Priorities
Jobs and the Economy
Nevada has grown substantially in the last three decades and our economic output has grown several-fold during this time, but we have also come to overwhelmingly depend on a very small sector of our economy. Recent economic downturns are ample evidence that we cannot depend on these limited sectors to sustain our state’s economy. Diversification of our economy will be a key goal if Nevada is to reach its full economic potential during the course of the 21st century.
We must also ensure that prosperity is shared more equitably and that there are certain safeguards in place for Nevada’s working families
- Attracting new businesses to Nevada
- Make Nevada a national hub for the solar energy industry
- Work to better Nevada’s education system and vocational training apparatus in order to attract high-tech and high skill industries to our state.
- Develop sectors such as transportation, shipping, and distribution
- Provide small businesses and entrepreneurs with access to credit and micro-loans
- Help small businesses deal with regulatory requirements
- Unleash the full purchasing power of the state government to support small businesses
- Provide support for organizations and chambers of commerce that work with BIPOC entrepreneurs.
- Work on expanding access to affordable/free child-care. This will both create jobs and alleviate a major burden to young working families
- Support a $15/hr state minimum wage
- Work on programs that help retain young talent in our state
Education
As a current CCSD school teacher working at the front lines of our public school system, education is one of my top priorities. I believe education to be the great mechanism of opportunity in our society today. For this reason, it is my deep belief that all children deserve a quality education and that our teachers and our schools deserve the best available tools and resources to help our students reach their full potential.
I am also a strong supporter of higher education. Every Nevada student deserves an opportunity to attend college, regardless of their socio-economic status. I strongly believe that a college education is the surest pathway to the middle class and that our higher education systems are the great incubators of ideas and research that can help bring tremendous growth to our state.
I also believe that our vocational education/training opportunities should also be strengthened. Nevada is expected to see a high degree of growth over the next decade and we will need a skilled and highly trained workforce to not only meet these demands but to serve as the impetus for this growth. A strong investment in vocational education and training will pay great dividends for our state.
- FULLY fund Nevada education
- Implement a Pre-K system for all Nevada students.
- Fund a full-day kindergarten in all public schools.
- Work to create smaller class sizes
- Increase teacher pay
- Support opportunities for tuition-free university and college educations for Nevadans
- Support higher education capital projects and research programs
- Support and further develop Nevada’s vocational education and training programs
Health Care
Nevada is among the states with the highest levels of uninsured and underinsured people in the country. This must be changed! It costs our state much more to not provide decent and affordable medical care, and to not provide for proper preventative health care. Health care is a human right, and we must treat the issue with the gravity it deserves.
- Work to make health care approaches less reactive and more proactive.
- Increase access into the Nevada Medicaid program
- Strengthen Nevada’s newly passed public option program
- Promote the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange system as a resource for eligible Nevadans
- Work to increase and fully fund community health clinics throughout our state
- Provide for more doctors, nurses, dentists, and ophthalmologists into Nevada’s rural communities
- Expand services for home and community-based services that support disabled members of our community
*I strongly support a nation-wide approach towards the creation of a universal health care system. I know this is a federal issue, but I will seek to push our federal officials towards this goal, and do whatever else it may take to see this end through.
Public Safety
As a Nevadan, there are few things more important to me than that of providing safe communities for families and residents throughout our state.
- We must provide all Nevada communities with properly staffed and well-trained police officers and public safety professionals.
- Support legislation that strengthens the connection between the community and law enforcement, concurrently seeking to provide effective public safety policy and community policing opportunities.
- Support firefighters and emergency medical responders by providing them with the best tools and training possible in order to help Nevadans safely get through some of our most vulnerable situation
- Work towards creating safer and healthier conditions for imprisoned and detained persons
Labor
Nevada’s unions, labor organizations, and collective bargaining components are an incredibly important part of our state’s economy. They are the great defenders of Nevada’s working people and will be instrumental in the maintenance of our state’s middle class. We must do all we can to support labor’s efforts to organize and provide for the various working communities within our economy.
- Overturn right to work laws in Nevada
- Fully fund and support Nevada’s Office of the Labor Commissioner
- Seek to expand FMLA benefits
- Support prevailing wage policy
- Support increases in the state minimum wage
Seniors
Nevada has an increasingly growing senior population, and it is our duty to ensure that we do all that we can to their comfortable well-being.
- Support the health care needs of seniors
- Support independent living to the utmost degree possible
- Work with municipal governments to provide better transportation resources for seniors
- Provide for more affordable and quality housing and public utility options.
