Hi, I’m Stephen. I grew up right in California’s 48th district, — just 10 minutes down the road from where I now live with my wife and son. I know the folks in my district because I grew up facing many of the same challenges that plague our community today. I know what it’s like to be in the working class; what it’s like to have to choose between paying your mortgage and your health care. My mother worked two jobs to make ends meet, so I helped raise my sister and started working when I was 13. Darrell Issa is a multimillionaire who can’t possibly know what it’s like to be you or me, to struggle finding good work, or to pinch every penny so you can afford to one day send your child to college.
I will bring federal funding back to our district to diversify our energy infrastructure portfolio, protect our homes from drought-induced wildfires, and ensure affordable and reliable water supplies.
The US subsidizes fossil fuels to the tune of tens or hundreds of billions of dollars every year. This subsidy comes out of your pockets and goes straight into the pockets of fossil fuel CEOs and shareholders.
Global gas prices are soaring even as the market is moving away from fossil fuels – the price of solar and wind power is dropping every day, and if we don’t jump on this train, it’s going to leave without us (with China at the helm).
California can be the global leader in solar energy. Early investments here can lead to huge returns. As a clean energy champion, I led the way to establish Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) in California’s 48th. As a result, schools, businesses, and residences have made big investments in clean solar energy.
Wildfires are too often started by power lines igniting the surrounding vegetation, resulting in billions of dollars in property damage, with ratepayers left footing the bill. It is time to rebuild our energy grid, including undergrounding of power lines to protect our precious backcountry.
