Issue Position: Job Creation and Economic Recovery
Issue Position
JOB CREATION AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY
As I travel across this region, it is obvious that people are hurting. They are trying to do the right thing, to work hard and care for their families. But too often this is not enough. For many, America's promises of opportunity and progress are beginning to seem empty.
It is clear that the Sacramento region has been hit particularly hard by the recent economic downturn. There are also formidable roadblocks to recovery, including slowed GDP growth, tight credit, excess capacity markets, and general cautiousness towards hiring.
In the face of such challenges, we need to take bold steps to empower small businesses; reinvest in our children and workforce; streamline government and balance our budgets; restore integrity to our financial system; and identify and capitalize on opportunities unique to our region.
In what follows, I lay out a blueprint to address these challenges and create new pathways for opportunity and prosperity. We can get our region and our country's economy back on track. But it is going to take strong leadership rooted in commonsense values and practical solutions.
Empower Small Businesses
In today's economy, small businesses employ over half of America's workers, create nearly two-thirds of all new jobs, and are responsible for over 97 percent of all exported goods. Our economic policy needs to better reflect the central role of small firms to our nation's economic health. This means improving access to capital; extending small business R&D tax credits for the long-term; instituting fairer and simpler tax codes for small businesses to compete at home and abroad; and reforming our healthcare system to allay debilitating costs.
Access to capital. Nothing is more important to the success of our small businesses than having access to adequate financing. We need to make loan approval processes simpler and more accessible for the average small business owner; expand existing SBA loan and micro-loan programs to provide better start-up and long-term financing options; and strengthen the lending power of community banks and credit unions. Additionally, we should consider extending tax credits to venture capital funds with proven track records for seeding successful small business startups.
A fair and simple approach. For decades the influence of corporate lobbyists has meant unfair tax breaks for big corporations, while small businesses are often left carrying an undue burden. In Congress, I will support legislation to end capital gains taxes on investments in small business and start-ups. I will support tax credits to small businesses creating new jobs. And I will work to eliminate red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy, so that owners of small firms can focus less on costly record keeping and more on the real task of running their business.
Research and Development. Throughout our nation's history small businesses have led the way in innovation, producing a disproportionate percentage of patents and technological advancements. Yet in our present economy it has become more difficult for smaller firms to focus on research and development that invests in the future. In Congress, I will make sure small businesses are adequately incentivized to improve their competitiveness and drive American enterprise.
Reinvest in Our Children and Workforce
We must focus in on our investments in public education and workforce training, so that young people and a transitioning workforce have the knowledge and skills necessary to build for a successful life. This means aligning education funding and reforms to meet critical economic objectives, and retooling our schools and colleges to prepare students for a diversity of career pathways in a changing global environment. Education in the 21st century must be a collaborative effort, linking a diversity of leadership and organizational resources to best serve and prepare the next generation. All over the region, education leaders are partnering with business and civic organizations to transform our schools and colleges for a 21st century economy. With strong leadership in Washington, we can together ensure our students are developing relevant skills from kindergarten through high school, and that workers have access to cutting edge apprenticeships, continuing education, and other skill development programs.
Streamline Government, Balance the Budget
The role of government is not to solve all our problems, but to create a context of opportunity for individuals, families and communities to work hard, succeed, and shape the life they desire. In Congress, I will support federal policy to balance our budget and aggressively reduce government waste and inefficiency, so that we can maximize taxpayer dollars to address the great challenges of our day: protecting our country; investing in a new economy; and ensuring the education and health of our children and workforce.
Government debt is the single greatest threat to long-term, sustainable economic recovery and job creation. It is also a threat to our national security, as almost half of our nation's $3 trillion debt is financed by foreign countries like Japan and China. It is time to return to an ethic of responsibility and fiscal toughness -- for the sake of our security and on behalf of our children and grandchildren who deserve the opportunity to build a successful life for themselves.
One of the best ways to do this is to reinstitute commonsense budgeting principles like pay-as-you-go.
Along with increased budget discipline, we need to prioritize smart investments in our economy that depend more on creative private-public partnerships and less on taxpayer dollars. Now more than ever, there is the potential to serve the needs of our communities through non-governmental means. We need to leverage public resources by creating a context for social entrepreneurs, private philanthropy, non-profits, faith and civic organizations to most effectively serve the common good.