Veterans, Military, and their
Families
As a combat wounded and a disabled veteran myself who comes from a military family I know first hand the issues faced by our Veterans and military families. These heroes are a very important and special part of our community, and we need to make sure we take care of their needs. Roughly one out of 10 Nevadans is a veteran. Nevada is also home to several important military installations.
- Identify all the needs of veterans, and allocate resources in support of our veterans
- Provide for veterans’ health care services
- Seek out more opportunities for affordable housing for veterans and active-duty military and their families.
- Create stronger engagement between our state government and military base leadership
- Provide more support for our veterans' mental and emotional wellness.
- Provide for better transition services for veterans entering civilian life in our state
- Expand education opportunities for veterans and their families
- Develop programs to boost training and hiring amongst veterans and military families.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure development will be the great key in unlocking Nevada’s economic and societal potential over the next several decades. It must be a top priority.
- Invest in building new roads, bridges, and transportation lines throughout our state
- Create a 20-year plan to support the expansion of airport services throughout Nevada
- Support the development of eco-friendly, efficient, innovative, and affordable public transportation projects such as light rail, magnetized tube transport, the “Vegas loop”, etc.
- Work with neighboring states to create high-speed rail systems to further connect our Western metropolitan areas
- Support local government in revitalization projects of aging neighborhoods
- Encourage sustainable approaches to water management
- Reclaim abandoned mine lands
- Support the ongoing development of a statewide network of electric vehicle chargers
- Work to improve cell phone service coverage in our growing and rural areas, and increase access to broadband throughout our state
Women’s Empowerment
- The greater empowerment and support of Nevada’s women are imperative for the continued progress of our state.
- Support passage of the state Equal Rights Amendment to the Nevada Constitution,
- Combat the gender pay gap by supporting stronger paycheck fairness legislation.
- Expand FMLA benefits
- Create state programs that support women in STEM fields.
- Strengthen violence against women legistlation
- Provide greater resources for women’s shelters
- Identify and support the unique challenges faced by Nevada’s BIPOC women
- Support legislation that expands access for women’s healthcare needs, and protects women’s reproductive freedom
LGBTQIA+
Over the last few years, major strides have been made to garner greater equality for our LGBTQIA+ community. It is incumbent for us to build on this body of work and ensure true equality for our LGBTQIA+ Nevadans.
- Support legislation that prohibits discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people.
- Ensure LGBTQIA+ Communities have comprehensive health care without discrimination from providers.
- Support policies to ensure students can attend school without fear of bullying, harassment, discrimination, and violence.
- Provide for the greater safety and social upliftment of transgender people.
- Ensure the total state recognition of non-binary identities, and mandate the inclusion of a third-gender category on state-issued documents.
Housing
Housing is a crucial issue in our state today. More can be done to assure Nevadans that they can afford a decent place to call home for themselves and their families and to also ensure that once they find a home reasonable assurances can be put in place to keep them housed. The state government must play an active role in this endeavor.
- Work to promote homeownership and support first time home buyer programs
- End the housing crisis by investing in the innovative creation of permanently affordable housing units for public use, rental, and purchase.
- Protect tenants from summary eviction and provide for mediation in housing disputes.
- Make rent affordable by providing Section 8 vouchers to all eligible families without a waitlist and strengthening Nevada fair housing laws.
- Work to mitigate all homelessness
- The state must play a more direct role in public housing especially in regards to the repair and revitalization of existing units, and towards the creation of new housing.
Mental Health
The mental health of Nevadans is just as important as bodily care. Nevada has made great strides in the past decade towards taking seriously the issue of mental health in our community. We must build on those strides.
- Support legislation to increase NV Medicaid funding for mental health services.
- Increase the availability of online and virtual behavioral health support groups.
- Increase the presence of mental health professionals and social workers in our schools.
- Support programs that uplift the specific mental health needs of BIPOC communities
- Provide for the unique mental health needs of Nevada’s first responders and veterans
Immigration
As an immigrant myself (formerly undocumented) I personally know how important it is to have a state government that shows concern for the specific needs, hopes, and aspirations of Nevada’s immigrant population. Even before the attainment of statehood immigrants have played a vital role in creating a strong Nevada. Today more than one-fifth of our state’s population is foreign born. Supporting immigrant communities will only result in a net-gain for all Nevadans.
- Promote the civic participation, economic integration, and social empowerment of Nevada’s immigrants' communities
- Work on legislation that will help new Americans navigate state and local government
- Work with local governments in creating neighborhood based “opportunity centers”
- Actively work with community leaders and organizations seeking to uplift the lives of undocumented peoples living in our state.
- Support Nevada agencies that are working with newly resettled refugees