There is an “arc” of housing for all of the people of our state as I see it, and that starts with the creation of lots of units. High interest rates and development costs mean we need to repurpose existing buildings to create housing for families, and we need to do everything we can to ensure we have a competitive environment for home builders.

• State Government has a huge role to play in managing and spurring housing growth. Housing has been one of my biggest priorities, and my work has helped turn the Seattle metropolitan area into the largest builder of affordable apartments in the country from 2020-2024. 

• I’ve funded many affordable housing projects in the 48th District, appropriating $2M for the Illahee Affordable Housing project in Bellevue, $260K for the New Ground Young Adult Affordable Housing project in Kirkland and $3.2M for the Redmond Supportive Housing project

• In the 2026 legislative session, I was the prime sponsor of permitting and zoning reform bills that unleashed conversion of unused commercial spaces to residential units.

• I also supported the passage of a bill that allowed religious organizations to build affordable housing in residential neighborhoods, and redundant obstacles to housing construction.

• In the 2026 legislative session, I also voted for increased incentives and permitting reform to build dense housing near public transit corridors, like the Light Rail. Developing housing along transit corridors helps our seniors age in their home towns, letting them downsize without leaving their neighborhood. It also gives our young people the opportunity to own homes without having to own a car.

• Condos are the gateway to home ownership, because they allow for individual units to be bought or rented. I will fight for the creation of a warranty system which allows condo owners to get repairs done quickly and fairly, as well as incentivizing the apartments we have built to be converted to condos.

• Once we establish this reliable revenue-producing development pipeline, we can build on our successes and spread the wealth to state programs and public-private partnerships that stabilize housing for low income families, immigrants, IDD, sober, and behavioral health communities

Owning a home makes THE difference in closing the generational wealth gap. Increasing supply, lowering costs, and incentivizing condo growth will all make home ownership for young people an achievable goal rather than a pipe dream. 

Our district is heavily populated by tech workers, and recent layoffs, furloughs, and buyouts at Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, Expedia, Zillow, Meta and other tech companies, along with the rise of AI, means that we need focus on expanding the economy with an eye towards AI-resilient work, entrepreneurship, and job growth. 

Throughout history, communities that responded to economic hard times with investments in their people and their communities have thrived. The innovation and entrepreneurship of the 48th District is one of our greatest strengths, and we should work with all our stakeholders, from community groups to corporations, to ensure we will be the home of the next generation of groundbreaking companies and startups. Entrepreneurship leads to innovation, venture capital investment, and high-paying jobs in our area.

In the midst of intense economic instability we have the opportunity to lead by investing in "AI-proof" jobs which require human ingenuity and craftsmanship. 

Expanding our education and vocational training system is essential in the face of job displacement due to AI. 

• As the manager of a car dealership, I make sure our master certified technicians are always teaching new techs so that the next generation of auto technicians have a real-world foundation of skills and experience. I will fight to apply this practice as much as possible across industries in our state. 

• I will advocate to give tax incentives to those who train workers, and allow for Business & Occupation tax credits for money invested in training both for the trainer and the trainee. 

• I will fight to make sure that small businesses get the same or more opportunities for partnership and growth assistance from the state as big companies. I will ensure our grants and lending programs for small businesses continue to be robust. 

• I will work to institute "Business in a box" programs to facilitate entrepreneurship through the State Department of Commerce. This support would streamline licensing, bookkeeping, and tax returns, allowing innovators to innovate and service providers to provide service, rather than being bogged down by administrative tasks.

Apprenticeship, entrepreneurship, and vocational programs give our community the flexibility to adapt to changing economic conditions, and they should be an integral part of how we approach job growth, not an afterthought.

In the last session, I took the lead in demanding a progressive tax code and tax relief for working families now, rather than years down the road. 

I believe in the promise of a high-earners income tax, but I am fighting to ensure that the income threshold isn’t lowered as a crutch for future budgeting shortfalls. I proposed two amendments to the state income tax passed in the 2026 legislative session: 

• My amendment 2596 would have changed the bill's $1 million standard deduction so that it applied per individual, rather than $1 million per household.

