He’s running for Congress in California’s 45th Congressional district because Washington is broken. As our community struggles to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, career politicians are more interested in serving themselves and their partisan agenda rather than serving the people who elected them.
Jay knows that maintaining roads and bridges and modernizing transit and railway systems creates good local jobs and is a critical investment in our future. Investing in America’s infrastructure is the best way to improve and create sustainable, clean transportation options for millions of Americans who commute daily while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and gridlock.
Jay will work to improve transportation options and tackle traffic bottlenecks so that Southern California residents can spend more time with their families and less time on the road. He will also ensure that our infrastructure dollars are not just used to widen freeways, but will expand public transit, bike, and pedestrian pathways as well.
Our reliance on lead pipes and service lines has gone on far too long. Millions of Americans go without clean drinking water including 400,000 schools and childcare facilities. In Congress Jay will fight to replace these pipes and work to ensure every child has clean drinking water.
As a community college trustee and former school board member, Jay is committed to expanding educational opportunities for all. In Congress Jay will work to ensure that local public schools receive the resources and funding they need to reduce class sizes, invest in STEM programs, and hire exceptional teachers. He knows we can do better by investing in neighborhood schools to guarantee all children have equal access to a quality education. Jay will also support the expansion of early childhood education. A child’s future prospects should not depend upon the zip code that they grow up in.
Jay is committed to creating safe and supportive school environments for students and educators. He will work across the aisle to invest in education so our schools can safely remain open. Jay will work hard to ensure all students have a safe, healthy school environment.
As a Lieutenant Commander in the US Naval Reserves, Jay understands the importance of supporting our veterans, those currently serving, and their families.
The men and women who have fought for our country deserve the best healthcare and support services. That’s why in Congress Jay will work to streamline the VA, make it easier for younger veterans to enter the system, ensure quicker access to treatment, and make sure that all veterans can access the health care they deserve.
One homeless veteran is one too many. We must support and fund programs that ensure housing for the men and women who have given so much to serve and protect our country. Jay supports expanding mental health and suicide prevention services for all those who sacrifice for our country.
Jay believes that reproductive rights should be protected at all cost and health care decisions should be made between a woman and her doctor, without interference from politicians. Attacks on Roe vs Wade and the right to an abortion endangers the health and safety of women across the country. All women should have the right and ability to safely end an unintended pregnancy.
In Congress Jay will support legislation to expand funding for reproductive healthcare services like Planned Parenthood as well as services that provide preventative health care, education and access to contraceptives. This is critical for achieving gender equity.
Jay will fight to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act which aims to increase pay equity along gender and racial lines. He will work to ensure that every family has the security to take the time they need to care for their loved ones by promoting paid family leave, and that all parents can return to work through the expansion of childcare options.
Small businesses are the fabric of our community. Jay grew up helping with his family’s small business and he is a small business owner himself; he knows these businesses have been hit the hardest by the Covid-19 pandemic and continue to struggle to keep their doors open amidst changing regulations.
In Congress Jay will increase programs that assist small businesses in obtaining the resources they need to stay open in their communities. He will also support efforts to streamline the opening of new businesses and fight for policies that make it more attractive for entrepreneurs to grow their companies here in California.
Jay led an intelligence team in the fight against the terrorist group ISIS and understands the critical role the United States plays as a beacon of democracy and as a leader on human rights. He also saw firsthand the damage done to our credibility when allies were shunned and autocrats were courted by the last administration.
We must restore our standing in the world and among our allies by upholding human rights and democratic principles here at home, by honoring our commitments to our international partners, and by holding to account those who abuse human rights and flout international law. As a member of the US Navy’s 7th Fleet, he is proud to be part of the military command ensuring security for our democratic allies in the Western Pacific.
At home, the right to vote must be protected at all cost. When voters are suppressed and disenfranchised the soul of our democracy is threatened. In Congress Jay will work to pass legislation that strengthens voting rights, fights discriminatory policies, and bolsters public confidence in our democratic system.
Jay knows that even small price increases of everyday goods can be difficult for families’ budgets and is committed to lowering costs for working Americans.
The United States must work to reduce prices while rebuilding our country and creating millions of good-paying jobs in the process.
Every American deserves quality affordable and accessible health care with lower out-of-pocket expenses and premiums. By expanding and investing in healthcare coverage we can improve it instead of dismantling it, and protect Americans with pre-existing conditions. No family should ever have to make the choice between paying an emergency medical bill or putting food on the table. In Congress ensuring that every American has quality affordable coverage will be my top priority.
The United States spends more money on healthcare than almost any other country in the world and we have little to show for it. If we want this to change, we must reduce hospital and pharmaceutical costs through managed competition and create a public option to lower costs and compete with private insurance.
As the child of Taiwanese immigrants who escaped martial law and worked hard to make the U.S. their home, it is inconceivable that Americans often must leave this country to obtain more affordable healthcare services abroad. The United States is the greatest country in the world and we can and must do better.
