Our current megadrought is the worst in 1,200 years. Across many parts of the state, California’s groundwater basins are “critically overdrafted.” We cannot bury our heads in the sand and hope for a miracle. We need to plan for less water – dramatically improving water conservation, infrastructure and management.  

Recognizing the urgency of the water crisis, I have supported historic investments to shore up our water infrastructure, enhance water reuse and recycling and improve water storage.  

As we roll out these investments, it is imperative that the Legislature build in robust oversight and accountability – to ensure that these historic investments yield historic results and to ensure that we are prepared to meet the water needs for future generations of Californians. 

We need to do more to lower the cost of housing for all Californians. Over the last two years, I have supported historic, multi-billion dollar investments in the California budget to help build more affordable and workforce housing in job-rich neighborhoods. In addition, I support simplifying regulations and eliminating unnecessary red tape to make it faster and less expensive to build new housing.

In order to address the housing crisis, it is also critical to modernize CEQA, the California Environmental Quality Act, to ensure that we protect our environment while addressing the abuses that have sabotaged much-needed housing creation across the state.   

One of my top priorities in the Assembly is improving education outcomes for Orange County students. When our kids succeed, our communities thrive. In the Assembly, I have been proud to champion initiatives to improve education from cradle to career, including:  

1) Early Childhood Education

Early childhood education is critical to long term success. I have championed legislation to expand free preschool enrollment and provide free preschool for 10,000 more children in California.  

2) Additional Funding for Local Schools

Investing in our kids is the most important investment we can make. As your Assemblymember, I have supported historic investments in our elementary, middle and high schools. And as Chair of the Assembly’s Accountability and Administrative Review Committee, I am working to ensure that these funds are spent on improving instruction, not expanding bureaucracy.  

3) Boosted UC & CSU Enrollment

All qualified California students should have a spot at a California university. California’s public universities attract students from all over the world, but my top priority is ensuring local students can attend these world class schools. In the Assembly, I was proud to support additional funding for California students to attend UC and CSU schools, including 4,860 more slots in the UC system and 10,000 more slots at the CSU. 

The climate crisis is here, now and urgent. California is experiencing the devastating impacts of climate change each and every day – blistering heat waves, severe drought, catastrophic wildfires and rising seas. California is leading on climate action and I am focused on two key priorities:  

1) Accelerate California’s Clean Energy Transition

In the Assembly, I have worked to accelerate California’s clean energy transition. I have supported historic infrastructure investments that are critical to hit our climate goals. Alongside these investments, we need to eliminate roadblocks for clean energy projects. Today, it is too hard to site solar, wind and carbon capture projects in California. We must eliminate these roadblocks in order to achieve net zero.

2) Incentivize Clean Energy Investments

I want California to be the birthplace for the next generation of breakthrough innovations to tackle the climate crisis. It’s critical for California and it’s critical for our planet. That’s why I have championed legislation to incentivize investment in the research & development activities that are so vital to develop these new technologies. In the Assembly, I have worked to support the development of Carbon Capture and Sequestration technologies – this is an area that I will continue to work in my next term.