Tracie Stafford

Why are you the best candidate for the seat?

I have been a public advocate for most of my adult life, chairing boards, mentoring youth, working in juvenile prisons, speaking internationally to motivate abuse victims to thrive in spite of trauma. It was when I became the spokesperson for the California partnership to end domestic violence that my focus changed. I realized that most elected officials did not have the life experiences to connect to the people that they served. I spent years telling my stories of poverty, child abuse and despair to help elected officials understand the impact of legislation on the underserved and working class. I finally concluded that rather than begging legislators to take action, I needed to be a decision maker.

I am running to give a voice to the people of this district who work every day to put food on the table, pay the rising cost of housing, raise kids and care for aging parents, all while turning over more and more of their paychecks to the rising costs of health care, housing, and transportation.

Assembly district 9 is in need of a new lens that focuses on the community, rather than monied interests. It is time for change.

What issues set you apart from your opponent(s)?

Political finance reform and transparency. I am a firm believer that how you get into office is how you stay in office. Therefore, it is imperative that my funding is received from individuals and organizations that are in alignment with my community focused values.

Education. The school to prison pipeline continues to increase while the budget for schools has decreased. Every community deserves quality public schools and I will work tirelessly to ensure that end.

Safe at Home: In most cities, well over 50% of violent crime occurs in the home. From domestic violence to elder and child abuse. I am dedicated to improving our communities by addressing the violence in our homes.

Criminal Justice Reform: I am a proponent of smart justice which holds offenders accountable for their actions and focuses on rehabilitation during incarceration. Excessive prison sentences for non-violent crime with no rehabilitation only hardens the offender who is then released back into the population to reoffend. This is a public safety hazard.

If elected, what do you hope to accomplish during your first 90 days in office?

As a priority, I plan to author/support legislation to reduce homelessness in our communities, improve the local economy and tackle budget inequalities in our public schools. In addition, there are many community benefit programs that can be implemented outside of the legislative process. Over the next year, we will be conducting a listening tour to determine what is most important in each community. This information will be used in those first 90 days to make immediate impact.

Your thoughts on: Homelessness

First and foremost, we must treat homelessness like the crisis that it is and fund solutions accordingly. We need strong tenant protection and emergency assistance programs to keep people in their homes, as well as domestic violence, mental health and substance abuse funding, which includes wrap-around services to address chronic homelessness ending the cycle. Outreach to those experiencing homelessness should be conducted by health and social workers as much as possible to quickly access needs and act. We must also stop criminalizing the way unhoused people survive. Immediately, we must stop arresting, confiscating the survival gear of, and ticketing people who have no choice but to sleep outside. Safe ground is the first step.

Affordable housing

My policy priorities include the construction of affordable housing in the form of social housing — to decommodify housing and make certain that everyone has a comfortable and secure place to call home in their community. Allowing people of all incomes to apply to live in these new developments, local governments will be able to charge higher rents to higher-income residents, and thus capture a great deal of capital income. Instead of being a large budgetary burden on cities and the federal government, they could be mostly self-sustaining. Lower income residents could be subsidized to some extent by the “solidarity rents” of the middle-class residents — who would still be paying less than they do now.

Cost of higher education

Higher education is not feasible for most people without accruing massive student loan debt. I was the first in my family to earn a college degree at the age of 31 and accrued student debt. The estimated cost for tuition, room and board for my four children would have been approximately $500,000 (without scholarships and assistance). In what world is that rational for working class families, let alone single parents or children on their own as I was? I wholeheartedly support tuition-free or low-cost college and trade schools.

Economic policy

My number one concern is building an economy that works for everyone. It is my belief that all people deserve the foundational 5 which includes: Affordable housing, health care, quality education, livable wage jobs and equal access. California has the highest effective poverty rate in the nation. We have the highest homeless population. Our schools are improving but not equitably and funding is dismal. We need leaders who demand bold action on these important topics and leaders who understand that the old ways just don’t work any longer. For example, the number one reason we have such high poverty rates is because of high housing and health care costs. I therefore support a universal health care system.

High-speed rail/transportation funding

I am in support of highspeed rail as it is a job creator, takes cars off of the streets and airplanes out of the sky while allowing people to work in higher paying areas and live where that money can be stretched farther. Affordability however is another factor. The longer the project drags out, the more expensive the execution becomes almost doubling in the decade since its approval. At this juncture, funds may be better spent on upgrades to conventional rail, which is vastly cheaper and could offer similar benefits to rent-strapped commuters priced out of cities.

Water issues

The Delta has been embroiled in controversy about how to restore a faltering ecosystem while maintaining its role as the hub of the state’s water supply. Although we had hoped for improvement in water politics this past year, it appears that we are stalled due to the environmentalists versus farmers, north verses south, etc. As your assemblymember and public servant, my job would be to represent the needs of the district at the state level and I look forward to the many discussions ahead to finalize a position that is agreeable to our community.

Taxes

Our inadequate revenue base stems from a decadeslong project which starved the public sector of resources, Prop 13. This “People against Big Government” bill was designed to protect the individual homeowner from large tax hikes. However, the biggest beneficiaries of the Prop 13 were big businesses which were granted the same protections as individual homeowners. It’s time to reform California’s dysfunctional commercial property tax system. I am in full support of the Schools and Communities First

(SCF) initiative.

SCF will restore $12 billion every year from commercial property taxes toward resources to educate our children and fund other services without raising the taxes of individual homeowners.

Minimum wage/ income inequality

I support the current legislative path to a $15/hour minimum wage. Put that amount into perspective in today’s housing market: $15 an hour for a 40-hour work week translates into $2,400 a month, or $28,800 per year, assuming the worker never gets sick or takes a day off. $15 an hour is a fair wage.

Sanctuary laws

As a public advocate focused on civil rights and equality, I am a firm supporter of justice, humane treatment and due process and therefor support sanctuary laws.

State’s role in educational curriculum

The state has an obligation to ensure quality education in public schools and an effective curriculum is a large part of that equation.

Consumer privacy

Consumer privacy in the computer age has been incredibly challenging to ensure but it is critical that our government catches up with technology. The California Consumer Privacy Act which went onto effect on Jan. 1, is in theory a strong attempt to address the privacy breaches faced daily. However, execution is another factor. I will be watching closely over the next year to determine its effectiveness.

Government accountability/transparency

Government is the business of people. It is also the one business that is bottom up. It is the responsibility of the community to hold the government accountable and demand transparency through civic actions and votes. I have long fought for transparency and accountable in our local governments and will continue to do so in office.

Development/ smart growth

During my many years working with the California Association for Local Economic Development, it was made clear that smart growth is tied directly to city plans. Unfortunately, most city plans are merely a series of projects that do not roll into an overarching, attainable vision nor are they adhered to. Unfortunately, developers often drive the direction of a city which is in direct opposition to smart growth. It is the responsibility of the city councils and regional law makers to stand up.

Access to legalized marijuana

I am in support of access to legalized marijuana. The jobs that have been created as well as the tax revenue is being generated to support our communities. As with any “controlled substance,” we must ensure that policies support safe, age appropriate access and that dispensaries are following requirements.

Civil rights

As a long time, public advocate, I believe that all people deserve equal social, educational and economic opportunities regardless of race, gender religion, orientation, disability, age, etc.

Climate change policy

Moving away from the fossil fuel-based energy system is inevitable. It is imperative that like-minded lawmakers be elected at all levels of government to affect this change as well as others. That is why I support the recently introduced California Green New Deal which lifts families into the middle class as we create new jobs reversing climate change and preventing wildfires.