PRIORITIES
I imagine a world with Trump as president again and it motivates me to protect the values that enabled me and so many members of our community to thrive here. In the State Assembly, the Sacramento Bee named me “California’s Most Prolific Lawmaker” for my record of passing bills to protect abortion rights, fight Trump’s hate, and lower our costs of living. Now, I’m running to take the fight to Congress.
ABORTION RIGHTS
I will be a steadfast defender of a woman's right to choose because I believe it is a private healthcare decision she should make between her doctor, her family and herself. In the State Assembly, I proudly coauthored Proposition 1, which enshrined abortion rights in our California constitution.
I’m deeply honored to be the only candidate in this race with a 100% score from Planned Parenthood California this year. I know that as your representative, it is critical that I stand with women to defend privacy in healthcare decisions and ensure accessible, quality reproductive healthcare for all.
At a time when the anti-abortion extremists who hold a narrow majority in the House are pushing a national abortion ban, I’m running for Congress to keep standing up for reproductive freedom. I’ll oppose all attempts by MAGA Republicans to pass a national abortion ban, and I’ll fight to pass the reproductive freedoms of Roe into law.
COST OF LIVING AND HOUSING AFFORDABILITY
As your Congressman, I will support policies to lower our cost of living and fight to ensure everyone can afford to stay in the homes they love within the communities they know.
As a middle-class resident who lives in and proudly serves Silicon Valley, I myself cannot afford to purchase a home in the community I grew up in. Housing supply has not kept pace with demand, resulting in high housing prices, which is why I have helped pass laws in the state legislature that add more housing options at all income levels. In Congress, I’ll advocate for federal-level investments and policies that ensure all of our neighbors can afford a home in our community. I’ll work to facilitate collaboration between all levels of government and the private sector to develop innovative solutions that lower housing costs. I also hope to increase the SALT deduction cap to provide immediate relief for Silicon Valley homeowners. I’ll always fight to protect Social Security and work hard to increase monthly payments to our senior citizens so that those most in need are able to live happily in their golden years.
HOMELESSNESS
As a State Assemblymember, I’ve supported legislation investing in substance use prevention programs and mental health services, as well as expanding critical supportive housing to help get homeless Californians off our streets and on the pathway to a healthier, safer, and sustainable life.
As your Congressman, I will work on bipartisan legislation to bring federal resources back to Silicon Valley to expand the availability and accessibility of substance use prevention programs, mental healthcare services, and supportive housing that provide local public officials the costly resources needed to get the chronically homeless off our streets. Congress should be able to work together to provide states and local governments significant support that can help us resolve this humanitarian crisis we see unfolding before our eyes daily in all our communities.
PUBLIC SAFETY AND GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION
I am deeply concerned about the rising crime we see within our communities, which is why as a State Assemblymember I have advocated for stronger laws and supported hundreds of millions of dollars in state investments to stop organized criminal activities such as human trafficking and gangs, retail and porch package theft, and child sexual exploitation.
I have also supported efforts to stop the epidemic of gun violence including stronger laws, funding for local gun buyback programs as well as the Firearm Violence Research Center, and I joined the call for a federal constitutional convention to address gun violence. I’m proud of my F- rating from the NRA.
As a State Assemblymember, I authored Assembly Bill 2888 in the wake of the Brock Turner Stanford rape case so that a rape conviction results in a mandatory 3-year sentence, and I authored Assembly Bill 1371 which helps keep child sex offenders away from minors. Additionally, I authored legislation to strengthen social media cyberbullying prevention procedures.
I am proud to have been honored as Legislator of the Year by the California Police Chiefs Association for my work as a State Assemblymember supporting public safety in our communities. With my brother also answering the call to public service as a City of San Jose police officer, it is important to me that we do everything we can to support the safety and success of the men and women on the frontline keeping our communities safe.
