Affordability in the 29th Legislative District is not one issue. It is everything, all at once.

We are seeing rent prices rise faster than paychecks. In Pierce County, the average home price is now around $550,000, putting homeownership out of reach for many families in our district. Healthcare premiums can easily top $1,000 a month for a family, something I know firsthand. In parts of our district, families are living in food deserts where access to fresh, affordable groceries is limited or nonexistent.

You can work full time in this district and still not be able to afford housing. In many areas, a minimum wage worker in Washington would need to work more than 70 hours a week to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment. That is not a livable system. It is a broken one.

I have spent my career working in housing and homelessness, and I have seen how quickly things fall apart when costs outpace what people can earn. It does not take much. A rent increase, a medical bill, or a missed paycheck. Stability disappears, and getting it back is incredibly hard.

We need to meet this moment with real solutions. That means building more housing at every level, including deeply affordable and social housing. It means strong renter protections so people are not pushed out of their own communities. It means lowering healthcare costs and making sure families can access care without going into debt. It means investing in food access so no one in the 29th has to travel miles just to find fresh groceries.

Affordability is about whether people can actually live here, not just survive here. Right now, too many people are being priced out of the place they call home. I am running to change that because this community deserves better.

Workers built this state. They deserve more than a system that asks them to work harder every year while falling further behind.

Let’s be honest about what’s happening. The economy is working exactly as designed. It just is not working for working people. Costs keep rising, profits keep rising, and somehow wages and benefits stay stuck. People are told to be grateful for jobs that do not pay enough to live. Burnout is treated like a personal failure instead of a policy failure.

I have spent my career alongside people doing essential work in shelters, in service roles, and in the communities that keep everything running. I have seen staff stretched thin, underpaid, and still showing up because they care. That kind of commitment should be respected and honored, not exploited.

I do not accept a system where full-time workers are one emergency away from losing everything. I do not accept a system where workers must rely on community benefits while business profits are at an all-time high.

I believe in wages people can actually live on. I believe in strong unions and the right to organize without intimidation or retaliation. I believe in safe workplaces, paid leave, and predictable schedules. I believe in enforcing labor laws so they actually mean something.

This is not complicated. If you work, you should be able to live. That is not a radical idea. It is the bare minimum.

Housing has been central to my career, especially addressing homelessness, and it’s why I believe housing stability should be a foundation, not a constant emergency. When people have safe places to live, health improves, schools stabilize, public safety improves, and local economies grow. I’m running to advance practical, community-rooted housing solutions that actually work.

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities. But too many are squeezed by rising costs and regulations designed for corporations, not local shops. We should be making it easier to start, grow, and sustain local businesses.

Healthcare affordability in Washington is not just a policy issue. It is an equity issue.

Premiums keep climbing while services continue to shrink. Even after paying those premiums, families face deductibles so high that insurance feels almost unusable. My family pays over $1,000 a month just to stay covered, only to face more bills when we actually need care.

Too many people are forced into impossible choices. Paying for groceries, paying rent, or going to the doctor. Choosing whether to fill a prescription or keep the lights on. No one should have to make those decisions.

We have built a system that is fragmented, expensive, and difficult to navigate. Too many people delay care, skip medications, or take on debt just to stay healthy. That is not a failure of individuals. It is a failure of policy.

But we can do better. Washington has the opportunity to move toward a universal healthcare system that guarantees coverage for every person in our state. A system that is simple, accessible, and focused on care, not profit. A system that includes mental health, reproductive healthcare, and gender affirming care.

Healthcare should not depend on where you work or how much you make. It should be something you can rely on, no matter what.

Education should be the foundation of opportunity in Washington. Right now, it is too often a source of stress for families, students, and educators.

Classrooms are overcrowded. Teachers are stretched thin. Schools are being asked to do more with less, while families step in to fill the gaps. That is not a sustainable system.

As the parent of a child with special needs, I have navigated this system firsthand. I have sat in meetings, advocated for services, and pushed to ensure my child had access to the support he deserves. Families should not have to fight that hard just to get basic services in place.

While all education is underfunded, special education in particular is under-resourced and overburdened. Students are not getting the individualized support they need, and educators are being asked to do the impossible without the tools to do it well. We can and must do better.

We need to increase funding for public education in a way that actually reaches classrooms. That means fully funding services so they are consistent, accessible, and centered on each student’s needs. It means investing in teachers and school staff so they are supported, fairly paid, and able to stay in the profession. It means reducing class sizes and making sure every student has access to a safe, supportive learning environment.

We also need to take a hard look at how we fund our schools. Right now, too much funding is tied to local property values, meaning some communities have more resources while others are asked to do more with less.

That is not equity. It is a structural gap, and we have a responsibility to fix it.