position and vote on the League of California Cities to push for an endorsement. In the 2020 election, I actively supported Measure E, allowing for a general obligation bond for Los Rio Community College District. I also was the Sacramento organizer for Proposition 16 which would have eliminated affirmative action. While Prop 16 was not a fiscal measure, if affirmative action were allowed again, then there would be a greater ability to use racial equity as a factor to set funding priorities. The Community College Districts are the most diverse education system in the nation and should be funded to meet the needs of California’s students. I have worked arm and arm with people all across the state to fund higher education. We need to ensure that all children and families have access to affordable health care. It is important to educate the public to make sure people go to the doctor before they get sick. The risk is even higher for women and girls when it comes to healthcare. Growing up as a farmworker, I know personally the challenges too many people face trying to get access to healthcare. Many times we couldn’t see a doctor and had to deal with the pain, or else me and my family had to drive 13 miles to the nearest emergency room because their small community clinic was a portable facility in the parking lot with very limited hours. Many communities face even worse circumstances. These experiences have shaped my views on healthcare. Both access and affordability of healthcare remain high priorities for him. I believe that access to emergency rooms is an essential service, especially in rural areas where some people have to travel miles to the nearest health facility or hospital. I will work to continue to improve the safety of patients and nurses in every area of the healthcare sector. We also need to expand essential services provided by clinics to vulnerable populations such as farmworkers and underserved communities who don’t always have access to care. As a Councilmember, I have held multiple community events that have provided people with health information, including dental screenings and COVID vaccines.
9. Over 55% of California’s kids are enrolled in Medi-Cal, but California performs near the bottom amongst all state Medicaid programs when it comes to children’s access to primary care physicians and important childhood screenings, especially for children of color. In addition, many California children lack access to oral health care, vision services, hearing aids, and mental health and substance abuse supports and services. What would you do, if anything, to increase access to these services?
We need to ensure that all children and families have access to affordable health care. It is important to educate the public to make sure people go to the doctor before they get sick. The risk is even higher for women and girls when it comes to healthcare. Growing up as a farmworker, I know personally the challenges too many people face trying to get access to healthcare. Many times we couldn’t see a doctor and had to deal with the pain, or else me and my family had to drive 13 miles to the nearest emergency room because their small community clinic was a portable facility in the parking lot with very limited hours. Many communities face even worse circumstances. These experiences have shaped my views on healthcare. Both access and affordability of healthcare remain high priorities for him. I believe that access to emergency rooms is an essential service, especially in rural areas where some people have to travel miles to the nearest health facility or hospital. I will work to continue to improve the safety of patients and nurses in every area of the healthcare sector. We also need to expand essential services provided by clinics to vulnerable populations such as farmworkers and underserved communities who don’t always have access to care. As a Councilmember, I have held multiple community events that have provided people with health information, including dental screenings and COVID vaccines.
10. The suicide rate among Black youth has dramatically increased in recent years. In addition, Major Depressive Episodes (MDE) among youth have grown, but only about one third of youth with an MDE received treatment. What should be done to ensure that more children receive needed mental health supports and services?
We absolutely need to invest in mental health support and services. Easily having access to services is a start and educating parents and families on how to get help is a must. There needs to be a focus on prevention and early intervention and we need to break the stigma around mental health. Having resources available in multiple languages is crucial. We all have the power to make a difference, to help someone and we must continue to do everything we can from the local level to the statewide level to increase access to mental health services.