On Election Day 2016, I was sitting in my hotel room in Ohio where I had completed my day of voter protection; myself and other attorneys across the country volunteered to watch over key precincts to ensure there was no voter intimidation. I first did this in Duval County, Florida, during the 2008 Presidential Election. Participating in voter protection was a civic role I knew I could fulfill as a civil rights attorney. Immediately following the election results, like millions of other Americans who were tired of watching Donald Trump denigrate and insult large segments of our national community, I knew I had to enlist in the army of political justice seekers.
In California, we are witnessing a time when income and wealth inequality is the greatest it’s ever been. The homeless population has exploded. Many families spend 40-60 percent of their income just to keep a roof over their heads. Wages have not kept pace with the cost of living, and college graduates are leaving public universities with mountains of debt. If that wasn’t enough, our public schools are severely underfunded as the state continues its push toward privatization.
What Public Service Should Be
I am not a career politician. I just want to help the people of California. That’s what public service should be all about -- helping people. California needs a livable wage, statewide rent control, tuition-free college, and single-payer health care. We also need to address the structural racism in our criminal justice and education institutions. It is not enough to say that Black Lives Matter. There needs to be a change in excessive force laws and police training. Politicians hold press conferences but don’t change anything.
I am running for governor to make life better for people without political power. For people without a lobby. For people without connections. For people without $100,000 to donate in the next election cycle. That’s why I pledged not to take money from corporations. I’m not their guy. I’ll never be their guy.
I am the proud son of Mexican, Chinese and Native American parents. I am a product of the Los Angeles public school system, and attended Garfield High School in East Los Angeles. I am also the eldest of five children, and one value I learned was that people need to help each other early on so that each person can grow and achieve. As a civil rights attorney, I have been helping and fighting for people for over a decade and I will do the same as governor.
Too Many People are Left Waiting
When I tell people I’m running for governor of California some ask, why? The question we should always ask ourselves is, why not? Our state operates in two realities; one for the privileged, and one for the underserved and poor. It just isn’t right. No one will ever invite an unbought candidate with a social justice platform to be Governor of California, yet too many people are left waiting for someone to represent them in the highest state office with an agenda that brings justice and opportunity to their communities.
Colleagues and former clients are heartened when they hear about my candidacy, telling me that California needs someone different than politics as usual. California is filled with people who understand the dire need for change, who have community solutions that can be adapted and replicated across the state — but too often hold little to no political power and lack the wealth to push an agenda for the people who need it most.
The people of California do have a fighting chance to gain real representation by voting in the June open primary for the only gubernatorial candidate with a vision for one California, not the current disparate realities. If the 2016 election taught us anything, it’s that anything is possible -- the good, the bad, and our worst nightmare. If there was ever a time to usher in a new, progressive revolution in American politics -- that time is now.
You can read more about my platform at www.bracamontes4gov.org