Former Member, Business and Professions Committee, California State General Assembly

Former Member, California's Clean Energy Economy Committee, California State General Assembly

Former Member, Career Technical Education and Building a 21st Century Workforce Committee, California State General Assembly

Former Member, Craft Brewing and Distilling Committee, California State General Assembly

Former Member, Domestic Violence Committee, California State General Assembly

Former Member, Emerging Technologies Committee, California State General Assembly

Former Member, End of Life Health Care Committee, California State General Assembly

Former Vice Chair, Higher Education Committee, California State General Assembly

Former Member, Improving Bay Area Transportation Systems Committee, California State General Assembly

Former Member, Legislative Audit Committee, California State General Assembly

Former Member, Master Plan for Higher Education in California Committee, California State General Assembly

Former Member, Non-Profit Sector Committee, California State General Assembly

Former Member, Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee, California State General Assembly

Former Member, Renewable Energy Development and Restoration of the Salton Sea Committee, California State General Assembly

Former Member, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Education Committee, California State General Assembly

Former Member, Select Committee on Streamlining Services for Victims of Interpersonal Violence, California State General Assembly

Former Member, Transportation Committee, California State General Assembly

Former Member, Youth and California's Future Committee, California State Assembly

— Awards:

• Wiley W. Manuel Certificate for Pro Bono Legal Services from the California State Bar Association

— Father's Occupation:

• Small business owner

— Mother's Occupation:

• Public school teacher

Reason for Seeking Public Office:

Why I'm Running!

I have two primary motivations for running: Kate and Alex, my 10-year-old children. As a parent raising young children in California, I consider what kind of state I want my children and their generation to live in. That is a state with great opportunity: a state with an education system that provides each child with the best education possible; a state with a healthy economy creating and sustaining good jobs; and a state with its fiscal house in order. My experience as a parent and community leader, particularly these last few years, has shown me that this is not the state we are providing for our children or ourselves. I am determined to make that state possible for my kids and their generation, and that is why I am running.

I came to the decision to run for Assembly gradually. My family, like other families throughout our local school districts, has experienced first-hand the strengths and the problems facing our education system. When I investigated what boards, commissions, or committees I needed to be on to help fix the problems, I heard again and again from various local leaders and decision makers, "It's coming from Sacramento." I learned that if I wanted to help fix the problems and improve on the strengths, I needed to be a strong voice for those changes in Sacramento, and that was the place for me to be.

My decision to run for Assembly was reinforced by my professional experience working with individuals and families. Many of the families, small businesses, and non-profits with whom I work have experienced the challenges and problems in our economy -- lay-offs, re-classification to part-time positions, disincentives created by the state to hire people and expand businesses, hurdles for non-profits to do the good work they want to do. And again, I have seen many of these challenges coming from Sacramento.

I am running for State Assembly, and I intend to win and be a strong voice for my community in the Assembly to tackle these challenges facing our state and make California a great state for opportunity.