  • This amendment would have restricted the millionaire’s tax to true millionaires, rather than allowing a couple making $500,000 each to be required to pay half of their marginal income in state and federal income tax.

• My Amendment 2598 would have given the majority of the projected $3.9B in revenue from the high-earners income tax back to everyday Washingtonians by reducing the state retail sales tax rate from 6.5% to 5.75%. 

• Since our State Supreme Court ruled against the constitutionality of a state income tax all the way back in 1933, I also proposed the passage of a state constitutional amendment authorizing a state income tax, and limiting the deduction at $1M for single earners. 

• These amendments would have made sure the new income tax was not open to court challenges, future expansion to middle class earners, and made our tax code more progressive, rather than just raising taxes to fill budget gaps.

• I voted against the millionaire’s tax because it was unconstitutional, not progressive enough, and raised the possibility of broad middle class tax hikes in the near future.

In Olympia, I will continue to fight for a progressive income tax structure that actually relieves the tax burden for everyday people and working families—not 5 five years later pending a court challenge and ballot initiative, but in the present day, closing loopholes and righting wrongs that already exist in our code. 

• My top tax priority next session is reforming the Business and Occupation (corporate revenue) tax so that the industry giants that call WA and the 48th LD home pay back their fair share to the communities that help them thrive. 

• Our current corporate revenue tax structure allows WA-based businesses to declare their revenue in tax-haven states like Wyoming. This is unacceptable—we cannot allow corporations to benefit from our district’s highly-skilled workforce and friendly business climate without keeping them honest and spreading the wealth.

• Hardworking small business owners do not have the benefit of fancy accounting and pay their Business & Occupation taxes here.

• I support the replacement of the B&O tax with a corporate income tax, as we have at a federal level, which only levies taxes on profitable businesses, and allows deductions for operating costs, reducing the relative tax burden for low-margin businesses like mom-and-pop grocery, retail, or restaurants compared to the giants with billion-dollar profits. 

As a small business owner, I understand the challenges of entrepreneurship, and I will fight to level the playing field and reform the corporate revenue tax code in WA.

A huge part of the gender pay gap comes from the fact that women are still the primary caregivers for children, often leaving them behind in the job market.

We can’t wait for the Federal Government to act to make progress in our state. We need action on ensuring that quality childcare and early education are plentiful throughout our state for working families to be able to thrive. This is an essential need for moms, dads, and kids. 

In my next term, I will fight for comprehensive childcare reform.

My comprehensive childcare reform plan includes:

• Robust state funding for childcare and tax relief for the provision of childcare services

• A licensed and accredited childcare profession, with training in our technical colleges and an early career pathway to becoming a professional childcare provider in high school. So many talented young people in our state want a career helping kids, but the pathway to that career is not clear. 

• Business incentives for benefit plans that include childcare, for on-site childcare services, and for paying tuition for employees who want to become certified childcare providers. 

• Tax subsidies for tenant spaces with childcare providers, making rent for providers affordable. 

• The creation of a cooperative model for insurance to make insurance more affordable for childcare providers. 

• State Government-provided services to childcare providers to help them navigate the regulatory environment at the state, county and city level.

• Minimum pay and workplace standards for workers, project labor agreements, and transparency on wages and working conditions.

These reforms will make this profession attractive to young people and will bring many retirees back to work doing what they love, which is teaching children. It’s not solely the responsibility of parents and their workplaces to support a robust childcare environment. We are all responsible for raising the next generation.

Fighting Gun Violence and Protecting Public Safety

I believe that fighting gun violence and protecting public safety are inextricable issues. That is why in my time in the legislature, I have passed an assault rifle ban, a high-capacity magazine ban, and a permit-to-purchase policy, while continuing to be endorsed by our local police departments. There is no either/or—public safety is about prevention, trust, and accountability.

I believe in a serious, realistic, and compassionate approach to public safety and gun safety that invests in well-trained, community-focused law enforcement while also expanding mental health and crisis response services.

