Candidate for
Member, Democratic Party County Central Committee; County of Sacramento; State Assembly District 10

I'm a progressive Democrat.

I support a free, diverse and independent media; free from excessive corporate influence. I believe that the public air waves are just that, public. I believe that the Internet, the development of which was funded by American tax dollars, belongs to the public. I believe Net neutrality must be defended at all costs. I strongly oppose any further consolidation of the media and believe that media consolidation has already gone too far.

I support organized labor; fair trade; quality public education; affordable, subsidized higher education for those meeting academic requirements; a national, single-payer health care system; comprehensive sex education; international family planning aid; a woman's right to privacy; equal rights for those in the LGBT community, including equal civil marriage rights, higher federal vehicle fuel economy standards; secure, transparent and verifiable voting systems and a progressive income tax system, based on one's ability to pay.

I believe that the best way to ease prison overcrowding is be releasing non-violent offenders early. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world. More prisons are not the answer to the overcrowding problem. I oppose capital punishment.

I believe that the invasion and occupation of Iraq is being conducted primarily for oil company and defense contractor profits. I believe we need to begin an orderly withdrawal of all troops and private contractors from Iraq immediately. I believe the U.S. defense budget is bloated and that the use of military force should always be considered only as a last resort and only when our security is truly threatened. Diplomacy should always be our primary tool for resolving international disputes. I believe we have a moral obligation to take care of our wounded veterans, regardless of the cost. Just one more reason not to go to war in the first place.