Our district and nation face unprecedented challenges that call for more than rhetoric—they demand a rescue operation. I will bring a laser focus to core issues where my direct experience as a constitutional lawyer, educator, and housing attorney makes me uniquely qualified to deliver. By tackling these front-line crises head-on, we don't just solve problems; we reclaim the power of the people for the people and secure a future that is truly unbroken.
There is no state or county in our nation today (in red OR blue districts) where a renter working full-time at minimum wage can afford an average-priced apartment. Everyday citizens live with the paralyzing fear of eviction, a trauma that disrupts lives and destroys families. Wall Street mega-corporations are buying up single-family homes, artificially driving up prices and killing the American Dream for first-time buyers. This is an absurd reality that we do not need to accept. America has long called itself the Land of Opportunity but this prevalent policy failure has undercut our national identity. Housing is the key to reducing intergenerational poverty and increasing economic growth. Research shows that increasing access to affordable housing is the most cost-effective strategy for reducing childhood poverty and increasing economic mobility in the United States. Unchecked predatory lending and opaque, exploitative lease agreements trap vulnerable renters in cycles of debt. Crushing inflation and high interest rates have made obtaining a traditional mortgage mathematically impossible for the shrinking middle class. While construction of new homes is certainly part of the solution, the crisis is more created by greed than lack of available units. For every homeless person in America – and there are over a half million, there are 14 vacant units. The most immediate and effective solution is a "mass economic protest through a nationwide Rent Strike" spanning all 435 congressional districts. A Rent Strike is an incredible effective tool to both make rentals more affordable and incentivize home-ownership rather than the mass purchasing of units by corporate landlords. This approach bypasses the passive ‘wait for the next election’ mindset, allowing citizens to demand immediate change and exercise leverage to improve the political system within months. The rent strike operates with a proven system of legal protection to ensure participants are able to magnify their voice through coordination and cooperation and are shielded from retaliation or expedited eviction. Through this direct action, the tenants of America can End Corporate Monopolies and heavily tax or outright ban the bulk purchase of residential neighborhoods by massive investment firms. We can also establish a Tenant Bill of Rights: creating national standards ensuring simpler, transparent leases, capping exorbitant junk fees, and guaranteeing safe living conditions. In my work as a tenant’s rights attorney and organizer, I’ve helped hundreds of tenants across California to both understand and exercise their rights, and win millions against landlords who break the law with impunity. An organized rent strike is an incredibly powerful tool. While eviction is a real risk, it can be effectively neutralized through straightforward steps, which is why I have represented hundreds of clients and never had a single one evicted. We have used this tool to force corporate landlords to lower rent, treat tenants with more dignity and sometimes even sell buildings to land trusts or tenant cooperations. Operating on a larger scale, this tool can radically enhance the ability of ordinary people to make extraordinary improvements in our society – especially in housing. The effectiveness of the tool is clear and proven; all we need is the courage and organization to expand its use.