Civil Rights
California should continue to demonstrate leadership on the top civil rights issues of our day
All couples should have the right to the same legal benefits - regardless of gender.
There is lots of talk in our state about "gay marriage." While the discussion has substantial merit, the top priority - the urgent priority - is to protect the right for any couple to have rights of inheritance, rights of filing joint taxes, rights to adopt children and rights to make hospital decisions in times of medical crisis. While I will protect the right of each church to set out its own guidelines for "religious marriage" I also will fight vigorously for the rights of any couple to share in common, decent civil rights.
We should strengthen enforcement of fair housing laws.
My time working as a fair housing investigator provided some of my most worthwhile professional experiences. California must enhance our vigilance in protecting the rights of all housing applicants to be treated equally, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion or familial status. Discrimination has no place in 21st century California
Racial profiling must be addressed and eliminated.
Whether it's about recommending which high school students should prepare for college or how police officers choose vehicles to pull over or which customers are trailed in a department store, racial profiling still occurs everyday - even in our great state. I support addressing these issues in a public way, including through hearings and other ways to surface these concerns. We're a diverse society; we must live and work together.