I was lucky enough to spend much of my childhood in Australia. On a recent visit, it was remarkable and noticeable that I had a certain relief in my heart that there were no guns in the audience. People were having fun, and there were the usual concert shenanigans, but I was not concerned that a gun would be drawn and my children would be harmed.

We have more guns than people in the United States and firearm ownership is a very important part of being an American. However, rights come with responsibilities and protecting our communities is nonnegotiable.

• I come from a family of hunters and fishermen and all weapons were stored safely. Young people were trained properly. Guns were treated seriously, handled carefully and were placed in safes when they were not in use.

• I drafted the “safe storage” bill introduced in 2025 to require secure storage of firearms in vehicles, to address the persistent problem of firearms being stolen from vehicles, then used in crimes or intimate partner and family violence and suicide. 

• I passed HB 1562 in the 2023-2024 session, which adds safeguards to firearm purchases through firearm dealers. These restrictions and safeguards are appropriate as firearms are often stolen from licensed firearm dealers and also straw purchasers, or illegal conduits for those who are not qualified to own a firearm to acquire them through deception. 

• I will continue to fight for reasonable firearm violence prevention such as education around suicide risks, permits to purchase, and other measures so that very permanent decisions are not made in the heat of the moment. 

We must have a robust mental health system and a community where we care enough about each other to pause rushed decisions so that we cannot harm ourselves or others when we are at our weakest and most vulnerable point.

Animals are an integral part of many families in our district, and I have led the way on animal welfare in Olympia for my entire time in office. I founded the “Fur Fighter” caucus, which convenes a bipartisan group of legislators to address the needs of our wildlife and companion animals and created a first-in-the-nation “Animal Welfare Plan” for Washington to roadmap statewide standards for animal welfare. 

• I spearheaded the passage of HB 1424, requiring that pet dealers only source from rescue operations, rather than puppy mills. 

• My HB 1097 prohibited the sale of cosmetics tested on animals in Washington state. 

• In 2027, my top priority on animal welfare is reforming pet insurance—applying the same Obamacare-mandated coverage of those with pre-existing conditions to our companion animals. These reforms will lower costs for pet-owners and protect animal welfare.

I will continue to make sure that pets, pet-owners, and animal welfare are not afterthoughts in Olympia.

Healthy communities are built on trust, dignity, and the freedom to make personal healthcare decisions. I believe those decisions belong to individuals, not the government. I’m focused on expanding access to care broadly, so that everyone in our community can get the services they need, when they need them.

I’m also committed to protecting and strengthening access to reproductive healthcare in Washington, including safeguarding the right to choose. That means ensuring people can make deeply personal decisions with the guidance of their healthcare providers, with privacy, respect, and without political interference.

• We all must have the power to make our own decisions about if and when to carry a baby, to determine our own gender identity, and to express our sexuality as we wish. This freedom to express ourselves gives us the strength and resources to be a fulfilled person, to thrive and to contribute our unique selves to our communities. 

• Reproductive options and gender affirming care are health care, and decisions made between ourselves and our physicians are private and must be affordable, accessible, and covered by all kinds of health insurance. 

• State and Federal funding must be in place to secure these rights. These are human rights and must be available to every person in our communities.

• Our school system has an essential role in providing comprehensive sexual health education, and all of our systems must provide a safety net to protect children from unhealthy or abusive families. 

Old systems of control over women, children and vulnerable members of our community must be dismantled.

Crumbling infrastructure costs us all time and money. Every minute lost to a bridge closure, road repair, or bus shortage is time we could have spent with loved ones, working, or relaxing after a long day. We know that our roads, bridges, and transport systems can be better, and should be state of the art. I’ve passed over $4B for the construction and transit improvements in the 48th Legislative District. I will continue to fight for necessary infrastructure improvements when I return to Olympia.

This is a time to forgo our usual conservatism around local borrowing and recognize that what we build will pay dividends (and generate tax revenue) to make us globally competitive, drawing new jobs, industries, and people to our state and the 48th District. Borrow now and put people to work.

As a legislator and steward of your tax dollars, affordability also means getting our tax revenue from the right pathways, staying on budget, and holding State Government accountable when we misstep.