Clean Up Wall Street
Wall Street has gotten a pass far too long. We need to restore commonsense values of integrity and decency to our financial system, so that corporate CEOs and hedge fund financiers are just as accountable for their actions as Main Street business owners. In Congress, I will fight for fundamental reforms to ensure America's families and workers are no longer subject to the irresponsible and greed-driven behavior that recently brought our economy to the edge of collapse.
End bailouts, golden parachutes and outrageous CEO bonuses. We must put an end to the era of "corporate welfare," where oversized financial institutions and their executives are rewarded for recklessness. Taxpayers must never again be responsible to bailout massively consolidated -- "too big to fail" -- banks, while CEOs get away scot-free with Golden Parachutes and billion dollar bonuses.
Close corporate loopholes. For years, our federal tax policy has been skewed to allow the "super rich" to get richer, while siphoning off billions of dollars that could be helping middle class American families and small businesses. We need to expose corporate loopholes and close down offshore tax havens, so that privileged fund managers and corporations are made accountable to pay their fair share of taxes.
End credit card scams. In too many cases, consumers are walked into deceptive credit and loan contracts that they don't fully understand and can't afford. We need to institute financial protections that increase transparency and prevent credit card companies from the trick and trap practices largely responsible for the recent epidemic of bankruptcies and foreclosures nationwide.
Identify Regional Opportunity
According to regional economists and specialists, the six-county Capitol area is positioned to become a national hub for emerging technologies and industries. Clean energy and health care industries, in particular, are consistently recognized for their potential to create thousands of new good-paying jobs in our area. This capacity for growth, however, depends on our willingness to step up and invest in emerging markets. Entrepreneurs and business owners need a friend in Washington who will work on their behalf, while also partnering locally to harness and develop the talent and resources of our region.
The Sacramento region is especially poised to benefit from national initiatives like the Green Bank Act and the HOMESTAR Retrofit Act, which would leverage private investment and enterprise to create millions of good living wage jobs across the nation. In Congress, I would advocate aggressively to make sure our local entrepreneurs and businesses are at the front of the line to gain from such initiatives, while also ensuring that resources are allocated and implemented in the smartest, most efficient ways possible. For too long we have tolerated Congressional leadership that is disconnected from what is happening at the county and city level. As someone who has lived and served in this area my entire career -- working closely with businesses, non-profits, and state and county services -- I know what our region has to offer and I am committed to bring folks together to maximize our region's economic potential.
[End of hidden text, beginning of visible text on 31.Aug'12]
Living in Sacramento County, it is obvious that people are hurting. They are trying to do the right thing, to work hard and care for their families. But too often this is not enough. For too many, America's promise of opportunity is beginning to seem empty.
It is clear that the Sacramento region has been hit particularly hard by the recent economic downturn. There are also formidable roadblocks to recovery, including slowed GDP growth, tight credit, excess capacity markets, and general cautiousness towards hiring.
These challenges are real, but not insurmountable. We need to take bold steps to empower small businesses, reinvest in our children and workforce, streamline government and balance our budgets, restore integrity to our financial system, and capitalize on our region's unique strengths.
Below, I lay out a blueprint to address these challenges and restore opportunity and prosperity. Getting our region and our country's economy back on track requires strong leadership rooted in commonsense values and practical solutions.
Empower Small Businesses
In today's economy, small businesses employ over half of America's workers, create nearly two-thirds of all new jobs, and are responsible for over 97 percent of all exported goods. Our economic policy needs to better reflect the central role of small firms in job creation. This means improving access to capital; extending small business R&D tax credits for the long-term; instituting fairer and simpler tax codes for small businesses; and reforming our healthcare system to contain debilitating costs.
Access to capital. Nothing is more important to the success of our small businesses than having access to adequate financing. We need to make loan approval processes simpler and more accessible for the average small business owner; expand existing Small Business Administration loan and micro-loan programs to provide better start-up and long-term financing options; and strengthen the lending power of community banks and credit unions. Additionally, we should consider extending tax credits to venture capital funds with proven track records for seeding successful small business startups.
A fair and simple approach. For decades, corporate lobbyists have used their influence to secure unfair tax breaks for big corporations, while leaving small businesses with an undue tax burden. In Congress, I will support legislation to end capital gains taxes on investments in small business and start-ups. I will support tax credits for small businesses creating new jobs here in America. And I will work to eliminate unnecessary regulations, so that owners of small firms can focus less on costly record keeping and more on the real task of running their business.
