My name is Paula Villescaz and I am running to represent our Placer and Sacramento County communities and families in the California State Senate. I am a public servant and an advocate, with extensive experience in the fields of education, health care and emergency response. After serving as President of the San Juan Unified School District (SJUSD) and as an Assistant Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency during the pandemic, I understand firsthand the opportunities and challenges our communities are facing as we try to keep schools open and our economy moving.
Paula believes everyone deserves to feel safe in the communities where we work, live, and recreate. Paula is a firm believer in preventing crime by stopping it at its roots. Criminal activities are the result of multiple social, economic, cultural and family conditions – this includes poverty and social environments. The way to reduce crime is to invest more in our schools and communities to meet the needs of all children and families. Additionally, we must fund and support sensible programs that target and reduce the proliferation of criminal behavior in our community such as severe substance abuse and the lack of economic opportunities.
California’s number one priority for our economy needs to be addressing the increasing cost of living that is impacting everyone: seniors, families, working people, students and small businesses are suffering from the increased cost of housing, rent, food, gas and utilities. As State Senator, Paula will prioritize people and economic policies that put people first and work to slow the ever increasing cost of living and inflation.
Paula believes that every child in California deserves a high quality education. As a first-generation college student and a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, Paula’s life was changed for the better by a publicly funded higher education. To succeed, Paula knows that all of our high school students should be prepared and well-skilled to either enter the workforce or attend a two or four-year higher education college or university.
Paula believes that everyone deserves access to clean air, clean water, and a safe environment. California faces a lot of challenges, and the climate crisis is one that must be addressed with urgency. The biggest environmental issues facing our community include poor air and water quality and adverse climate impact on forests and agricultural land. To address these challenges, we need to accelerate our state’s transition to renewable energy.
Paula believes everyone deserves access to high-quality, affordable health care. The pandemic has demonstrated the crucial importance of universal access to health care services. Losing your job should not mean losing your health insurance, nor excessive medical costs. As a cancer survivor, Paula knows that access to affordable and high-quality health care is a life-or-death issue. As the Principal Consultant for the Assembly Health Committee, Paula helped craft and enact numerous bills to improve health care access in California. As Assistant Secretary of the California Department of Health and Human Services, Paula traveled throughout California to manage the state’s COVID-19 response.
Paula will be a champion to increase the supply of housing in California and help unsheltered residents get off the street. To solve California’s housing crisis, we must build more housing and ensure housing is affordable. We do not have enough affordable housing available to meet growing demand. Paula will support policies that promote infill development and make it easier to construct additional dwelling units on vacant lots of land.
Paula believes that every Californian should have the resources necessary to age with dignity. In the State Senate, Paula will continue to be a fervent advocate for California’s seniors. She supports pension security for California’s seniors and will oppose any efforts to move people with guaranteed pensions into 401(k) plans. Paula will fight to increase funding for home repairs in California’s Housing and Disability Advocacy Program and Community-Based Adult Services program so that seniors can age safely in their homes. She will also advocate for increasing the base grant for seniors in the Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment.
Paula knows that all families are stronger when we support and invest in women. Paula will be a fierce defender of women’s rights. Every woman must be allowed to be in control of her own body and have autonomy when it comes to their reproductive health care decisions, including abortion. Paula will be a chamption in the State Senate for guaranteed access to safe and affordable abortions.