I strongly oppose recent Supreme Court decisions that will harm reproductive freedom and lead to more gun deaths. As a member of the Assembly, I will create and support legislation that will protect Californians from these dangerous rulings and further the values of reproductive freedom and gun safety in our state.

We face enormous challenges. To overcome them, we need leaders who don’t just believe in science, but understand it. Who don’t just talk about lowering rents, but pay rent. Who don’t just know there’s a homelessness crisis, but know the names of unhoused people. Who don’t just say “this is broken,” but have a vision for how to fix it.

I’m a scientist, an organizer, and a renter. I didn’t come to California to be a politician. I came to become a professor of astrophysics. I spent a dozen years thinking about cosmic problems, but I decided to enter public life because my community showed me that its problems were more pressing—and that my skills could help.

I’ve helped mothers with three-month-old babies, honorably discharged veterans, and seniors with broken bones get off the street. None of those stories has a place in California, but they are all true. To make it otherwise, we must change who we send to Sacramento.

I’m different from the legislators who created the status quo. Now, when the status quo isn’t working, I think different is what we—all of us—need.

Join me in saying “yes” to change, “yes” to progress, and “yes” to an affordable, sustainable, and safe California.

Work for California.

Work with us.

Service is a core ethos of our campaign, we have many volunteer opportunities available, but we are also happy to connect you with other organizations doing great work.

Change takes change — support our campaign today!

The 51st Assembly District (AD51) is currently represented by Assemblymember Richard Bloom, who is retiring. The district stretches from Santa Monica to Griffith Park and contains all of the cities of Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, and large portions of Los Angeles. Some of the richest people in America live here next to some of the poorest. At last count, roughly 3000 of our neighbors were living on the streets. More than 4 out of 5 people who work in AD51 commute from outside of it because they cannot afford the astronomical cost of housing. Providing housing near jobs and along transit corridors will lessen traffic, reduce air pollution, and improve all our communities.

Find your other districts here and check your voter registration status here.

California is America’s most diverse and economically powerful state. It takes a lot of people to power our prosperity, but we don’t build homes as fast as we add jobs. The housing shortage causes millions of us to struggle to pay rent and only dream of owning a home. It also forces many working people to live in overcrowded homes, contributing to COVID’s disproportionate impact on our communities of color. I want that to change.

My priority in Sacramento will be finding smart solutions to our housing crisis that protect the needs of today’s residents while making it possible for everyone who wants to strengthen California to call it home. At the rate we’re going, we’re 30 years from that reality. That’s too long. I believe we can get there faster, together.

More people experience homelessness in California than in any other state. In LA County, the biggest cause is economic distress like a job loss or medical bill. Most people who become homeless find housing, but about 10% fall through the cracks each year, adding to those already on the street. Once there, drug or mental health issues can arise as a result of daily hardships. Sadly, LGBTQ+ folks are nearly 3 times as likely to become homeless than the general population and Black Southern Californians are 4 times overrepresented on the streets. I want that to change.

My priority in Sacramento will be an all-out approach to fixing the broken systems keeping people on the street and creating new ways to prevent homelessness in the first place. At root, we don’t have enough housing or shelter. That has to change, as do our outreach and treatment systems, which are so diffuse and uncoordinated that they are harming unhoused and housed people. I believe we can build a safety net that works, create a plan that people actually understand, and give Californians confidence that progress is possible by showing them visible results.

California has acknowledged that climate change is an existential threat to everyone’s future. In the past 15 years, we’ve cut our greenhouse gas emissions by 15%. The trouble is that, in the next 10 years, we have to cut them by 40%. We all want that to happen, but our progress is slowing, and the impacts of inaction are being felt more each year as wildfires get worse. I want that to change.

My priority in Sacramento will be to push for the bold reforms to transportation, power generation, and power distribution we need to reach the targets we’ve already committed to hitting. Fortunately, the same policies that will get us there will make our cities greener, safer, and more just. As a scientist, I see that our climate, housing, and homelessness goals — along with so many others — are connected. By empowering the intelligence and creativity California is known for, I believe that we can advance all of them as we advance each of them.

Everything's Political w/ Zeena Koda - Interview