Current Reality
Racial justice in the United States remains an unfinished project, where systems of inequality, born from centuries of slavery, segregation, and discrimination, still shape the opportunities and experiences of people of color. Nationally, we see persistent racial disparities in wealth, education, criminal justice, housing, and health outcomes. In California’s 34th Congressional District (CA-34), these systemic inequalities manifest acutely due to the district’s racial diversity and economic challenges. And as a public children’s court attorney for the most vulnerable parents and families of Los Angeles County, I see the systemic inequalities everyday inside and outside of the courtroom, with the families and parents I serve, help and defend and these should end.
Economic Inequality: Nearly 80% of CA-34 residents identify as people of color, with the majority being Latino, followed by Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Despite Los Angeles being one of the world’s wealthiest cities, the racial wealth gap in CA-34 is stark. Latino and Black families earn far less than their white counterparts. Nationally, the median wealth of white households is 10 times greater than that of Black households and 7 times greater than that of Latino households. Locally, gentrification continues to displace communities of color, with rising rent prices pushing families out of historically Black and Latino neighborhoods in Boyle Heights, Highland Park, and Chinatown.
Criminal Justice and Policing: Racial disparities in policing and incarceration disproportionately impact Black and Latino communities in Los Angeles. CA-34 residents regularly experience over-policing, with Black residents being more likely to be stopped, searched, and incarcerated. Despite making up just 8% of the city’s population, Black residents represent 29% of those arrested for resisting arrest. The school-to-prison pipeline remains a serious issue, as Black and Latino youth face harsher punishments and more frequent suspensions than their white peers in schools.
Education: The inequities extend into the education system, where students of color, particularly Latino and Black students, experience higher dropout rates, fewer resources, and less access to advanced coursework. The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), which serves many CA-34 students, is underfunded and struggling to meet the needs of its majority-minority student body. Data shows that Latino students in CA-34 are more likely to attend schools that are overcrowded and under-resourced, perpetuating cycles of poverty and limiting upward mobility.
Housing: Historically redlined neighborhoods in CA-34, such as parts of Boyle Heights, remain under-resourced, with families of color more likely to face housing insecurity. Recent studies show that 61% of renters in CA-34 spend more than 30% of their income on rent, a statistic that disproportionately affects Latino and Black renters. Homelessness, driven by unaffordable housing and lack of economic opportunity, is disproportionately experienced by people of color in the district.
Health Disparities: The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the racial inequities in health outcomes. Latino and Black communities in CA-34 experienced disproportionately higher rates of infection and death, due to a lack of access to healthcare, crowded housing, and overrepresentation in frontline jobs. Nationally, Black and Latino Americans are nearly three times more likely to die from COVID-19 than their white counterparts, reflecting deeper structural inequalities in healthcare access.
What We Can Do
- End Racial Disparities in Policing and Criminal Justice
- Community-Led Public Safety: Shift funding from police departments to community-based violence prevention programs and mental health services. Invest in non-carceral interventions that reduce violence without increasing the size of law enforcement.
- Abolish Cash Bail: Advocate for the abolition of cash bail, which disproportionately penalizes low-income people of color. Instead, we should implement risk assessment-based systems that prioritize community safety without criminalizing poverty.
- Decriminalize Poverty: End the criminalization of homelessness and poverty in Los Angeles. This includes halting sweeps of homeless encampments and redirecting funds from police enforcement to housing and social services.
- School-to-Prison Pipeline: Implement restorative justice programs in schools to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline that disproportionately affects Black and Latino youth. Increase funding for counselors, mental health services, and after-school programs, and eliminate suspensions and expulsions for non-violent offenses.
- Expand Economic Opportunity and Close the Racial Wealth Gap
- Guaranteed Income Programs: Support universal basic income programs targeted toward the most economically disadvantaged communities in CA-34. Pilot programs in cities like Stockton, California, have demonstrated the power of direct cash transfers in uplifting Black and Latino families.
- Small Business Support for Communities of Color: Increase federal grants and subsidies for small businesses owned by people of color in CA-34. These businesses are crucial for economic empowerment, yet often face discriminatory lending practices and lack of access to capital.