Research and Development. Throughout our nation's history, small businesses have spurred some of our greatest technological advancements. But today, our government is not doing enough to help small businesses invest in the research and development necessary to create good jobs here at home. In Congress, I will make sure small businesses are adequately incentivized to improve their competitiveness and drive American enterprise.
Reinvest in Our Children and Workforce
We must invest in public education and workforce training, so that young people and a transitioning workforce have the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed. Improving education must align proper funding with substantive reform to prepare our students for a diversity of careers in a changing global environment. For California to provide the best education in the world once again, we need both sufficient resources and strong leadership. All over the region, education leaders are partnering with business and civic organizations to transform our schools and colleges for a twenty-first century economy. With strong leadership in Washington, together we can ensure that our students are developing relevant skills, and that workers have access to cutting edge apprenticeships, continuing education, and other skill development programs.
Strengthen Regional Opportunity
Sacramento County is positioned to become a national hub for emerging technologies and industries. In particular, clean energy and health care are consistently recognized for their potential to create thousands of new well-paying jobs in our area. This capacity for growth, however, depends on our willingness to step up and invest in emerging markets. Washington needs to be a partner, not an obstacle, in helping entrepreneurs start new businesses and create jobs in Sacramento County.
In Congress, I will advocate aggressively to make sure our local entrepreneurs and businesses are at the front of the line to gain from green initiatives, while also ensuring that resources are allocated and implemented in the smartest, most efficient ways possible. For too long, we have tolerated members of Congress that fight harder for their party bosses than their constituents back home. As someone who has lived and served in this area my entire career--working closely with businesses, non-profits, and state and county services--I know first-hand what our region has to offer and I am committed to bring folks together to achieve our region's economic potential.
Streamline Government, Balance the Budget
The role of government is not to solve all our problems, but to create a context of opportunity for individuals, families and communities to work hard, succeed, and shape the life they desire. In Congress, I will support federal policy to balance our budget and aggressively reduce government waste and inefficiency, so that we can get the most out of every taxpayer dollar and address the great challenges of our day: protecting our country, investing in a new economy, and ensuring the education and health of our children and workforce.
Government debt is the single greatest threat to long-term, sustainable economic recovery and job creation. It is also a threat to our national security, as almost half of our nation's $15 trillion debt is financed by foreign countries like Japan and China. It is time to return to an ethic of responsibility and fiscal toughness so that our children can be safe and prosperous for generations to come.
We can reign in this irresponsible spending with two commonsense reforms. First, we must reinstitute the "Pay-As-You-Go" rule, which would restore discipline to the budgeting process by requiring offsets for any new spending. Second, we must hold Congress accountable by enacting "No Budget, No Pay" legislation that would ensure that members of Congress don't get paid if they don't do their job and pass a responsible budget.
Along with increased budget discipline, we need to prioritize smart investments in our economy that depend more on creative private-public partnerships and less on taxpayer dollars. Now more than ever, community needs can be served through non-governmental means. We need to leverage public resources by creating a context for social entrepreneurs, private philanthropy, non-profits, faith groups, and civic organizations to most effectively serve the common good.
Clean Up Wall Street
Hold Wall Street Accountable. We need to restore commonsense values to our financial system, so that corporate CEOs and hedge fund financiers are just as accountable for their actions as Main Street business owners. In Congress, I will fight for fundamental reforms to ensure America's families are no longer subject to the irresponsibility and greed that recently brought our economy to the edge of collapse.
End bailouts, golden parachutes, and outrageous CEO bonuses. Oversized financial institutions and their executives have been rewarded for recklessness for too long. Taxpayers must never again be responsible to bailout massively consolidated--"too big to fail"--banks, while CEOs get away scot-free with Golden Parachutes and million-dollar bonuses.
Close corporate loopholes. For years, our federal tax policy has been laden with loopholes that allow the rich to get richer, while siphoning off billions of dollars that could be helping middle class American families and small businesses. We need to expose corporate loopholes and close down offshore tax havens, so that corporations and their executives pay their fair share.
End credit card scams. Too often, consumers are victims of deceptive credit and loan contracts that they don't fully understand and can't afford. We need financial protections that increase transparency and prevent credit card companies from the trick and trap practices largely responsible for the recent epidemic of bankruptcies and foreclosures nationwide.
[Pre-31.Aug'12 version, quite similar to the hidden text above.]
