Ridge on the Issues!

Affordability

  • An affordability crisis is sweeping the nation, and Chicagoans have not been spared; we’ve seen grocery prices go up 17%, the cost of energy increase 27%, and rents increase 11% since 2022 alone. In Springfield, I’ll fight to lift the statewide ban on rent stabilization, so that corporate landlords can’t hike rents with impunity. I’ll hold energy producers accountable to increase their energy production, especially from clean and renewable sources, to meet future demands and bring rates down. I’ll work to expand consumer protection around price gouging and expand access to programs that help people afford their daily necessities.

Housing

  • Illinois and Chicago are quickly becoming the epicenter of the American housing crisis: housing availability is dramatically lower than it was pre-pandemic, and we’ve seen this gap reflected in increasing rents, mortgages, and house prices. Whether it’s ensuring Chicagoans can continue to live in our great city or bringing new folks into our communities, we need the housing stock to let that happen.

  • Recent reports say Illinois must build a quarter million new housing units in the next five years to keep up with demand - and if we don’t act quickly, we risk exacerbating this crisis. In Springfield, I’ll work to expedite the processes required for new builds, push for modernized planning & zoning across the state to minimize stagnation of new housing stock, end parking minimums near transit, and allow for accessory-dwelling units (ADUs) statewide.

  • Chicago is the greatest city in the world, but that greatness is not guaranteed – we have to invest, we have to grow, and we have to make our state and city more accessible & affordable.

Homelessness

  • Housing is a human right. Period. But for tens of thousands of Chicagoans who live in shelters, on our streets, or in our parks, this ‘right’ is worth about as much as a strongly-worded letter. Between 2020 and 2022, the number of people who experienced homelessness in Chicago almost doubled, with 45,000 more Chicagoans ‘doubled up’, living temporarily with friends and family. In 2024, state agencies found that homelessness in Chicago had tripled since the previous year. And yet funding for programs serving the homeless was CUT by more than $14,000,000 in the last state budget. That’s not right, and in Springfield, I will make sure these programs are not only fully funded, but expanded.

  • This fight is especially personal to me. My dad struggled with housing insecurity and homelessness. Before he passed, his worsening physical and mental health led to him losing his job - a job he needed, even as a senior - and his apartment, forcing him to join the millions of Americans who don’t know where they’ll spend the night. No one should have to go through what he did. And I won’t rest in Springfield until no one has to.

Public Transportation

    • Whether the bus, the L, or the Metra, public transit is one of Chicago’s greatest assets. The Regional Transportation Authority and its sister agencies connect us to each other, our jobs, our passions, and it is absolutely critical that we prevent the cuts under discussion in Springfield. Our representatives have a responsibility to fight for comprehensive structural and financial reforms to the CTA to protect access to transit and improve services. The CTA must work for us all, and I will begin by advocating for seating and shade at every CTA bus station. To bring more Chicagoans on our transit system, we must trust our transit system; I’ll also push for improvements to rail and bus tracking so that you’ll always know where your ride is and how long you’ll be waiting.

Energy & Environment

  • The climate crisis presents an existential threat to our city, our state, and our way of life. With cuts to green energy programs from Washington, it’s more important than ever that we have a representative who will advance legislation to fight climate change not only statewide, but right here in our neighborhoods. Whether that means an expansion of urban green energy production here in the city, via solar panels or vertical-axis wind turbines, ensuring our nuclear energy facilities are operating efficiently, or pushing to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in our neighborhoods, we must continue our push towards a clean energy future.

  • One of my proudest college achievements was bringing together campus environmental groups with members of the University of Chicago Board of Trustees – after a detailed, fact-focused meeting, the University more than doubled its emission reduction target.

  • We must also act to ensure that every Illinoisan has access to clean air and clean water. Industrial polluters must be held accountable for the damage to the health & safety of our residents, and the state must continue to invest in reducing harmful waterborne substances like PFAS and lead. 

Justice

  • Chicagoans deserve a justice system that is actually just. As we move towards keeping communities safer and together, we too must right the historical wrongs of the justice system: too many Illinoisans are living with the consequences of racist or anti-immigrant charging decisions of a bygone era. In Springfield, I will push for expungement and resentencing for individuals still living with the consequences of an inequitable criminal code. I will also fight to ensure our state’s policy of compassionate release is actually working: only about a third of those who met the medical criteria were actually released.

