No one who works full time should live in poverty. We have to create more opportunities for people to lift themselves into the middle class and thrive. Throughout my career, I have worked across the aisle to ensure people have the chance to succeed, secure a good-paying job and live their own American Dream story.
In the House, I helped pass bills to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, and to address the gender pay gap and demand pay equity. People should be compensated fairly for their hard work.
As Santa Barbara County Supervisor, I helped secure $100 million in local transportation funds to widen our highways, repair our bridges and roads and boost our economy. Upgrading our infrastructure is critical to our long-term economic growth and key to expanding the middle class. It puts people back to work, helps reduce traffic, and allows our businesses to get their products to market faster.
I believe protecting the environment and creating good-paying jobs can go hand in hand. In Santa Barbara, we established the EMPower energy efficiency program for our residents and approved the Cuyama Solar Project, the first large-scale solar project in our county. These types of programs have the potential to produce highly skilled, good-paying jobs and set us on a path for a sustainable future.
Here at home and back in Washington, I am committed to amplifying the voices of working families and fighting for change that lifts us all up.