Rishi Kumar is a Silicon Valley hi-tech executive, a mechanical engineer by education, and a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives (CA-16). He is currently a Saratoga City councilmember - elected with the most votes in his city’s election history - and is serving his second term. Rishi is running against Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, who is in her 44th year in public office.
Find my education policy here. Youth empowerment is one of my top priorities. I have faith in our youth and have led strong efforts to empower the next generation. It’s important to give the bright young minds of today a steady platform to explore new opportunities and find their voices.
My policy agenda for the youth includes protecting them from the negative effects of social media, preserving their privacy and, as part of the accountability, evaluate Section 230 that protects platforms from lawsuits related to third-party content. Today, the social media platforms have become a mental health issue for teenagers. I will push for features within these applications that include ’take-a-break’ or conduct research on the ways teenagers interact or get influenced with the social media platforms and even asking for access to algorithms, and the negative impact of such algorithms that expose our teenagers to the wrong kind of influence. More eyeballs, more dollars - does not ensure the physical and emotional health of teenagers.
I launched the no-charge Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for youth across Silicon Valley, training, educating and empowering thousands of disadvantaged students. By teaming up with San Jose's Mayor Sam Liccardo, we were able to implement this pathway to empowerment and learning through STEM in many low-income areas of San Jose. I have also hosted the no-charge Lego Robotics Bootcamp for many years to teach robotic design and programming. As a member of the California Computer Science Strategic Implementation Panel, a California Department of Education initiative, we rolled out a K-12 Computer Science curriculum for every K-12 Public School student in California, to go-live in 2022. If we can begin to provide opportunities to all youth, regardless of their family's income level, we can begin to level the playing field in many disadvantaged communities.
As your Congressman, I will work to make education available for the masses - especially for our youth from disadvantaged communities. I support the expansion of early childhood education programs to give the best possible start to all children. My education plan includes vocational programs and innovation centers of excellence funded by the public sector.
My summer internship program for students is in its 6th year and has already empowered hundreds of Bay Area students. Our program allows students to dive deeper into the realm of politics and explore fulfilling community work, while discovering a path for leadership.
As your congressman, I will go beyond surface-level photo ops and enact real change for our youth. I will push efforts across the nation to empower the next generation. Youth across America should discover a dynamic path to success via real opportunities.