As I travel across this region, it is obvious that people are hurting. They are trying to do the right thing, to work hard and care for their families. But too often this is not enough. For many, America's promises of opportunity and progress are beginning to seem empty.It is clear that the Sacramento region has been hit particularly hard by the recent economic downturn. There are also formidable roadblocks to recovery, including slowed GDP growth, tight credit, excess capacity markets, and general cautiousness towards hiring. In the face of such challenges, we need to take bold steps to empower small businesses; reinvest in our children and workforce; streamline government and balance our budgets; restore integrity to our financial system; and identify and capitalize on opportunities unique to our region. In what follows, I lay out a blueprint to address these challenges and create new pathways for opportunity and prosperity. We can get our region and our country's economy back on track. But it is going to take strong leadership rooted in commonsense values and practical solutions.
Empower Small Businesses
In today's economy, small businesses employ over half of America's workers, create nearly two-thirds of all new jobs, and are responsible for over 97 percent of all exported goods. Our economic policy needs to better reflect the central role of small firms to our nation's economic health. This means improving access to capital; extending small business R&D tax credits for the long-term; instituting fairer and simpler tax codes for small businesses to compete at home and abroad; and reforming our healthcare system to allay debilitating costs.
Access to capital. Nothing is more important to the success of our small businesses than having access to adequate financing. We need to make loan approval processes simpler and more accessible for the average small business owner; expand existing SBA loan and micro-loan programs to provide better start-up and long-term financing options; and strengthen the lending power of community banks and credit unions. Additionally, we should consider extending tax credits to venture capital funds with proven track records for seeding successful small business startups.
A fair and simple approach. For decades the influence of corporate lobbyists has meant unfair tax breaks for big corporations, while small businesses are often left carrying an undue burden. In Congress, I will support legislation to end capital gains taxes on investments in small business and start-ups. I will support tax credits to small businesses creating new jobs. And I will work to eliminate red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy, so that owners of small firms can focus less on costly record keeping and more on the real task of running their business.
Research and Development. Throughout our nation's history small businesses have led the way in innovation, producing a disproportionate percentage of patents and technological advancements. Yet in our present economy it has become more difficult for smaller firms to focus on research and development that invests in the future. In Congress, I will make sure small businesses are adequately incentivized to improve their competitiveness and drive American enterprise.
Reinvest in Our Children and Workforce
We must focus in on our investments in public education and workforce training, so that young people and a transitioning workforce have the knowledge and skills necessary to build for a successful life. This means aligning education funding and reforms to meet critical economic objectives, and retooling our schools and colleges to prepare students for a diversity of career pathways in a changing global environment. Education in the 21st century must be a collaborative effort, linking a diversity of leadership and organizational resources to best serve and prepare the next generation. All over the region, education leaders are partnering with business and civic organizations to transform our schools and colleges for a 21st century economy. With strong leadership in Washington, we can together ensure our students are developing relevant skills from kindergarten through high school, and that workers have access to cutting edge apprenticeships, continuing education, and other skill development programs.
Streamline Government, Balance the Budget
The role of government is not to solve all our problems, but to create a context of opportunity for individuals, families and communities to work hard, succeed, and shape the life they desire. In Congress, I will support federal policy to balance our budget and aggressively reduce government waste and inefficiency, so that we can maximize taxpayer dollars to address the great challenges of our day: protecting our country; investing in a new economy; and ensuring the education and health of our children and workforce.
Government debt is the single greatest threat to long-term, sustainable economic recovery and job creation. It is also a threat to our national security, as almost half of our nation's $3 trillion debt is financed by foreign countries like Japan and China. It is time to return to an ethic of responsibility and fiscal toughness -- for the sake of our security and on behalf of our children and grandchildren who deserve the opportunity to build a successful life for themselves.
One of the best ways to do this is to reinstitute commonsense budgeting principles like pay-as-you-go.
Along with increased budget discipline, we need to prioritize smart investments in our economy that depend more on creative private-public partnerships and less on taxpayer dollars. Now more than ever, there is the potential to serve the needs of our communities through non-governmental means. We need to leverage public resources by creating a context for social entrepreneurs, private philanthropy, non-profits, faith and civic organizations to most effectively serve the common good.
Clean Up Wall Street
Wall Street has gotten a pass far too long. We need to restore commonsense values of integrity and decency to our financial system, so that corporate CEOs and hedge fund financiers are just as accountable for their actions as Main Street business owners. In Congress, I will fight for fundamental reforms to ensure America's families and workers are no longer subject to the irresponsible and greed-driven behavior that recently brought our economy to the edge of collapse.