Gun violence is a national health epidemic that is unique to the United States. Every other day, an incident of gun violence takes place at a school in our country. We cannot accept this as normal, because it isn’t. We must enact the gun safety laws that the vast majority of Americans, including those who own guns, support. This includes expanded background checks that cover all commercial gun sales – including those at gun shows, over the internet, or in classified ads. We need to ban the sale of modifications that make these weapons more dangerous than they already are, and we need to renew the assault weapons ban.
As an officer in the United States Navy Reserves, I’m proud to be qualified as a sharpshooter with both the M9 Beretta and M16. I know how to handle a weapon of war, and I know it has no place in our streets.
As the only candidate running for office who has served on a school board or college board, I’m passionate about putting education issues front and center. My family chose to move to this community 30 years ago precisely because of the quality of our school districts, and in this I am not alone. My education at Mesa Robles Middle School and Glen A. Wilson High School prepared me to attend Harvard University. Our district includes flagship schools such as Troy, ranked #3 in California, Diamond Bar (#37) and Walnut (#44). We must protect the quality of our schools.
As your Congressman, I will support expanding federal funding for public education, including increasing federal grants for afterschool programs, and expanding the reach of Head Start, so more families can benefit from early childhood education. I will oppose unfunded mandates, such as the thankfully shuttered No Child Left Behind, which imposed unrealistic expectations and harsh penalties on schools without providing the funding to raise achievement. I will fight any attempt by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to funnel public dollars away to private schools, and make sure charter schools aren’t given special treatment.
I’m proud that I was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, home to the Kalamazoo Promise program, which ensures tuition-free college within Michigan for graduates of Kalamazoo public high schools. The Kalamazoo Promise inspired the national College Promise program that seeks to make community colleges tuition-free nationwide.
As a Trustee at Mt. San Antonio College, I have been a proponent of College Promise, and I will continue to support this initiative in Congress. As traditional four year universities continue to struggle with escalating demand and increased tuition rates, community colleges will become increasingly necessary to grant students and mid-career workers the opportunity to advance their skillsets and obtain degrees.
Student loan debt is one of the biggest crises faced by our country as the cost of going to college continues to skyrocket. It’s ridiculous that the federal government continues to raise interest rates for economically struggling students while the big banks on Wall Street pay almost nothing to borrow money from the Fed. We need to lower student loan interest rates and allow refinancing of student loan debt to alleviate the student loan crisis and provide relief to millions of Americans.
Wall Street reform and other Democratic policies have given our country the strongest consumer protections in history, and we must fight against Republican efforts to roll them back. As we enter the eighth year of economic expansion that began under President Barack Obama, and as the stock market blows past tech bubble highs, we must be wary that cyclical downturn could be just around the corner. The impacts of any downturn will be exacerbated by the loss of revenue that has been incurred by the Tax Scam recently passed by Congress, which will saddle the federal government with $1.5 trillion in debt, with 70% of the benefits flowing to the richest in our country. As your Congressman, I will fight to restore a progressive tax code that allows everyone to pay their fair share, and does not penalize coastal states that voted for Hillary Clinton.
As a former management consultant to Fortune 500 companies and current owner of a small business, I’ve seen the impact that technology has had in disrupting businesses and shifting paradigms. With the advent of artificial intelligence and greater automation of work, we must be prepared to retrain our workforce for the 21st century job market. We must also fully support our nascent green economy, which is already creating a manufacturing and employment boom here in California, while bettering our environment. Green jobs, whether in installing solar panels, building windmills, or making buildings more energy efficient, are jobs that cannot be offshored.
It is nearly impossible to live on the current federal minimum wage, which has remained unchanged since 2009, at $7.25 per hour. Raising the minimum wage and linking it to inflation or a cost of living index is essential to boosting the overall economy. Protecting workers’ rights and the right to collective bargaining is also essential to protecting the middle class. If President Trump presents a sensible plan for infrastructure investment that does not shortchange workers and the environment, he can expect bipartisan support from Congress. Congressional District 39 is in dire need of federal infrastructure investment. The 57/60 interchange is rated the worst in the nation for traffic accidents, and the east San Gabriel Valley deserves a terminus for the Metro Gold Line extension. As your Congressman, I will fight for the federal dollars we need to improve the quality of life in this district.
In this Year of the Woman, I am proud to hold the endorsement of two of the highest ranking female elected officials in the region, Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva and Supervisor Janice Hahn. They support me because they know that I will be a voice for all. I will always support a woman’s right to choose and fight for equal pay for equal work. I will fight to improve our country’s Paid Family Leave policies for both mothers and fathers, to enable true bonding and family building, which will lead to better-adjusted children and the next generation of contributing citizens. I will also fight for greater access to childcare and early childhood education, so that parents don’t have to choose between pursuing a career and providing quality care for their daughters and sons.
