California’s payroll taxes are among the highest in the nation, making it difficult for small and mid-sized employers to expand and retain workers. The Payroll Tax Reduction Act will strategically lower payroll taxes for small and mid-sized employers to reduce the cost of hiring and prevent businesses from relocating out of state. The bill will include hiring incentives for companies that commit to employing local residents from District 18, supporting job growth where it is needed most. This reduction will focus on industries with tight margins such as retail, restaurants, childcare, and service-based businesses.By easing employer tax burdens, this proposal aims to stimulate economic activity, increase wages, and expand opportunities without jeopardizing the state budget—funding will come from existing workforce development programs currently underutilized.

Small businesses remain the backbone of the California economy, yet many struggle due to vandalism, theft, high operating costs, and lack of access to capital.The Small Business Revolving Loan Fund will create a privately supported, publicly coordinated lending pool offering low-interest, fast-approval loans to businesses in neighborhoods impacted by crime and high costs. Corporations that contribute to this fund will receive tax incentives, ensuring no new taxes or burdens are placed on Californians.These loans will help business owners repair damage, expand operations, hire staff, and stabilize their storefronts. Priority will be given to minority-owned businesses, particularly in Oakland, Alameda, and Emeryville. The revolving nature of the fund ensures sustainability, as repayments feed back into new loans, creating a long-term model of economic support.

California families deserve transparency and fairness in how taxes are approved and spent.Supporting the Taxpayer Protection Act ensures that voters—not politicians—have final authority over new or increased taxes. This measure prevents backdoor tax increases disguised as “fees” or “assessments,” protecting homeowners, renters, and small businesses from unexpected financial burdens.In a time of rising inflation and cost-of-living pressures, this commitment guarantees that state and local governments operate with accountability and restraint, restoring trust in public governance.

ACA 13 diminishes the right of California voters by allowing the Legislature to weaken voter-approved tax protections with lower thresholds than those required of citizens. I will strongly oppose ACA 13 because it undermines democratic principles by making it easier to raise taxes without direct consent from the people.Preserving voter control ensures that major fiscal decisions undergo rigorous public scrutiny, preventing Sacramento from imposing policies that further strain working-class families. California cannot afford governance that prioritizes bureaucratic expansion over public voice.

The Legislature finds and declares that the institution of chattel slavery in the United States, followed by centuries of discriminatory laws and policies, caused profound and lasting economic harm to the descendants of enslaved persons. These harms were compounded by post-emancipation policies including Black Codes, Jim Crow laws, racially restrictive covenants, redlining, discriminatory lending, exclusion from public programs, and unequal access to education and employment.

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The Legislature further finds that these state-sanctioned practices created persistent disparities in wealth, homeownership, educational attainment, business formation, and economic security that continue to affect descendants of enslaved persons today.

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The purpose of this Act is to provide long-term economic revitalization and repair for descendants of enslaved persons, through a time-limited, structured tax credit and related economic supports designed to promote stability, opportunity, and intergenerational wealth building.

Administration

This Act establishes a Descendants of Slavery Revitalization Office (DSRO) within an existing state agency to:

• Establish documentation standards to verify lineage to enslaved persons in the United States

• Determine eligibility for benefits under this Act

• Administer tax credits and associated economic repair programs

• Conduct program evaluations and report to the Legislature

Eligibility

An individual shall be eligible for benefits under this Act if they can demonstrate, through genealogical, archival, or other credible documentation, that they are a direct descendant of a person enslaved in the United States.

Eligibility under this Act is limited exclusively to descendants of enslaved persons, and benefits shall not be extended based on race, ethnicity, nationality, or immigration status alone.

**Derivative Eligibility:**Dependent children of an eligible individual may receive benefits during the remaining eligibility period of the qualifying parent, and no eligibility shall extend beyond one generation.

Authorized Remedies

1. Descendants of Slavery Reparative Tax Credit

• A refundable California income tax credit available to eligible descendants of enslaved persons

• Annual credit amounts capped and indexed to inflation

• Maximum benefit duration per individual: up to 25 years

• Program sunset: no later than 50 years after the effective date of this Act

Estimated Economic Impact:Based on conservative income and effective state tax-rate assumptions, the average eligible individual would retain approximately $90,000 to $165,000 over a 50-year period, in today’s dollars, creating a meaningful pathway toward long-term economic stability and intergenerational wealth building.

