The current state of life for CA- constituents is drastically different from the powerful politicians on Capitol Hill. Incumbents like my opponent simply do not get it: their business as usual, performative and misleading “progressive” politics deliver zero meaningful results for anyone. It is precisely this disconnect which allows them to make cheerful, rhetorical speeches while their constituents’ living conditions continuously worsen. Our representative must not only be aware of, but driven by the direct every-day realities and needs of the people in this community.
We can ensure that this happens through co-governance.
I will serve as representative who:
- proactively co-governs with local activists, community organizations, constituents and residents of their district in authoring legislation together, putting forth bills together
- purposefully seeks the input of the most marginalized members of our communities when considering legislation to ensure their voices are heard
- provides drop-in hours and office hours, in-person and remotely
- holds monthly public constituent meetings with advance public notice of all details for the public to see, including the location, and allowing every constituent to ask a question and not just a select few
- prioritizes budgeting in such a way so that the peoples’ needs are met first before any tax breaks, subsidies and free money is given to corporate and special interests – the same corporate and special interests that fund career politicians’ re-elections
- closely works with our city, county and state representatives and agencies in coordinating and ensuring that we actually receive federal support, funding and services, and not just co-sponsoring legislation when obliged to by the party or when it’s popular to do so
- implements a system of checks whereby representatives can track federal spending by the dollar to ensure those funds are actually being given to those in the community who deserve the assistance
- Eliminates unnecessary “red tape” and bureaucratic inefficiency
Co-governance has the potential to expand beyond these discretionary measures, however. As an elected representative, I seek to pass our Responsive Representation Bill:
- Mandatory public town hall district meetings
- Established Congressional district databases of information for constituents to search for, identity and use information on resources easily
- Constituent online portal for each district to see what members are doing in committee, and where they’ll be
- Educative measures on how to easily access bill information
Our elected federal representatives aren’t co-governing, communicating and coordinating with our constituents, activists, community organizations or local leaders. They are instead passively co-sponsoring bills when told to do so by the ruling class. Therefore we cannot expect them to understand our struggle, and the urgency required to implement substantive change. This disconnect results in a government that allows its people to slip through cracks into perpetual ruin, as it abandons their collective future.
It’s time to take our power back as a people and create a government that represents us, and that starts with voting in 100% people-powered candidates who are sourced and rooted in the community, and who will co-govern, communicate and coordinate.
That is what I promise to do as your Congressperson.
