Redemption and rehabilitation for formerly incarcerated individuals is best achieved when they are able to reintegrate back into the community as productive members.Collection: Best
With just an elementary school education, my father worked as a short order cook for forty years before retirement. He liked to boast that his kitchen 'never failed an inspection.' For the same forty years, my mother worked tirelessly as a housekeeper for a group of families in the affluent communities of Studio City and Sherman Oaks.Collection: Education
Immigrants are critical to our strength in every essential industry, from agriculture and education to health care, domestic work, construction, food processing, technology, and many more.Collection: Education
I'll continue working to ensure that everyone - regardless of their background - is treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve.Collection: Respect
For the family living paycheck-to-paycheck, or those at risk in their current living situation, access to affordable housing is pivotal to their safety and long-term stability.Collection: Family
Day in and day out, immigrants have put their own health and their families' health on the line to keep America running.Collection: Health
Accountability for police officers should be an expectation, not an aberration.
The fate of our democracy rests on our ability to protect voting rights for all citizens.
Transportation is responsible for half of our state's air pollution, and many suffer as a result. Children are more likely to develop respiratory illnesses and struggle in school when they breathe smoggy air.
We've known for years that to avoid the worst impacts of climate change we must work to end our reliance on fossil fuels sooner rather than later.
Every American deserves a shot at the American dream without having to make the impossible choice of earning a degree or being saddled with a lifetime of debt.
We cannot sell out our public lands for destructive fossil fuel development that pollutes our air, water, and land.
During the Jim Crow era, we know that racially targeted and racially motivated voter suppression was often blatant. Legislators adapted overtly racist policies like literacy tests, and poll taxes in an effort to shape the electorate.
An accurate census is critical to our democracy and to our economy. It underpins fair representation in government and allows us to ensure that our communities receive equitable funding for schools, roads, health care, and much more.
As a first-generation college student, I know the hurdles that far too many people face in accessing quality, affordable higher education.
You know, people should be able to vote free of any harassment, intimidation, obstacles, et cetera.
Investing in resilience and sustainability programs is essential to stretching our limited water resources, ensuring safe drinking water for at-risk communities, and adapting to climate change.
I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to restore dignity and humanity to our immigration policies and to respectfully uphold America's legacy as a nation of immigrants.
We all have a right for our voices to be heard, not stifled.
Attorney General Becerra was the leading force behind the lawsuit to protect the Affordable Care Act. Yes, he had the audacity to maintain protections for people with pre-existing conditions and for those suffering from mental illness.
As the proud son of immigrants from Mexico, I'm honored to be the first Latino to serve as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety.
Immigrant essential workers are integrated into our communities and clearly into our workforce.
Your zip code or your income level should not dictate your access to healthy drinking water.
In schools, churches and local communities, Americans are participating in their democracy by getting others to as well.
It isn't life, liberty and pursuit of happiness for some - it is declared for all of us. So let's celebrate America by defending the right to vote - for every eligible citizen, everywhere in America.
Young citizens on the verge of becoming adults deserve a real say in the world they will inherit.
Voting is a right and a responsibility. Teaching young voters the value of this right and responsibility will show them the power they possess to shape their future.
A civically engaged citizenry feeds oxygen to our democracy.
Allowing those who turn 18 by the general election the right to vote in primary elections will kick start voter education much earlier. And when people start voting at a younger age, they are more likely to become higher propensity voters and be more engaged in their communities.
When they regain the right to vote, formerly incarcerated individuals know that they have a real voice in impacting change in their community.
Restoring the right to vote to individuals who have served their term in prison is also a common-sense public safety measure.
Granting formerly incarcerated individuals the right to vote tells them 'your voice matters.'
Everything I know about work and opportunity, I learned from my parents. They risked everything to ensure my family and I could have a shot at the American Dream.
My parents, Santos and Lupe Padilla, immigrated separately from Mexico and met in Los Angeles in the late 1960s. It was love at first sight and the young couple decided to get married, apply for green cards, and start a family.
Growing up, my mom and dad relentlessly emphasized hard work and a good education as key to a better future.
I'm eager to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get things done for the people of California and the nation.
As the proud son of immigrants from Mexico, I watched my parents work resiliently hard for 40 years, my father as a cook and my mother as a housekeeper, to give my sister, my brother, and I a better chance in life.
I took an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
Expanding background checks for all sales and transfers of firearms is simple, popular, and commonsense.
The Background Check Expansion Act will help prevent guns from falling into the wrong hands, and combat senseless gun violence.
Working class communities, like the one I grew up in, have long felt the disproportionate and cumulative impacts of pollution.
As California's former chief elections officer, I was proud to strengthen election security and boost voter turnout by implementing the critical reforms contained in the For the People Act. They are proven, they are secure, and they should be available to all voters.
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken an incredible toll on our country. Every state has been impacted. Every community has suffered. Especially working-class communities of color, like the neighborhoods Attorney General Becerra and I grew up in.
Throughout his career, Xavier Becerra has always fought to improve the lives of his constituents.
Republicans and Democrats know Xavier Becerra to be a thoughtful leader who is always willing to listen to both sides.
There's no question about it: the climate crisis is happening now and we need bold action to address it - and that includes investing in electric transportation and rebuilding our infrastructure.
I'm proud to join my colleagues in introducing the BUILD GREEN Infrastructure and Jobs Act. This critical legislation will not only invest in clean energy and improve transportation, but it will also prioritize projects in underserved communities and create good-paying jobs for the American people.
Recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic must address inequities facing Native Americans.
It's no secret that COVID-19 has impacted immigration detention centers at an alarming rate. We must establish accountability and transparency in reporting data to ensure detention centers are taking the necessary precautions to protect detained individuals.
Our most historically underserved communities have been hit the hardest by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Many in these communities have not had the option of not going to work or working remotely, increasing their risk of exposure to coronavirus.