A Platform to Move California Forward
While California has some of the most forward-thinking policies in the country, Justine believes that Sacramento isn't working quickly enough to address the issues that are impacting families across the state. There simply is not enough habitable and affordable housing. Children worry about where their next meal will come from and wonder if it is safe to attend their school. Hate crimes and discrimination are daily occurrences. Too many of us are still being left behind.
Justine knows we can — and must — make California more just, inclusive, affordable and sustainable. Her priorities in Sacramento will address the most pressing issues of the day — to build more housing and end homelessness; to fully fund public education; to create more living wage jobs and ensure that every person is safe wherever they are.
Affordable Housing and the Homeless Crisis
As a renter, Justine understands the urgency of providing more affordable and moderate income housing while also addressing the homeless crisis in an urgent, holistic manner.
She will work for more federal funding from Washington DC and better cooperation between cities and the State to increase the housing supply and implement laws to prevent homelessness from happening in the first place.
Justine will fight to preserve affordable and moderate income housing by changing enforcement of the Ellis Act and repealing the Costa-Hawkins law. She will work to incentivize affordable and moderate income housing construction, support more transit-oriented workforce housing projects and innovative legislation such as Assemblymember Rick Zbur's Housing and Homelessness Act and State Senator Scott Weiner's "Yes in God's Backyard" bill, SB4, which rezones places of worship to allow them to build housing on their properties.
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As someone who has faced housing insecurity and has had family who struggled with this crisis, addressing the root causes of homelessness is personal. She believes in addition to fighting for more permanent housing there must also be accompanying support services for the homeless; she will work to create more job training programs and livable wage jobs, affordable health care for all, mental health programs, and other vital social services.
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Fully Funded Public Schools
As an LAUSD graduate who attended public schools throughout her life, Justine understands that ensuring access to high-quality education is essential for students and families throughout the District and across California.
To address the pressing need for fully-funded public education in California, Justine will introduce and support legislation that aims to bridge funding gaps, uplift students, support educators, and promote equitable opportunities for all.
To address the challenges faced by California's public education system and create a foundation for a brighter future, Justine will fight to:
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Increase pay for teachers and school support staff
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Support the Student Equity Needs Index (SENI)
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Close the digital divide
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Protect public education from budget cuts
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Make it easier for aspiring teachers to get the training and resources they need to secure proper credentials
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Strengthen support for students with special needs
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Criminal Justice Reform
As someone who has been personally impacted by inequities in the criminal justice system, recidivism, and violence and hate crimes, Justine supports reforming our criminal justice system statewide by electing more progressive DAs and implementing a Care First approach to criminal justice. Justine has seen first had the problems with our current system as her own sibling became trapped in the vicious school to prison pipeline and struggled to find services to turn his life around. She also supports bills that treat non citizens with greater equity in the criminal justice system, such as Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo's HOME Act to protect non citizens from being turned over to federal authorities once they are released from prison.
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Ending Gun Violence and Hate Crimes
Justine knows that our safety – at home, in schools, the workplace, and out on the street – must be a top priority for every elected official.
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California may lead the nation with some of the toughest gun control laws, but that is no longer enough. Justine believes we must remain vigilant to keep these laws in place and ensure we are doing all that we can to stop gun violence in our homes, schools and communities. As our Assemblymember, she will advocate for improving background checks and increasing waiting periods; limiting access to guns by those with mental illness and a record of violence; funding for violence intervention programs such as the California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) program; and designate more sensitive public locations as off-limits to firearms.
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With hate crimes on the rise across the State, Californians should not be afraid in their own communities, places of worship, schools, or bars. As an Assemblymember, Justine will continue to build coalitions of tolerance and understanding, while working to pass legislation protecting those most vulnerable from hate-motivated violence.
From Cradle to Career
Living Wages
In order to build a prosperous and equitable region, it is imperative to provide everyone access to jobs that pay a living wage.
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Too many Californians are struggling to make ends meet. Justine believes that anyone working full time should be able to meet their basic needs, and not have to choose between paying rent and putting food on the table. No one should have to work two or three jobs to survive. Justine believes that anyone working full time should be able to meet there basic needs, and not have to choose between paying rent and putting food on the table.
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Small Business Support: Increase access to capital, technical assistance, and training programs for aspiring entrepreneurs, particularly those from marginalized communities
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Community College Partnerships: Foster collaborations between community colleges, employers, and industry leaders to establish apprenticeship programs, internships, and work-study opportunities that provide practical, hands-on experience and career pathways.
Living Wage Policies: Advocate for the implementation of living wage policies that set minimum compensation levels that account for the actual cost of living in different regions of California, ensuring workers earn wages that cover basic necessities and are not living paycheck-to-paycheck.
Affordable Housing Initiatives: Increase investments in affordable workforce housing programs, incentivize the construction of affordable units, and implement policies to prevent displacement, allowing workers to live closer to their workplaces and reduce housing cost burdens.
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Protecting Women and Reproductive Justice
Through her work with Equality California, as a former member of the Gender Justice LA, and a participant in Close the Gap, Justine is an effective voice for women and girls. One of the reason she is running for State Assembly is because she believes that until more women are making decisions at the State level, we won't achieve the kind of transformative change needed to put women and girls on equal footing with their counterparts.
Though California has codified the right to abortion in our Constitution, Justine believes we must go further and ban big corporations from doing business here when they cave in to threats from the Right. She will make sure that health care is affordable to all women. She will fight to guarantee women equal pay for equal work, expand paid family and sick leave, and increase access to affordable child care -- while making sure that child care workers are paid a real living wage.
Building a More Sustainable Future
While California has enacted some of the greenest policies in the nation, climate change is a global crisis that requires vigilant action now. As our Assemblymember, Justine will put forward policies to further reduce our carbon footprint by investing in clean energy, water conservation, alternative modes of transportation and transit-oriented mixed-use spaces to get people out of their cars. Wildfires have become a frequent consequence of global warming that must be better addressed.
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She will introduce programs to bring long overdue environmental justice to the 52nd Assembly District — making EV chargers more accessible and affordable, expanding green space, making the air we breath healthier and the impact from drought and wildfires reduced. She will hold toxic polluters accountable and refuses campaign contributions from the fossil fuel industry,.
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Protecting our most vulnerable communities
As a social and economic justice champion, Justine has a long history of fighting for equality and civil rights. While California has raised the bar on LGBTQ+ rights, hate and violence is on the rise, even in Los Angeles County. Justine believes we must remain vigilant in protecting LGBTQ+ people, women, immigrants, and communities of color and all faiths. She will fight against laws that threaten the progress we've made and supports greater measures in the State to nurture tolerance and understanding among our diverse populations.
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Justine will be a champion for the 52nd Assembly District's vibrant immigrant communities who contribute so much to our local economy and make sure they have the safety net they deserve. She supports sanctuary cities and opposes local law enforcement agencies from cooperating with ICE. She is a supporter of legislation, such as the HOME Act, which address racial disparities in the criminal justice system.