America can have safe, secure borders without sacrificing the dignity and humanity of our immigrants. The Trump border wall and Muslim travel ban provide neither. Our country is currently experiencing a net outflow of undocumented immigrants back to Mexico, and a border wall would be a literal monumental waste of taxpayer dollars, and an unnecessary insult to our third largest trading partner.
The Muslim travel ban is un-American and glosses over a couple of important facts; our nation already has a robust screening process for refugees, and none of the terrorist attacks that have occurred on U.S. soil would have been prevented if this ban had been already in place, since the attackers came from countries not listed in the ban.
Our country was built by immigrants. They make us who we are, and are the essence of our national character. Almost half of Fortune 500 companies were founded by American immigrants or their children. I will fight tooth and nail against any short-sided policy that treats immigrants like a punching bag, as Trump has tried to do with DACA students. As a college trustee, my first instinct when Trump rescinded DACA was to issue a resolution affirming Mt. SAC’s support and protection of our Dreamers, many of whom are the strongest leaders and contributors to our campus. I will take that same tenacity with me to Congress, and fight for a path to legal status for our Dreamers and other undocumented immigrants that affirms rule of law as well as the compassionate nature of our country.
The Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling has been disastrous for American democracy, allowing special interests and the one percent to buy elections and influence with politicians. Outside spending on federal elections has more than doubled since the 2010 decision, leading to policies that only benefit the one percent, like the Republican Tax Scam, while preventing meaningful legislation from being passed on so many important issues.
It’s no surprise that Republicans refuse to pass gun control regulations supported by 86 percent of Americans when the NRA spent $53 million in 2016 to elect Donald Trump and a Republican Congress. When wealthy interest groups can buy a seat at the legislative table to prevent actions that would help the American people, that’s oligarchy, not democracy. We must immediately overturn the dangerous Citizens United decision and restore our democratic values of one person, one vote.
For years, net neutrality protected free speech, competition, and diversity on the internet. The decision by President Trump’s FCC to rescind these rules wrongfully makes every American citizen susceptible to corporate greed by allowing big telecom companies to profit by acting as gatekeepers over what’s allowed on their networks, and how accessible it is. One of my first priorities in Congress will be to pass legislation that fully restores net neutrality protections.
Over the last two years, we have heard repeated warnings from the intelligence community that our cyber security is woefully susceptible to hacking from foreign adversaries. President Trump has refused to address this issue simply because Russian hacking helped him win the White House in 2016. Congress must hold the Trump administration accountable and address this critical issue to make sure our networks are secure and protected.
LGBTQIA rights are human rights. I am honored to have received a unanimous endorsement recommendation from the Stonewall Democratic Club, despite competing in a field of seven progressive candidates. Stonewall Democratic Club supports me because I don’t just talk the talk: I walk the walk. As an elected official, I spoke out against propositions that sought to divide our community and deny marriage based on sexual orientation. As your Congressman, I will support federal laws that prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. I will fight for everyone’s right to proudly wear the uniform of the armed services and defend our country.
Our nation has lost its footing on the world stage. In one quick year, President Trump has managed to alienate allies and empower our adversaries, while gutting U.S. embassies worldwide. As your Congressman, I will do what the Chairman of Foreign Affairs, Rep. Ed Royce, has not: hold the executive branch accountable for the decimation of the U.S. State Department and our waning global influence.
As a member of Operation Key Resolve in 2014, I was boots on ground in South Korea alongside our Republic of Korea allies, training and simulating potential scenarios that could occur with the unstable North Korean regime. I never could have imagined that our country would elect a comparably unstable leader, one who resorts to tweeting about the relative size of nuclear buttons. In the last year we have seen an acceleration in North Korea’s nuclear program, which should concern entire world. We need leaders in Congress who will hold the executive branch accountable and prevent further deterioration of global security. That’s why I am running for Congress.
Americans need leaders who they can trust will keep our country safe. The Trump administration’s blatant disregard for national security is beyond irresponsible. We recently discovered that many White House officials do not even have proper security clearances. As an officer for the Defense Intelligence Agency who holds our nation’s highest level of security clearance, I know firsthand that this prevents the White House from being able to effectively do its job of keeping our country safe. Moreover, the Trump administration refuses to address the very real cyber security concerns that threaten our democracy, despite an overwhelming consensus in the intelligence community that the Russians infiltrated our elections in 2016. As an intelligence officer for the US Navy Reserves, I know what it takes to protect our national security, and I will do everything in my power to hold the Trump Administration accountable and protect our cyber security when elected to Congress.
The Trump administration along with Republicans in Congress have proposed massive defense spending increases, which they want to pay for with cuts to crucial programs that help the working class. As a member of the armed forces, I have seen how our budget already wastes billions on bloated contracts to defense contractors. Enough is enough. As your Congressman, I will fight to eliminate waste fraud and abuse from military budgets and hold military contractors accountable for cost overruns.