The Latino Caucus has established a set of priorities that guide our policy and legislative agenda, which includes Education, Health Care, Immigration and Economic Development.
Civic Engagement / Diversity:
- Advocate for programs and policies that advance voting rights and ensure fair elections.
- Encourage 3 million lawful permanent residents in California to become US citizens.
- Fight for a fair redistricting process that values diversity, protects communities of interest, and promotes equity.
- Expand efforts to increase the diversity of the judiciary, corporate leadership and boardrooms, legal, medical and high-tech professions and academia.
Economic Equity:
- Support efforts to expand access to capital/credit to break the cycle of debt and poverty for millions of Californians.
- Increase investments in workforce development programs, such as the High Road Training Partnerships Initiative, that promote equity, sustainability, and job quality and develop family-supporting jobs where workers have agency and voice.
- Address the pay gap for Latinas and increase resources (tax incentives, technical assistance etc.) for women and minority owned businesses.
- Promote efforts to increase the availability of affordable housing throughout California. Special emphasis on building more housing for farmworkers.
- Invest in core infrastructure needs like affordable broadband access.
- Ensure that all members of the Latino community, irrespective of immigration status, have equitable access to all pandemic related mitigation, remediation and stimulus programs.
Educational Equity:
- Expand investment in our education system to ensure California’s students once again have access to world-class teachers, textbooks, facilities and support services.
- Create, implement and promote programs that address the achievement gap for all students in our education system.
- Increase access to higher education for thousands of students by expanding financing aid opportunities, including Cal Grant funding.
- Fight to repeal or amend past initiatives that limit educational opportunities and college access for students of color.
- Promote efforts to increase student and faculty diversity at all institutions of higher learning, particularly in underrepresented fields like STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and health sciences.
Environment:
- Support the continued expansion of safe and affordable drinking water programs, particularly for disadvantaged communities.
- Improve water supply and water resources throughout California to ensure the economic vitality of rural and urban regions.
- Advance programs and policies that address climate change, promote green technologies, clean up toxic waste and contamination in our communities, and create new jobs and workforce opportunities.
Immigration / New Americans:
- Defend California values by protecting the due process and privacy rights of all Californians, irrespective of status, and support programs that provide counsel for those subject to unlawful detainments and warrantless searches and seizures.
- Expand naturalization services to provide education, outreach and application assistance for lawful permanent residents and individuals eligible for administrative relief.
- Promote federal comprehensive immigration reform legislation that provides a pathway to citizenship for undocumented residents.
- Ensure access to quality and affordable health care for all Californians irrespective of immigration status.