As your Representative in Congress, I will continue my work to uphold the rule of law and advocate for resources to support public safety in our communities, including advocating for national commonsense gun safety laws like universal background checks, closing the boyfriend loophole, reasonable firearm purchase waiting periods, and restricting the purchase of assault weapons and silencers. I will also continue to prioritize innovative ideas to help protect our children from the increasing dangers posed by an ever-shrinking world.
HEALTHCARE AFFORDABILITY
I am a firm believer that access to quality healthcare is a human right. I support achieving universal health care access for all.
While the Affordable Care Act is not perfect, it provided access to healthcare for millions of Californians including many of our most vulnerable community members. As your Congressmember, I will stand strong to protect the gains achieved in the Affordable Care Act including consumer protections for pre-existing conditions and cost-assistance which makes it more affordable for local families to purchase healthcare through Covered California. Ultimately, I would like to work towards the goal of a Medicare for All system to ensure every American can access quality, affordable healthcare.
I will continue to support policies and investments that help bring down the cost of healthcare for families including expanding subsidies to offset monthly premium costs and lowering the cost of prescription drugs.
EDUCATION
As a State Assemblymember and a product of California public schools and colleges, I’ve led the effort to reinvest in public education. Since I was first elected to the State Assembly in 2014, I helped increase per pupil spending from $11,145 per student annually (one of the worst in the country) to over $20,000 per student annually. I am also honored to serve on the Assembly Higher Education Committee, and I have pushed CSU and UC administrators to be accountable to the public by prioritizing expanding available seats for our students at universities and tying funding increases to not raising tuition on families. Education is the cornerstone of our economy and our democracy, and it is the best investment for maintaining Silicon Valley’s global competitive advantage.
As your Congressmember, I will push for greater federal investment in public education to increase student achievement and prepare our next generation with the skills they need to succeed. I’ll oppose book bans and attempts to whitewash our nation’s diverse history.
TECHNOLOGY, SMALL BUSINESS, AND INNOVATION
As a founder and Chair of the California Legislative Technology and Innovation Caucus, I strive to embody Silicon Valley's innovative spirit and champion technological advancement for the greater good. In the State Assembly, I’ve collaborated with our largest tech companies and startups alike to expand STEM education, create state incentives for innovation, and take a forward-looking approach to regulating technologies like cryptocurrency and AI.
In Congress, I will promote a Silicon Valley “Acceleration Agenda” advocating on market-forward policies that advance emerging technologies including digital currency and artificial intelligence, and supporting a growth-focused tax system. I support a tax structure that encourages investment in US small business, increasing utilization of AI to enhance daily lives for a robust business and innovation economy while preserving human centered control, and increasing R&D (Research and Development) tax credits in life sciences and manufacturing. I also support immigration reform to increase the cap on visas for skilled technologists and increasing federal funding for broadband access.
Our district has benefited greatly from the growth of the internet and the entrepreneurial spirit that made Silicon Valley the world’s leader in technology. As a member of Congress, I will work to make sure that innovation in crypto and digital assets can continue to create well-paying jobs in our district. But the status quo securities laws from 1933 are not fit to regulate 21st century technologies. It's time for clear rules of the road. If Congress does not act, more and more Americans will be exposed to the risks of offshore and unregulated entities like FTX.
Blockchain technology and its applications are ushering in the next generation of the internet, allowing Americans to own their data, create wealth, and be stakeholders in the digital spaces of the future. The United States must lead the development of crypto and blockchain technology in the 21st century, rather than countries like Russia and China. As a member of Congress, I will work to make sure the United States has regulatory frameworks in place that allow American values to define the future of the global financial system, while protecting everyday consumers and ensuring no American is left behind. Crypto promises to deliver more equitable and efficient financial services, including for unbanked Americans, and we need regulations that protect consumers while not blocking innovation with overzealous regulation so that crypto can benefit the people who need it most. Congress must act to address gaps in the oversight of digital assets, such as defining what makes a digital asset a security or a commodity. We will continue to see jobs and innovation move overseas, if Congress does not act to create a clear regulatory framework for digital assets.
