When one individual inflicts bodily injury upon another such that death results, we call the deed manslaughter; when the assailant knew in advance that the injury would be fatal, we call his deed murder. But when society places hundreds of proletarians in such a position that they inevitably meet a too early and an unnatural death, […and] knows that these thousands of victims must perish, and yet permits these conditions to remain, its deed is murder just as surely as the deed of the single individual; disguised, malicious murder, murder against which none can defend himself, which does not seem what it is, because no man sees the murderer, because the death of the victim seems a natural one, since the offense is more one of omission than of commission. But murder it remains.
Friedrich Engles
Universal Childcare
Following in the Footsteps of New Mexico, guaranteeing the right to affordable childcare can help make ends meeting for working class families and allow parents more agency in their work-life balance.
Universal Healthcare
Patients over profits! Healthcare has no reason to be a for-profit industry, and high costs combined with high premiums is nothing but a recipe for sick people.
I fully support the policies and mission of whole Washington
visit wholewashington.org
Universal Housing
The ongoing housing shortage will do nothing but get worse, especially as the state becomes a climate refuge destination.
To counter this housing crisis, we must establish a state-operated housing developer that focuses on developing vacant or abandoned lots, and selling completed housing at cost price to resident owners or tenant cooperatives via rent-to-own, equity sharing, and other programs that put housing in the hands of the people, rather than investors.
Worker’s Rights
Creating strong worker’s rights legislation that protects unionization and workplace democracy, protects part-time workers by offering them access to benefits and ensuring they are offered any additional hours before new staff can be hired, stable scheduling at least 14 days in advance, and a robust minimum wage tied to inflation and real cost of living.
Environmental Protection
Keeping our peninsula and our state green and beautiful is one of our highest priorities.
Supporting the transition to clean energy, protecting our old-growth forests, preventing the establishment of energy-hogging AI datacenters, and ensuring that both we and our children will be able to enjoy of the beauty of our natural world in the years to come is of the utmost importance.
Regional Mobility
Reducing our reliance on cars and returning to more traditional modes of transport can and must be accomplished – both as an environmental measure and as a point of accessibility for those that for whatever reason are unable to drive.
Robust inter-regional bus, rail, and ferry services can minimize the number of people that need a car, decreasing strain on both our infrastructure and our environment.
Progressive taxation
We must urgently work towards abolishing the state’s regressive tax policies such as sales tax and expensive car tabs, in favor of progressive income and property taxes.
We must move the burden of taxation off of the working class, and instead tax the wealth produced by our surplus labor that is claimed by corporations and the upper classes.
Election Reforms
Elections rife with private cash and an outdated first past the post election system that ensures the two-party system continues uninterrupted is ripe for revolutionary change.
We must radically rethink the way we run elections, and implement a proportional multi-winner election system that bans ALL private funding of elections.
Legislative Reforms
It has become overwhelmingly clear that the state legislature is not up for the task of governing in its current form. The vast majority of bills – even popular ones – are not able to be given a fair hearing due to the our extremely short legislative sessions and the ability of committee chairs to decide to not hear a bill.
The legislature must be reformed to allow more time in session to deliberate on bills, or to create commissions that can meet outside of session and refer potential legislation to the general election ballot.
Bodily Autonomy
The right to choose what happens to your own body is a core point of what it means to be free.
We must allow people the right to choose whether or not they will go through pregnancy, including consultation with medical professionals if desired. We must allow trans people the right to access the medications they need to live comfortably in their own bodies. We must prohibit aesthetic gender confirmation surgeries performed on intersex infants.
A constitutional Convention
Our state constitution is old, and desperately needs updating. We must hold a constitutional convention to comprehensively update the constitution; to enshrine the rights to healthcare and bodily autonomy, to allow the expansion of the legislature to enable truly local, proportional representation, and to allow progressive taxation of property.
Defederalization
Recent activity in the federal government has shown that we cannot trust in an uninterrupted stream of services from federal agencies – whether due to intermittent shutdowns or presidentially denied funding.
Washington must position itself to be resilient through these gaps in federal support. To that end Washington must work towards creating state agencies that are prepared to support or fully replace federal services when necessary to ensure that state residents have uninterrupted access to government services.
Pledges
Patients over Profit
CEOs and lobbyists for Big Pharma, corporate insurers, and private hospitals have formed a front group called Partnership for America’s Healthcare Future that wants to exploit our healthcare system to make money off of keeping us sick.
