United States SenateCandidate for Senator

I believe we must incentivize the production of clean energy. That is why I co- signed a letter of support for the extension of both Production Tax Credit (PTC) and the Investment Tax Credit (ITC), which provide tax credits to various renewable electricity sources. Today the fossil fuel industry – coal, oil, and natural gas – benefits from numerous direct and indirect subsidies. These loopholes allow them to avoid complying with laws to protect our air and water. Congress needs to end these subsidies and close the loopholes.

The plague of gun violence demands a strong response at all levels of government.

While I affirm the constitutional right to bear arms, I support reasonable regulation of firearms, which is why I stand with President Barack Obama on this issue and have endorsed every measure he has taken to strengthen enforcement of existing gun laws.

I support the proposed ban on high-capacity magazines, child safety locks, waiting periods for gun sales, development of “smart gun” technology, universal background checks for all sales and closing the gun show loophole.

Please read more at my April 2016 Sacramento Bee Op-Ed: http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article73430062.html

Legalizing marijuana is a decision that should be left up to the voters of each individual state. The federal government should not step in if a state votes to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, as Washington and Colorado have. Marijuana should be decriminalized and moved from Schedule I to Schedule II. I have always supported access to medical marijuana. I have voted against funding to the DOJ to conduct raids on medical marijuana dispensaries. I have worked to bring this industry out from the blackmarket by supporting efforts to allow banks to hold accounts for medical marijuana businesses. I also supported the move to unionize the first medical marijuana dispensary in California, which occured in my district.

Immigration is the moral imperative of our nation and a key issue I want to address in the Senate. Our immigration system is broken, deeply dysfunctional and must be reformed now. I have voted time and time again for the commonsense, bipartisan DREAM Act which would provide millions of young people who grew up in the United States with the opportunity to achieve the American Dream and a chance to contribute to our country's well-being by serving in the Armed Forces or pursuing a higher education. I've continued pushing for this commonsense bipartisan legislation's passage and I've held listening session with local activists to ensure their important voices and perspectives are included. The DREAM Act passed in the House but failed in the Senate, which is why I want to provide a strong voice for passing comprehensive immigration reform in the Senate.