Progress Needs Change.
Infrastructure is the lifeline of the community. Our overhead power lines are susceptible to inclement weather, pose a fire hazard, and tarnish our pristine natural environment. My proposed "Underground Washington Utilities" bill would migrate 50% of our power grid underground by 2030; protecting our landscape, our communities, and employing thousands of workers across multiple skilled disciplines.
This bill would prioritize union wages and support the people who work hard to keep our communities running. As the daughter of an electrician, I know how hard our tradespeople work in the service of the people and communities they support, and I am proud to stand with them.
Whatcom is unique in that our economy is bi-national. Our towns are the first major stop for our northern neighbors who enjoy all that our communities have to offer, from the charming agricultural markets of Lynden, to the bustling businesses and nightlife of Bellingham. As a former customs broker clearing shipments at our northern border for U.S. delivery, I understand the economic impact of our region.
We also have a complex economy that must balance the interests of industry with the ongoing threat of climate change, from creating sustainable farming practices to updating outdated and broken gas-powered infrastructures. I won’t sugarcoat it: this transition will have growing pains, but I am committed to making sure that they are not disproportionately aimed at the working class. We will make sure that small businesses and their employees have tools and resources to make the shift, and that the massive corporations carry their share of the burden and prepare their employees accordingly.
As a transgender woman, I have watched our community be further marginalized and vilified by the right. Having been on the receiving end of the hate that stems from ignorance from right-wing extremists, I can tell you that we are the canary in the coal mine. They will go after the most marginalized groups as a test before rolling back the rights of others. Policies restricting gender-affirming care, access to books in school libraries, and I-2081 here in Washington may be targeted at the LGBTQ+ community, but they affect all of us in practice.
Not only are these bills devastating, but they are wildly unpopular with the American people in poll after poll. Legislators like Rep. Jim Walsh, who introduced I-2081 and other ballot initiatives, have been running the same anti-LGBTQ+ playbook for years–with little interest towards real issues facing their constituents like stagnating wages, astronomical housing costs, climate change, and legislation that threatens our personal freedoms. We cannot expect good-faith actions from people like Rep. Walsh, and I will stand firm to fight their bad-faith initiatives targeting our communities.
We are a family of women, my wife, daughter and I, and the reality of a post-Dobbs America–where women’s rights are given or taken with a pen stroke–is nothing short of horrific. Republican-led states cite medical misinformation to justify the harm they have wrought on women and their families. Meanwhile, OGBYNs are fleeing states like Idaho because they face criminalization for acting in the best interest of their patients.
Washington is not immune; the forces that criminalize women and doctors do not halt at state lines. We must affirm and expand both protections and access to healthcare in our state. Our rights have proven to be fragile, but together we can bolster them now and into the future. There can be no compromise on this, and I will not cede an inch to the patriarchy.
When I voted for our current democratic leadership, I expected my voice to be carried to Olympia–isn’t that what we all expect? Unfortunately, I’ve found that special interest groups and corporations vote with their dollars, far outpacing the influence of constituent votes after the election concludes. We have Democrats voting against assault weapons bans, climate legislation, prison reform, and capital gains tax. This party seeks to represent the interests of the many, but in practice capitulates to the interests of a few.
We have tools to have our voices heard in Olympia long after the election is over. Public comments on proposed legislation is a great way to be heard, as your comments go to your elected officials. I want you to inform my decisions in Olympia, not the oil companies, not the anti-abortion lobbyists, and not the corporations eroding our small businesses. I intend to lead with transparency by publishing a weekly voting agenda.
Priorities
I’ve been active in Washington State politics, utilizing the tools granted to us by our leaders in Olympia–frequently providing public comments on bills that affect my family, and building rapport with leaders in Washington as well as the federal government.
What spurred me to action as a candidate was the passage of Initiative 2081, a “parents rights” bill. At best, I-2081 is full of redundancies regarding parental access to their child’s information in school. At worst, this bill endangers children by requiring school officials to disclose information about the child that they are not ready or willing to share with parents, including their sexuality and gender identity.
As a parent, I believe that every child should be loved unconditionally. However, there is only one reason that a child does not come out to their parents: fear. These fears exist on a spectrum, from fraught conversations to becoming a victim of domestic violence or youth homelessness, but no set of “parental rights” should impede upon a child’s right to safety. This was another conservative poison pill swallowed by democratic legislators with no real explanation to their constituents, and a failure to protect our state’s LGBTQ+ youth.
If elected, I want to help shape our community into a model for political engagement, where the voices of our children and our families supersede the interests of lobbyists and extreme special interest groups. My voice isn’t heard in Olympia, and neither is yours, but together we can be heard loud and clear.
Why I'm Running
