Our district is incredibly diverse. Approximately, 65% of our community identifies as Hispanic/Latine, 20% as AAPI, 5% as Black, and 33% as some other race. Approximately 10% of our residents are disabled and 2% are Veterans. We are a patchwork — a model of what America should look like at its best — people from all walks of life living in harmony. Or at least, that’s what we should be.

For too long, our community’s unique needs have been ignored by the representatives who are supposed to serve us. Achieving financial security is a challenge for everyone, but communities of color have been hit hard, especially by the spread of high-end housing development. Undocumented persons are at greater risk of seeing their hard-earned wages stolen from them by their employers, often forced to work in horrible conditions, and subjected to verbal, mental, and emotional abuse, because they are considered “replaceable.” In addition, almost 40% of deaths in the United States are attributable to preventable health behaviors. One of our most urgent needs is to address nutrition inequities in low-income neighborhoods and neighborhoods with “food deserts.” Americans currently lack widespread access to mental health and substance abuse harm reduction programs, which would help prevent countless comorbidities, save billions of dollars in reactive treatment costs in the process, and allow our society to fulfill its potential. Some estimate that community-based social interventions could save $5 for every $1 invested, simultaneously optimizing our tax dollars while ensuring healthy outcomes.