When I was a kid, I never had a big dream of becoming a politician. I just wanted to do something that mattered. I also loved to pick fights with my mom. What teenager doesn’t? I was opinionated and didn’t want to do things just because that’s the way things “should” be done.

That is what led me to Los Angeles over twenty years ago for weather, community and opportunity. “You can’t move so far away!!” she said from the east coast. But if you can dream it, you can do it. Today I call District 37 home. I’m also a small business owner, gay American, political outsider, and cat dad.

I’ve been a volunteer for years. I believe in the idea of democracy, that we all have a voice, and that politicians would get elected and then get stuff done for us.

But what are we doing? I still see folks looking for work, expensive eggs, out of control healthcare costs, high home prices, and threats to social security. I don’t see much of anything getting done!

In the meantime, no joke, we’re also losing our democracy. Whatever today’s politicians are doing is not meeting the moment.

A few years ago, my mom was diagnosed with cancer, and despite a valiant five year fight, succumbed to the illness in 2013. Before she passed, she reminded me that she always loved my fighting spirit, and that if I want something done right, I would have to do it myself.

I have never run for office before, but after the 2024 election, I got mad. I started talking to friends and neighbors. They were mad too! At our ineffective Congress and political dysfunction that led to this. It’s not fair, and it’s not right.

I couldn’t mean-tweet my way through this anymore, and decided to run for Congress to be your voice. I’m here to tell you that the ineffective politics of our do-nothing era is over, and the do-something era has begun.

Change is coming.