U.S. House of RepresentativesCandidate for District 24

Millions of immigrants currently live in the United States without documentation and without legal protections in constant fear of deportation. These are families that came to America in order to give themselves and their children a chance at the many remarkable opportunities this country has to offer.

When I immigrated with my family, it was through a system that worked. Now that system is broken. The real answer to fixing our broken immigration system is through comprehensive immigration reform that only Congress can enact. When I am in Congress, I will make it a priority to work across the aisle to pass bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform to protect and to keep these families together. Families that, like all of us, want live with dignity, without fear and to contribute to our great nation.

One of the things I pride myself on most is my strong record of working across party lines, bringing Democrats and Republicans together to solve problems and get results for our constituents. As a Santa Barbara County Supervisor, I’ve worked across the aisle to preserve our natural environment and open spaces, expand health insurance for our kids and invest in our highways and roads to create jobs and maintain our quality of life.

The partisanship in Congress is unfortunate and is damaging our nation. There are still opportunities, however, to build relationships with colleagues across the aisle in order to create to bring positive investments and opportunities for our citizens along the Central Coast. I believe that’s the kind of leadership we need in Congress today.

International terrorism and lone wolf attacks inspired by this radical ideology here in the United States are of extreme concern. It is not an excuse, however, for the hateful rhetoric of Republican candidates this election cycle. We must do everything in our power to strengthen our immigration screenings, but they should not be stopped altogether nor should they discriminate based on race or religion. 

The Central Coast is home to some of the most diverse and beautiful places in the world. It is imperative that we work to conserve our water during this historic drought. We need to encourage a multi-modal solution to one of the most pressing environmental crises of out times. We need to encourage programs that expand our water recycling, storage and desalinization all in coordination. California is home to a vibrant agricultural community and we need to focus on a solution that is viable for our Central Coast agricultural businesses as well. 

I would also encourage us to move toward cleaner energy solutions that help create new jobs, like we did with the solar power facilities in the Cuyama Valley and on the Carrizo Plain. I am proud to have served on President Obama’s task force on climate change to come up with a range of sustainable solutions to be implemented at the state and local levels and to have the Sierra Club’s endorsement. I will fight to protect our Central Coast’s environment and renew our investments in clean energy sources, so that future generations have the opportunity to enjoy these open spaces in our region.