  • I was proud to serve as an analyst in the State’s Attorney’s Office under Kim Foxx, where we focused on data as a tool to drive not only transparency, but results. Through clear reports to elected officials and police chiefs across the county, we combatted conservative misinformation on crime & sentencing. Through analyses of recidivism and diversionary programs, we saw which programs worked at not only keeping communities safe, but also keeping communities together. 

Immigration

  • We must make sure we are not criminalizing and discriminating against our immigrant communities. At the State’s Attorney’s Office, I worked on examining charges that were upgraded to felonies likely because of a person’s documentation status – this is discrimination, and we must not stand for it. In Springfield, I will address these discriminatory actions at their root, removing these felony enhancements from the criminal code and fighting for expungement and resentencing of those already affected. 

  • We cannot discuss immigration without mentioning the Trump administration’s hatred of our immigrant communities. Any legislation in Springfield that will make ICE’s job harder: I will co-sponsor it. Any legislation that will help protect Chicagoans no matter where they come from - I will support it. Any opportunity to stand up for our neighbors who need it most - you can count on me.

Education

  • Education is the bedrock of our democracy. I won’t leave Springfield until our neighborhood schools have the funding they need to give Chicago’s kids the best education possible. When I’m speaking with voters, so many tell me about the cuts that their kids’ schools face – a reduction of cluster programs, cuts to gym class – cuts that will have real impacts on these kids’ lives and development, not to mention cuts to teachers and school staff. 

  • In Springfield, I’ll support the push to allow community colleges to offer in-demand baccalaureate programs, making college more affordable and accessible to Chicagoans who wish to remain in our neighborhoods while pursuing their education. 

LGBTQ Rights

  • As a queer person, I’m proud to call Illinois home. It is critical that as a city and as a state, we don’t let the administration in Washington attack us without fighting back. If a hospital cuts services to trans youth under pressure from the Trump administration, it is imperative that we put pressure on them at the state level to bring those services back. Illinois has helped pave the way when it comes to protections for the LGBTQ+ community, and with continued, targeted threats from Washington, we cannot take our foot off the gas. 

Healthcare

  • Across our neighborhoods, healthcare for many is under attack. Whether that is the closure of Weiss Memorial Hospital, threats to Medicaid by the Trump administration, or even rising costs, we need a representative who will push for a more affordable and accessible healthcare system. In Springfield, I will absolutely push for a state public option, but for many Chicagoans, we can’t wait around until that dream is realized. To make healthcare more affordable and accessible right now, I will push for a cap on out-of-pocket ambulance fees, fight to expand EMS capabilities across the city, and ensure adequate resources are available for removing and replacing lead pipes across Chicago. We must also continue to make it easier to access PrEP, PEP, and other HIV medications, and to continue to ensure necessary funding for Illinois’ Getting to Zero initiative, especially as funding for public health is cut by the Trump administration.

Progressive Revenue

  • There’s a lot of good that our state government can do, and it’s critical that there is the funding to do so. Chief among these is making corporations and Big Tech pay their fair share. Whether that means closing corporate tax loopholes or reforming our tax system to reflect the realities of the digital economy, Springfield must act. 

  • There are other commonsense reforms we could implement as a state to increase revenue: changing personal vehicle registration fees to a weight-based system, implementing speed cameras for watercraft, restructuring our sports gambling fees, implementing targeted congestion pricing, and more. 

Big Tech

  • As the youngest person in this race, my experience growing up in the ever-changing digital world of the 21st century sets me apart. We are facing challenges now that would have never thought possible. Big Tech companies are stealing our data and surveilling us at an almost incomprehensible scale, corporations are openly discussing the possibility of algorithmic wage and price fixing, musicians, actors, and even teachers face the threat of automation in professions once thought to be un-automatable. We need a representative in Springfield who will pass legislation to empower people over algorithms, who will make Big Tech pay its fair share, and fight against any corporation that tries to algorithmically squeeze more from our wallets and paychecks.

Election Reform

  • With Republican attacks on our democracy nationwide, it is critical that Illinois not only protect our democracy, but that our representatives in Springfield push for reforms that strengthen our political system. As your state representative, I will push for a ban on the use of generative AI in political campaigns and advocate for the adoption of ranked choice/instant-runoff voting in our state.