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Biography (max 750 char)
I am a leader in civil rights and immigrant rights when this nation is in desperate need for those who have stood to meet the moment. For over 16 years, I have been on the front lines of fighting for constitutional rights and standing up against discrimination of marginalized communities. I currently serve as the Executive Director of CAIR-Washington, and founded its Immigrant Justice Project in 2021. I am also a former small business owner, who knows the struggles that our small business community must deal with. My education is an MBA from Arizona State University's WP Carey School of Business and I received my Bachelors in Marketing from the University of Texas-Arlington. I live in Mountlake Terrace with my wife and 3 sons.
I believe WA state has one of the most regressive taxation systems in the country, which is squeezing the working and middle classes. We must address this regressive tax system, reducing the burden on working families, who are forced to make tough decision each day just to survive in this state.
Large corporations and the ultra-wealthy should pay their fair share, which means closing longstanding corporate loopholes and preventing further rollbacks of the estate tax.
This would allow for greater production of affordable housing, funding our transit systems, ensuring our residents have access to affordable healthcare, and providing greater access to immigration legal services and tenant protections.
This affordability crisis will not be addressed until our tax system is more equitable.
Washington state's electoral system has proven to be one of the better systems in the country, when it comes to ease and accessibility to voting. One area of major concern should be corporate dollars in our electoral system. As a grassroots candidate, I do not take any corporate PAC money - the only candidate in this race to hold this distinction. I would support legislation similar to what just passed in Hawaii to get corporate dollars out of our electoral system.
Furthermore, we should look to other states - that give the option of publicly funded or "clean" elections. This would level the playing field, and allow for candidates to be seen on the strength of policies rather than how much money is spent on their behalf in influencing the voter base.
As someone who has worked alongside victims of hate crimes, I know what it is like to work with our law enforcement agencies to achieve better outcomes for our communities. I also know that we must do better in addressing root causes, which starts with progressive revenue. We must invest in community-based solutions, re-entry programs and recovery-based solutions such as crisis care centers and permanent supportive housing. Additionally, we should invest more dollars in cultural competence within law enforcement agencies, to help navigate around our growing diverse population. Expanding mass-surveillance, such as FLOCK cameras is harmful - and can have negative externalities such as targeting individuals based on imigration status.
We're living in a time when journalism is under unprecedented attack by the current administration. We have seen our local NPR affiliates being defunded due to partisan retribution, which is harming our journalistic ecosystem. The State of Washington should have a role in financially supporting institutions that have suffered from this political targeting, to ensure that objective, local journalism outlets are protected.
This is also extremely vital, because we have seen how corporate interests have taken over journalism outlets in recent years. This consolidation of corporate dollars and federal attacks on the field of journalism should be concerning to all, and we should do everything in our power as a state to fight back against this trend.
I serve on the Board of Directors of the Washington Community Alliance, which is an organization that has been dedicated to redisricting justice here in WA State. As we move into 2031, we must ensure that minority community concerns are addressed - in previous eras, we have seen Indigenous communities being split into different districts, diluting their voting power. We must also review other diverse populations throughout the state, to ensure that our electorate represents the diversity of its voters.
Currently, the federal overreach targeting immigrant communities is the greatest challenge facing our district. Immigrants are being targeted in Shoreline, Lynnwood and in North Seattle - with ICE agents moving with impunity. As someone on the front lines of this fight, I see firsthand the trauma this inflicts on families and communities. I will introduce stronger state protections against ICE overreach - allowing for Washingtonians to take ICE agents to court over damages or injuries caused during enforcement actions. I will also support legislation to ensure state agencies don't hire these agents for second jobs - and other state level protections against this unprecedented level of federal overreach. Washington can be the template for the rest of the country.
