As a State Senator, John’s number one priority will be protecting our democracy and standing up to the Trump Administration. He knows that this is the only path forward if we are to stop the assaults on California and meet this moment.

Through his work with Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, Alliance for a Better Community, and on the City Council, John has worked closely with Sacramento to make our concerns known and move forward legislation to uplift our communities. He is running for State Senate to use that experience to make Sacramento more responsive to the concerns of the 24th Senate District and expeditiously address the challenges of the day. He believes the State must look at the intersectionality of the challenges we face and address them holistically, methodically, and through a new lens.

REBUILDING AFTER THE FIRES AND PREPARING FOR FUTURE NATURAL DISASTERS: After the January 7th fires began, John worked with other cities in the region to fine-tune and further streamline the rebuild process for fire-prone districts and communities, ensuring that there are continued and coordinated assistance programs and grants for communities, businesses and residents impacted by the fire. He advocated for a five-year tax relief, as well as mandating the most fire-protective building standards—improving safety and insurability. As our State Senator, John will continue to see these policies through. He will also support a streamlined rebuild permit process that includes adequate soil testing. He believes expanded mental health services should be made available to those impacted by the fires. He will also work with the Insurance Commissioner to ensure homeowners insurance is available and affordable for all residents of our state—no matter where they live. John believes the state must look at better ways to prevent future natural disasters and will work to ensure that our firefighters and paramedics have the resources they need to address the ongoing issues faced by communities in fire, flood, and mudslide-prone areas. He supports state-funded matching grants to help local counties update outdated fire, police, and first responder stations. 

BUILDING A MORE RESILIENT AND AFFORDABLE CALIFORNIA: John asks a simple question: how can California be one of the richest economies in the world, yet the state faces perennial budget challenges and families and businesses struggle to make ends meet? John knows the state can and must do better—especially in light of the Trump Administration’s funding cuts to the very things that have made California special.

As a Councilmember, John has proven that supporting local businesses and families is not mutually exclusive but a win-win that boosts the economy. As our State Senator, John will bring those same ideas to Sacramento to generate more revenue for the state to fund essential services and make California more affordable to all. He believes we can address the perennial budget shortfall by addressing the growing gas tax funding shortages, which burden local cities who rely on those dollars to address local infrastructure issues, and allow for local counties and cities to create congestion pricing guidelines to directly fund needed infrastructure developments. He believes the state must look at job creation as well as job retention. This includes: introducing more competitive tax incentives; cutting red tape and streamlining, industry-specific permitting processes; investing more in future-facing infrastructure and industries, including education and workforce development. He believes these approaches will help bring back tourism, technology, agriculture and the film, television, and music industry to California so both the industries and those who work in them can thrive and the state can better fund affordable housing, public education, public safety and emergency response, and other essential programs.

RENTERS RIGHT, HOUSING, AND HOMELESSNESS: A renter himself, John has a long history of implementing strong safeguards to protect renters. He knows that eviction protections and ensuring that renters can keep up with the cost of living are key to preventing people from becoming homeless in the first place.

Our state’s homelessness crisis will not be solved merely by outlawing encampments. Expert after expert states that without more affordable housing for different incomes, California will not solve what has become an unconscionable humanitarian crisis—even in the 24th Senate District. John works with other cities in the region to tackle homelessness and has been successful in his own community at reducing the homeless population with streamlined, multi-faceted programs that offer mental health services, job training, and permanent housing opportunities. like WeHo Cares—programs he would like to expand throughout the district. As a State Senator, he will take his expertise from the City Council to implement model programs that work in his city as well as other parts of the country. He will support cities that utilize statewide housing bonuses and incentivize approval for new housing projects, such as community land trusts and projects that provide housing and comprehensive services for the homeless; fund statewide programs to LGBTQ+ organizations working towards building affordable housing, and work on intervention programming to stop the homelessness pipeline.

PUBLIC SAFETY: Whether it be protecting neighborhoods, community clinics or victims of domestic violence and rape, John has a long history of working with first responders to ensure that that they have the resources they need to keep us safe. He believes the conversation about public safety should not be about who is tough on crime or soft on crime, but who is smart on public safety policies that reflect 21st-century realities. For John, this means investing more in gun control and 21st-century crime prevention tools for first responders that can stop crimes in the first place and better protect people in their homes, neighborhoods, schools, places of worship, and workplaces. He believes that the State can do more to help small businesses get the resources they need to prevent theft and vandalism, but it also means investing in community-based approaches and modern tools that work in partnership with local cities, neighborhoods, and first responders.

REAL INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC EDUCATION: There is no reason why California ranked 28th in the nation in per-student funding. John’s commitment to funding public education is evidenced by his leadership on the City Council, where he initiated historic investments in public schools and revamped the Grants in Schools program to fund critical arts, music, and library services.

John believes that investing real dollars in public education is critical to protecting the foundation of our democracy, and as such, will lead efforts in the State Senate to fight back against federal education cuts with state dollars that create greater equity in our schools and in remove barriers to a healthy, safe and equipped environment for 21st century learning. He does not believe school funding should ever be made a partisan issue, nor does he believe that the state budget should be balanced on the back of students or teachers. John will introduce legislation that uplifts students and teachers so they can reach their full potential. He will introduce incentives to recruit more teachers, retain excellent teachers, and support their continued education so both teachers and students are prepared for an ever-changing world.  

COMBATING CLIMATE CHANGE: As a Councilmember, John has successfully reduced the city’s footprint and created model programs that significantly reduce reliance on water usage and energy. It is precisely these kinds of programs that he will bring to Sacramento. He will confront climate change—and the Trump administration’s rollbacks and attacks on California’s critical climate policies—with bold action that to ensure California leads with clean energy, sustainable land use, and wildfire recovery plans that center environmental justice and protect our most vulnerable. This includes: accelerating wildfire prevention; expanding urban tree canopies; and investing in resilient infrastructure that protects frontline communities across Los Angeles County; providing communities with the resources to ensure consistent, proactive brush clearance in high-fire-risk areas to protect homes, save lives, and reduce the devastating impact of wildfires; bringing together environmental advocates and local governments to protect our coastline and endangered species, while providing funding for the region to create and restore sandbanks and dunes; bringing together environmentalists and energy producers to work together for cleaner air and water; and creating incentives to create more green jobs, while protecting workers, so that families and communities can thrive.

Guided by advocates like Climate Resolve, Sierra Club, California Environmental Voters, the League of Conservation Voters, and the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, John will prioritize equitable access to green spaces and push for stronger heat mitigation policies in neighborhoods hardest hit by extreme weather. 

ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE: John believes that access to quality, affordable healthcare is a fundamental right—and that when families are healthier, communities are stronger. With the federal government threatening to cut Medicare and access to reproductive healthcare, many Californians—even those in the largely affluent 24th District—will struggle to get timely, affordable, and culturally competent care. As a State Senator, John will fight to remove barriers to primary care, mental health services, reproductive healthcare, and preventative treatments like HIV/STI testing and PrEP/PEP. He will continue to develop successful programs that have incentivized people to enter the healthcare field to address the shortage of providers and long wait times, and higher rates. He knows that protecting Medi-Cal access is one more factor that will help prevent future pandemics and homelessness.