2. Property and Homeownership Support

• Property tax credits for first-generation homeowners who qualify under this Act

• Down-payment and closing-cost assistance structured as capped credits or grants

• Priority for households historically excluded from homeownership opportunities

3. Student Debt Relief (State-Held Debt Only)

• Elimination or reduction of state-held student loan debt for eligible descendants of enslaved persons

• Relief capped per recipient

4. Small Business Reinvestment Credits

• Tax credits for capital reinvestment in businesses owned by eligible individuals

• Credits tied to job creation, payroll growth, or capital improvements

• Annual caps and program sunset apply

California’s complex and expensive permitting system significantly increases construction costs. This bill reduces single-family home building permit fees by 98% statewide and requires cities and counties to approve or deny permit applications within 60 days. These changes lower construction costs, shorten development timelines, and increase housing supply. By capping permit fees and enforcing statewide consistency, this policy prevents local governments from leveraging permitting as a revenue stream at the expense of housing access.This proposal will help middle-class families afford homes while encouraging builders to expand production.

Large corporate investors often compete with families by purchasing single-family homes in bulk, driving prices up and reducing availability. This bill imposes a 30% one-time tax on corporations purchasing residential properties, discouraging speculative buying and preventing monopolization. The revenue will directly fund the down payment assistance program. This policy protects middle-class families, stabilizes neighborhoods, and ensures corporations contribute to fair housing access. Family-owned LLCs purchasing up to three units will be exempt to avoid penalizing small-scale owners.

Developers and investment companies increasingly hold disproportionate control over the housing market. This proposal expands anti-trust regulations to require that 80% of newly built homes are sold to families rather than corporations. Additionally, it limits corporations to purchasing no more than 20% of available homes at a given time. The bill also caps building permit fees to 1% above the national average, preventing California from having excessively high development costs. Together, these reforms rebalance the housing market and help restore affordability for families.

Rent increases are pricing residents out of California. The Protecting Affordable Housing Act caps rent increases for most residential tenants to the lower of 5% total or 2.5% plus inflation annually. This approach moderates rent growth while still allowing landlords to operate sustainably. By pairing rent caps with down payment assistance and increased housing supply, this bill forms part of a long-term affordability strategy that stabilizes families without harming small landlords.

SB 423 removed substantial local authority from cities regarding the placement and density of affordable housing. Revising this bill restores the ability of cities and their residents to determine where and how affordable housing projects are developed. At the same time, the revision mandates a 30% affordable housing requirement for all major developments, ensuring production keeps pace with demand. This balanced approach supports both community design and affordability.

California’s housing crisis is pushing families and workers out of their homes and threatening the small businesses that make our neighborhoods work. Rent increases are rising faster than wages, and too many people are being forced to choose between staying housed and meeting basic needs.

My Plan

I support a temporary statewide freeze on residential rent increases to give families immediate stability while California expands housing supply and lowers costs long-term.

• Residential rents frozen for existing tenants for a defined emergency 24 months.

• Applies statewide, with narrow legal exemptions to protect new construction and small owner-occupied properties

• Prevents sudden rent spikes used to force displacement

Protecting Neighborhood Businesses

Housing stability also depends on strong local economies. That’s why this plan includes targeted, temporary protections for small commercial tenants, including:

• Small businesses

• Nonprofit organizations

• Childcare providers

• Legacy and community-serving businesses

These protections stop predatory rent increases without interfering in large corporate or industrial leases.

Fair to Small Landlords

This plan is balanced and legally sound:

• Landlords may apply for hardship adjustments for documented cost increases

• No permanent price controls

• Automatic sunset unless renewed by the Legislature

Part of a Bigger Affordability Strategy

A rent freeze alone is not enough. This proposal works alongside:

• Down-payment assistance to help renters become homeowners

• Increased housing production and faster approvals

• Public land banking and reuse of vacant properties

The Bottom Line

This plan keeps people housed now, protects neighborhood businesses, and gives California the breathing room it needs to build a more affordable future—without harming responsible landlords or housing supply.