All communities deserve to be safe places where people can thrive. As I look across this district, I know that the number of police on the street alone does not make the 28th District neighborhoods safe. Safety comes from services and opportunity. I believe in a justice system centered around diversion and rehabilitation while holding law enforcement accountable. I firmly believe we need to create opportunity and address the root causes of poverty and inequity instead of leading with a surveillance and incarceration approach. 

I believe we need to continue the work being done by the penal code revision committee that’s looking at disparities in sentencing and integrated reentry, and making parole more accessible. Our safety also depends on getting guns out of our communities. I will fight for common-sense gun-safety reform to include prohibitions on building ghost guns and requiring universal background checks on all firearms sales from gun shows and online retailers. I will support the due process of law and the sanctity of life, particularly vulnerable Black, Brown, and poor communities. 

I am grateful to have the support of the California Professional Firefighters, United Firefighters of L.A. City, and the teachers and social workers who work with young people most at risk.