I’m very troubled by the recent downgrading of the credit rating of the state, and spending down of the rainy day fund, which will result in more public money being spent on interest, not on programs that help people thrive.

Recent revelations about $16 million going missing from the Regional Homelessness Authority are a striking example of funds being misspent without sufficient oversight. As chair of the House Consumer Protection & Business Committee, I'm committed to ensuring that public money does what it should—benefitting the public.

In Olympia, I will continue to insist that designated impact fees are required to ONLY go to their earmarked purposes. We cannot lose public trust by manipulating dedicated funding sources to fill gaps caused by project mismanagement. Families of the 48th District want their tax dollars to go to projects and services that help them, not administrative overhead and bloat.

Protecting our environment is essential to the health, quality of life, and future of our community. From cleaner air to preserved green spaces, these are the things that make our region a place people are proud to call home.

I’ve been working on these issues for years. I advocated for Washington’s plastic bag ban during my time on the Kirkland City Council. In Olympia, I have strongly supported efforts to transition to clean energy, reduce carbon emissions, and protect our natural resources.

• In 2021, I voted for the Climate Commitment Act, which helped make Washington a national leader in environmental protections, emissions controls, and renewable energy. I firmly believe that we should weave environmental stewardship into our infrastructure and housing construction. We can and should support the environment by re-creating salmon habitat not just with culverts but with waterway and forest restoration. 

• In Olympia, I will fight to improve our resilience for climate-related emergencies by building out shelters for extreme cold and heat that can house families including children and companion animals. Our healthcare facilities, public buildings, libraries and schools need to be improved and modernized with energy efficiency in mind. 

• I continue to work to create a virtuous cycle where as much of our waste as possible is diverted and converted into compost, which can then be used in our own communities, in parks, in construction and transportation projects. We can make sure that each community is able to recycle its own energy and waste by improving compost and wastewater collection and processing. 

• On the House Consumer Safety Committee in Olympia, I have led the fight against high quantities of substances like sodium nitrite. Toxic chemicals and plastics are still ubiquitous in our lives. We must remain vigilant in not repeating the mistakes of history as we tolerated lead and asbestos. Dangerous chemicals in food, water, household products and cosmetics must be prohibited as a matter of urgency.

• I will fight for increased transparency in who owns our utilities—some of our utilities are not community owned but rather owned by overseas pension funds or Wall Street. I will not allow utilities to pass their lobbying costs onto low income families. 

• I will fight to use objective criteria to locate energy facilities, rather than taking advantage of underrepresented communities. We cannot continue to place energy generation facilities in the poorest of neighborhoods, exposing already vulnerable people to more harm.

• I will continue to advocate for bills that incentivize the development of hydrogen, nuclear, solar, wind and geo-thermal alternatives, working with large utilities and corporations, as well as with private citizens and innovative startups.

• I am also passionate about supporting new energy initiatives like Community Solar, an opportunity to build solar and share the energy it creates. We need to expand our ability to collaborate neighbor-to-neighbor, creating connections and lowering costs. 

Protecting our home, conserving our resources, and building our energy future requires bold action now.

The 48th Legislative District is a majority-minority district, and the ingenuity and work ethic of thousands of immigrants is instrumental in our communities—economically, socially, and culturally. As your representative, I will continue to stand up for immigrant rights, so that their dreams can come to fruition and to continue to make the 48th District a land of opportunity. 

• I was a strong supporter of the latest session’s HB 2173, which barred ICE agents from wearing face coverings while interacting with the public. I also voted to prevent ICE from entering sensitive areas like schools, hospitals, and daycares without a judicial warrant.

• As prime sponsor of HB 1889, I helped immigrants use their skills to enrich our communities. My bill established that professional licenses in our state shall not require US citizenship (with a few exceptions). The bill broadly expanded licensing pathways for qualified applicants. If one can pass our testing, they can and should work and participate in our economy. 

In Olympia, I will continue to fight ICE’s scare tactics, and provide resources and assistance for all the immigrant communities that make the 48th District their home.