- Fair Wage Policies: Fight for a $25 minimum wage to ensure that no one working full time in CA-34 lives in poverty. This policy would disproportionately benefit Latino and Black workers who are often relegated to low-wage jobs.
- Housing as a Human Right
- Federal Rent Control and Anti-Displacement Measures: Support rent control policies that protect tenants from predatory rent hikes and displacement, especially in gentrifying neighborhoods like Boyle Heights. This includes federal action to cap rent increases and provide legal representation for tenants in eviction cases.
- Public Housing Expansion: Push for an ambitious federal public housing program that builds millions of affordable housing units, particularly in under-resourced areas like CA-34. A federal expansion of public housing will address the affordability crisis and combat racial segregation.
- Redlining Reparations: Establish a national reparations fund that invests in formerly redlined communities. This fund would support affordable housing, education, and infrastructure improvements in areas like Highland Park and East LA that continue to suffer from the legacies of racial discrimination.
- Health Equity and Access
- Universal Healthcare: Support Medicare for All to ensure that all residents of CA-34, regardless of income or immigration status, have access to quality healthcare. Black and Latino residents are far more likely to be uninsured or underinsured, leading to preventable deaths and untreated chronic conditions.
- Mental Health Parity: Increase funding for mental health services that are culturally competent and accessible to communities of color. Expand mobile mental health clinics to meet the needs of those experiencing homelessness and trauma in CA-34.
- Environmental Justice: Address environmental racism in CA-34 by increasing federal investment in clean air, clean water, and green spaces in communities of color. Advocate for environmental cleanups in areas impacted by industrial pollution, such as South LA and East LA.
- Education Equity
- Fully Fund Public Education: Fight for federal education funding that ensures schools in low-income, majority-minority neighborhoods receive adequate resources. This includes increasing teacher pay, reducing classroom sizes, and expanding access to technology and internet services.
- Free College and Trade School: Support tuition-free public college and trade schools to give students of color the tools to succeed in an increasingly competitive economy. Higher education must be accessible to everyone, regardless of race or income.
- Reparations and Support for H.R. 40
- Understanding the Past: Reparations are a crucial step toward addressing the enduring legacy of slavery, Jim Crow laws, and systemic racism that continues to harm Black Americans today. The racial wealth gap, disparities in housing, healthcare, education, and the criminal justice system are all consequences of centuries of discrimination that have never been properly addressed or compensated. In California’s 34th Congressional District, where many Black residents continue to experience the effects of systemic inequality, reparations offer a path toward economic and social justice.
- Supporting H.R. 40: I fully support H.R. 40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act, which would establish a commission to examine the impact of slavery and its ongoing effects, and recommend remedies, including reparations. This bill, first introduced more than 30 years ago by Rep. John Conyers and now championed by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, is long overdue. It’s time for a national reckoning that acknowledges the profound harm caused by the institution of slavery and the discriminatory policies that followed.
Reparations aren’t just about financial compensation—they’re about addressing the structural inequalities that persist today. The commission established by H.R. 40 would examine the impact of discriminatory policies, including redlining, mass incarceration, and employment discrimination, and propose solutions to close the racial wealth gap and uplift Black communities. - Local Implications for CA-34: In CA-34, the legacy of redlining and segregation has left deep scars in historically Black neighborhoods, such as parts of South Los Angeles. Black families have been systematically excluded from wealth-building opportunities, such as homeownership, while being disproportionately targeted by mass incarceration and over-policing. The commission’s findings would be vital in addressing the racial wealth gap locally, helping to ensure that Black residents in CA-34 receive the resources, investments, and reparative justice they deserve.
Supporting H.R. 40 and advancing reparations is not just a moral imperative; it is necessary for building an equitable and just society. The time to act is now. By addressing the harms of the past and investing in the future, we can begin to heal the deep racial divides that continue to hold Black Americans back in CA-34 and across the country.
Conclusion
Racial justice is not just about addressing individual discrimination, but dismantling the systemic barriers that continue to oppress communities of color. In CA-34, we see these barriers in economic disparities, criminal justice inequities, underfunded schools, unaffordable housing, and a lack of healthcare access. My policy platform is built on the belief that everyone deserves a fair shot at the American dream, regardless of their race or zip code. Together, we can fight for an America that lives up to its promises of freedom and justice for all.