I was raised in El Sereno by my immigrant grandmother, a seamstress who worked a grueling job so our family could have a better life. I watched her work herself to the bone while, year after year, the wealthiest corporations and individuals in this state found new ways to shrink their tax bills. That contrast has stayed with me: the people doing the hardest work are asked to carry the heaviest load, while those most able to contribute are handed loopholes instead of a bill.

California is one of the largest economies in the world. We have the resources to care for everyone — what we've lacked is the political will to ask those who've benefited most to actually contribute their share.

Our affordability crisis isn't an accident. It's the result of corporations treating housing, health care, and energy as profit centers instead of basic human necessities, while working families like mine absorb the cost.

I support closing the loopholes that let corporations dodge what they owe, including the water's-edge loophole that allows multinational companies to shift profits offshore and shortchange Californians by billions every year.

As State Senator, I will champion:

• Taxing extreme wealth fairly, so the burden of funding public services doesn't fall on working families, immigrants, or students trying to access higher education.

• Penalties for corporations that underpay their workers and push them onto Medi-Cal instead of providing living wages and benefits.

• A tax on second, third, and luxury homes, discouraging speculation and generating revenue for housing and homelessness solutions.

• Full transparency in corporate tax reporting, so Californians can see which companies are paying their share and which are gaming the system.

• Accountability for corporate tax credits, ensuring billions in giveaways are targeted, measured, and tied to real public benefit — not handed out on faith.

I don't take corporate PAC money, because the people shaping our tax policy shouldn't answer to the industries it affects. Every stage of my life — public schools, health clinics, community centers — was made possible by public investment. My grandmother's labor, and the safety net that supported our family, is why those lifelines should be strengthened, not left to erode while corporations and the ultra-wealthy get a pass.