I pledge to put patients over profits and not take contributions from the executives, lobbyists, and PACs affiliated with the corporate health care industry, including private insurers, pharma corporations, and private hospitals who are organizing to take over our health care system.
Policy Endorsements
In addition to the above platform, if I elected I will reintroduce or co-sponsor the following bills from last session:
HB 2100/SB 6039 – the well Washington fund; a bill to fund Washington state services with a corporate payroll tax on high earners
HB 2210 – local ranked and single transferable voting
SB 5754 – a bill that creates a Washington State Public Bank
SB 5233/HB1445 – state-based universal healthcare; a bill to establish the Washington Health Trust
SB 6315 – requiring the publication of de-aggregated data for minority access to services
SB 5947 – a universal healthcare “trigger” bill pending federal action
SB 5993 – lowering interest rates on medical debt
SB 5955 – Medicare deprivatization
SB 5948 – deadlines and deliverables for the Universal Health Care Commission
SB 5946 – expanding medicaid eligibility to 300% of the poverty line
SB 5387 – decorporatizing medicine
SJB 8206 – a constitutional amendment enshrining the right to healthcare
HB 2300 – assessing employers for the health care costs incurred to the state by their workers
SB 6358 – a bill that redefines corporations as entities that are unable to engage in direct or indirect election activity
HB 1019 – tax incentives for farmers involved in state conservation programs-
HB 1113 – Misdemeanor dismissals for individuals who substantially comply with court ordered conditions
HB 1233 – making work programs for incarcerated individuals voluntary
HB 1662/SB5422 – allows unions to bargain about AI in the workplace
HB 1671 – protecting personal data
HB 1004 – increasing the tax exemption for personal property
HB 1664/SB5606 – funding Washington state long-term care program
HB1915 – strengthening tenant protections
HB2489 – helping to decriminalize homelessness
HB 1847 – distributed alternative energy resources
HB 1482 – expands health coverage access to immigrants
HB 1561 – provides labor protections to domestic workers
HB 1817 – supporting sexual assault survivors
HB 1148 – exempting youth athletic facilities from sales and use tax
HB 1277 – exempting certain medical equipment from sales tax
HB 1058/SB 5063 – incentives for freight railroad infrastructure
HB 1195 – easing construction of supportive/transitional/emergency housing or shelters
HB 1328/SB 5359 – development of clean energy
HB 1429/SB 5082 – housing assistance programs for foster youth
HB 1681 – simplifying regulations around mini-split HVAC installation
HB 1816 – civilian staffed 911 alternatives
HB 1310 – special education funding
HB 1785 – imposing a surcharge on companies with excessive executive compensation
SB 5838/HB2117 – tribal representation on the board of natural resources
HB 1735 – prohibiting the force-feeding of birds
HB 2170/SB 5999 – allowing the utilization of state forestland for ecosystem or carbon credits, that would be used in the same manner as timber sale proceeds
HB 2279 – evaluating the use of certain chemical fertilizers in agriculture for potential restriction
HB 2463 – support Washington farmers feeding families
HB 2619 – reducing regulatory stress in agriculture
SB 5971 – establishing green fertilizer incentive programs
HB 2073 – addressing funding for health insurance premium assistance
SB 5918 – Providing funding for school materials, supplies, and operating costs.
SB 5906 – Establishing data and personal safety protections within areas of public accommodation for all Washington residents.
HB 2597 – Remedies for violations of federal constitutional rights occurring during immigration enforcement.
HB 1592 – funding public defense services
HB 2641 – prohibiting law enforcement agencies from hiring current or former ICE agents
HB 2217 – rehabilitation pathways for persons with no prior convictions in adult court
SB 6175 – protecting consumers in primary and secondary ticket markets
HB 2559 – funding affordable housing programs
HB 2046 – taxing intangible financial assets such as stocks, shares, and bonds
HB 2626 – increasing insurance premium taxes on insurance providers
HB 2673 – tax exemptions for property used as affordable housing
HB2408/SB6045 – agricultural employee collective bargaining
SB 5729 – streamlining affordable housing permitting
HB 2481/SB 6312 – prohibiting surveillance pricing
HB 2092/SB6270 – establishing a passenger rail advisory committee