STOPPING HATE AND PROTECTING OUR DEMOCRACY
Since the election of Donald Trump as President in 2016, we have seen a dramatic increase in hate crimes and speech, as well as a very troubling rise in violent and authoritarian political ideology in our country. In Washington, I will stand strong against MAGA extremism, never stop defending our constitutional democracy, and always work to combat hate as I have throughout my time in the state legislature.
As a State Assemblymember and Chair of the California Asian American & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, I have fought successfully to increase resources to combat the rise in anti-Asian hate, antisemitism, homophobia, Islamophobia, and xenophobia, and other forms of hate, including securing over $200 million in investments to support victim services, violence prevention measures, and educational achievement programs. I have also worked with district attorneys and law enforcement to provide them with additional legal tools to more accurately identify individuals who commit hate crimes, and I have advocated for stronger laws that allow our courts to hold accountable individuals who commit hate crimes and provide justice for victims of hate crimes. I proudly sponsored the bipartisan Assembly Bill 1064 to increase the penalty for hate crimes and allow the introduction of racial bias-related evidence during trials in California, because racism and hate have no place here or anywhere. In Congress, I’ll work to strengthen hate crime protections at the federal level.
Last year, I organized a group of 11 of my legislative colleagues to write a letter to the Attorney General of California asking that he seek the opinion of the courts as to whether or not Donald Trump is eligible to run for public office again because of his violation of the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution which clearly states you cannot have taken an oath to support the U.S. Constitution and then participated in an insurrection against our country as we all witnessed him do on January 6, 2021. I am hopeful that the United States Supreme Court will ultimately uphold the rule of law and our Constitution by removing Donald Trump’s eligibility to appear on the ballot, as I opined in a Mercury News opinion last September. I will always prioritize protecting our democracy from right-wing attacks in Congress.
MARRIAGE EQUALITY AND LGBTQ+ RIGHTS
As a gay man and your State Assemblymember, I have fought to ensure that everyone is able to love who they love without interference from the government and stop draconian laws and practices unfairly targeting the LGBTQ+ community.
I am proud to have authored Assembly Constitutional Amendment 5, which will give California voters the opportunity to remove the homophobic language restricting same-sex marriage put in our State Constitution by Proposition 8 in 2008. This initiative will enshrine marriage equality and religious freedom for all Californians moving forward and make sure that if the Supreme Court of the United States reverses itself on marriage equality, all California marriages will be protected.
Additionally, one of my projects as a State Assemblymember has been to eradicate the harmful anti-LGBTQ+ stigma at the core of so-called “conversion therapy.” I worked across the aisle to earn support from Republican legislators and recruited religious leaders into our coalition effort to pass a ban against conversion therapy in California. I helped center the voices of survivors who have fallen victim to these non-scientific therapies that have torn apart families and had significant consequences on their mental health and wellbeing. I fully plan to continue this fight in Congress and build consensus across the aisle that will be critical in making this proposal a law.
CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Climate change significantly threatens our planet, impacting weather patterns, sea levels, and ecosystems. I have always advocated for a shift towards renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and hydropower to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and decrease carbon emissions. In the State Assembly, I supported the climate package which appropriated $54 billion dollars over 6 years for fighting climate change, along with other bills including SB 261 which requires large companies in California to submit annual reports on their climate-related financial risk and AB 1082 and 1083 to expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
There is no silver bullet piece of legislation when it comes to tackling our climate challenges, which means we must take a multifaceted approach building upon our record in California and the steps forward made by the Inflation Reduction Act. Since Silicon Valley is the technological epicenter, it is imperative that we harness its potential to combat climate change. AI can analyze vast amounts of data, such as weather patterns, vegetation health, and historical fire data, to predict the risk of wildfires, monitor air quality in real-time, detect pollution sources, and develop strategies to reduce emissions. This can lead to improved air quality and public health. I also believe carbon removal technologies must be part of our strategy to address climate change. I’m not alone - The Biden Administration and our very own California Air Resources Board (CARB) acknowledge that it will have to be part of the solution.