End bailouts, golden parachutes and outrageous CEO bonuses. We must put an end to the era of "corporate welfare," where oversized financial institutions and their executives are rewarded for recklessness. Taxpayers must never again be responsible to bailout massively consolidated -- "too big to fail" -- banks, while CEOs get away scot-free with Golden Parachutes and billion dollar bonuses.
Close corporate loopholes. For years, our federal tax policy has been skewed to allow the "super rich" to get richer, while siphoning off billions of dollars that could be helping middle class American families and small businesses. We need to expose corporate loopholes and close down offshore tax havens, so that privileged fund managers and corporations are made accountable to pay their fair share of taxes.
End credit card scams. In too many cases, consumers are walked into deceptive credit and loan contracts that they don't fully understand and can't afford. We need to institute financial protections that increase transparency and prevent credit card companies from the trick and trap practices largely responsible for the recent epidemic of bankruptcies and foreclosures nationwide.
Identify Regional Opportunity.
According to regional economists and specialists, the six-county Capitol area is positioned to become a national hub for emerging technologies and industries. Clean energy and health care industries, in particular, are consistently recognized for their potential to create thousands of new good-paying jobs in our area. This capacity for growth, however, depends on our willingness to step up and invest in emerging markets. Entrepreneurs and business owners need a friend in Washington who will work on their behalf, while also partnering locally to harness and develop the talent and resources of our region. The Sacramento region is especially poised to benefit from national initiatives like the Green Bank Act and the HOMESTAR Retrofit Act, which would leverage private investment and enterprise to create millions of good living wage jobs across the nation. In Congress, I would advocate aggressively to make sure our local entrepreneurs and businesses are at the front of the line to gain from such initiatives, while also ensuring that resources are allocated and implemented in the smartest, most efficient ways possible. For too long we have tolerated Congressional leadership that is disconnected from what is happening at the county and city level. As someone who has lived and served in this area my entire career -- working closely with businesses, non-profits, and state and county services -- I know what our region has to offer and I am committed to bring folks together to maximize our region's economic potential.
As I travel across this region, it is obvious that people are hurting. They are trying to do the right thing, to work hard and care for their families. But too often this is not enough. For many, America's promises of opportunity and progress are beginning to seem empty.
It is clear that the Sacramento region has been hit particularly hard by the recent economic downturn. There are also formidable roadblocks to recovery, including slowed GDP growth, tight credit, excess capacity markets, and general cautiousness towards hiring.
In the face of such challenges, we need to take bold steps to empower small businesses; reinvest in our children and workforce; streamline government and balance our budgets; restore integrity to our financial system; and identify and capitalize on opportunities unique to our region.
In what follows, I lay out a blueprint to address these challenges and create new pathways for opportunity and prosperity. We can get our region and our country's economy back on track. But it is going to take strong leadership rooted in commonsense values and practical solutions.
Empower Small Businesses
In today's economy, small businesses employ over half of America's workers, create nearly two-thirds of all new jobs, and are responsible for over 97 percent of all exported goods. Our economic policy needs to better reflect the central role of small firms to our nation's economic health. This means improving access to capital; extending small business R&D tax credits for the long-term; instituting fairer and simpler tax codes for small businesses to compete at home and abroad; and reforming our healthcare system to allay debilitating costs.
Access to capital. Nothing is more important to the success of our small businesses than having access to adequate financing. We need to make loan approval processes simpler and more accessible for the average small business owner; expand existing SBA loan and micro-loan programs to provide better start-up and long-term financing options; and strengthen the lending power of community banks and credit unions. Additionally, we should consider extending tax credits to venture capital funds with proven track records for seeding successful small business startups.
A fair and simple approach. For decades the influence of corporate lobbyists has meant unfair tax breaks for big corporations, while small businesses are often left carrying an undue burden. In Congress, I will support legislation to end capital gains taxes on investments in small business and start-ups. I will support tax credits to small businesses creating new jobs. And I will work to eliminate red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy, so that owners of small firms can focus less on costly record keeping and more on the real task of running their business.
Research and Development. Throughout our nation's history small businesses have led the way in innovation, producing a disproportionate percentage of patents and technological advancements. Yet in our present economy it has become more difficult for smaller firms to focus on research and development that invests in the future. In Congress, I will make sure small businesses are adequately incentivized to improve their competitiveness and drive American enterprise.
Reinvest in Our Children and Workforce
We must focus in on our investments in public education and workforce training, so that young people and a transitioning workforce have the knowledge and skills necessary to build for a successful life. This means aligning education funding and reforms to meet critical economic objectives, and retooling our schools and colleges to prepare students for a diversity of career pathways in a changing global environment.
Education in the 21st century must be a collaborative effort, linking a diversity of leadership and organizational resources to best serve and prepare the next generation. All over the region, education leaders are partnering with business and civic organizations to transform our schools and colleges for a 21st century economy. With strong leadership in Washington, we can together ensure our students are developing relevant skills from kindergarten through high school, and that workers have access to cutting edge apprenticeships, continuing education, and other skill development programs.
Streamline Government, Balance the Budget
The role of government is not to solve all our problems, but to create a context of opportunity for individuals, families and communities to work hard, succeed, and shape the life they desire. In Congress, I will support federal policy to balance our budget and aggressively reduce government waste and inefficiency, so that we can maximize taxpayer dollars to address the great challenges of our day: protecting our country; investing in a new economy; and ensuring the education and health of our children and workforce.
Government debt is the single greatest threat to long-term, sustainable economic recovery and job creation. It is also a threat to our national security, as almost half of our nation's $13 trillion debt is financed by foreign countries like Japan and China. It is time to return to an ethic of responsibility and fiscal toughness -- for the sake of our security and on behalf of our children and grandchildren who deserve the opportunity to build a successful life for themselves.
One of the best ways to do this is to re institute commonsense budgeting principles like pay-as-you-go. Along with increased budget discipline, we need to prioritize smart investments in our economy that depend more on creative private-public partnerships and less on taxpayer dollars. Now more than ever, there is the potential to serve the needs of our communities through non-governmental means. We need to leverage public resources by creating a context for social entrepreneurs, private philanthropy, non-profits, faith and civic organizations to most effectively serve the common good.
Clean Up Wall Street
Wall Street has gotten a pass far too long. We need to restore commonsense values of integrity and decency to our financial system, so that corporate CEOs and hedge fund financiers are just as accountable for their actions as Main Street business owners. In Congress, I will fight for fundamental reforms to ensure America's families and workers are no longer subject to the irresponsible and greed-driven behavior that recently brought our economy to the edge of collapse.
End bailouts, golden parachutes and outrageous CEO bonuses. We must put an end to the era of "corporate welfare," where oversized financial institutions and their executives are rewarded for recklessness. Taxpayers must never again be responsible to bailout massively consolidated -- "too big to fail" -- banks, while CEOs get away scot-free with Golden Parachutes and billion dollar bonuses.
Close corporate loopholes. For years, our federal tax policy has been skewed to allow the "super rich" to get richer, while siphoning off billions of dollars that could be helping middle class American families and small businesses. We need to expose corporate loopholes and close down offshore tax havens, so that privileged fund managers and corporations are made accountable to pay their fair share of taxes.
End credit card scams. In too many cases, consumers are walked into deceptive credit and loan contracts that they don't fully understand and can't afford. We need to institute financial protections that increase transparency and prevent credit card companies from the trick and trap practices largely responsible for the recent epidemic of bankruptcies and foreclosures nationwide.
Identify Regional Opportunity
According to regional economists and specialists, the six-county Capital area is positioned to become a national hub for emerging technologies and industries. Clean energy and health care industries, in particular, are consistently recognized for their potential to create thousands of new good-paying jobs in our area. This capacity for growth, however, depends on our willingness to step up and invest in emerging markets. Entrepreneurs and business owners need a friend in Washington who will work on their behalf, while also partnering locally to harness and develop the talent and resources of our region.
The Sacramento region is especially poised to benefit from national initiatives like the Green Bank Act and the HOMESTAR Retrofit Act, which would leverage private investment and enterprise to create millions of good living wage jobs across the nation. In Congress, I would advocate aggressively to make sure our local entrepreneurs and businesses are at the front of the line to gain from such initiatives, while also ensuring that resources are allocated and implemented in the smartest, most efficient ways possible. For too long we have tolerated Congressional leadership that is disconnected from what is happening at the county and city level. As someone who has lived and served in this area my entire career -- working closely with businesses, non-profits, and state and county services -- I know what our region has to offer and I am committed to bring folks together to maximize our region's economic potential.
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