Ahead of the June primary election, the Southern California News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates who wish to represent you. You can find the full questionnaire below. Questionnaires may have been edited for spelling, grammar, length and, in some instances, to remove hate speech and offensive language.
Name: Sarah Rascón
Current job title: Watershed Deputy Chief
Political party affiliation: Democratic
Incumbent: No
Other political positions held: CA Democratic Party Delegate (2015 – 2019, Intermittently; Jan. 2022 – Current)
City where you reside: Los Angeles
Campaign website or social media: rasconforsenate.com
Do you believe balancing the state budget should rely more on spending cuts, new revenue streams or a combination? Tell us how you would propose tackling California’s projected budget deficit. (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
Balancing the state budget should, without question, be a combination of new revenue streams and spending cuts. Given my lived experiences having grown up in our district, I understand that inequality is not accidental but is the result of policies. To change that, I support progressive taxation and revenue measures where corporations pay their fair share; corporations with high profits, speculation taxes, and reforms to our property tax system, specifically through split roll, which would update taxation on commercial and industrial properties, thus treating these properties differently from residential properties – a start to a more fair and equitable property tax model.
In addition, reforms to our corporate tax structure to ensure that large and profitable corporations pay their fair share, as well as a wealth tax on ultra-high-net-worth individuals who have found tax loopholes.
I’ve always been committed to equity. While a community organizer in 2012, I oversaw a campaign that worked on a statewide measure that helped pass Proposition 39, which closed a corporate tax loophole and directed funding to green jobs.
Taxes on real estate speculation, including looking at a vacancy tax, and a tax on corporate bulk purchases that drive up housing prices, should also be considered. I also support increasing taxes on fossil fuel extraction and pollution, with funds directed to climate resilience and disadvantaged communities, specifically based on data in the CalEnviroScreen. Those who have benefited most from California’s economy should contribute toward building a more just and sustainable future, for the greater good.
For you, what’s a non-starter when talking about budget cuts? Why? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
A non-starter for me is any budget cut that would harm our working, middle-class, and vulnerable populations, such as seniors, especially when it comes to housing and healthcare. Our state’s affordability crisis must meet the moment and offer the contrary – sustainable and strategic investment in people. I would oppose cuts to current programs like Medi-Cal, which provides essential coverage to millions in the state, as well as cuts that negatively affect housing initiatives that expand supply and prevent homelessness; programs like Project Homekey within the CA Department of Housing & Community Development have been instrumental.
For decades, our communities have been put on the back burner, while special interests secure tax breaks and exemptions; our communities haven’t been the priority/focus—and I am running to change that. Government must work for us, everyday people, not reduce the budget and programs that support people’s basic needs
Healthcare and housing are inextricably intertwined with economic stability, two very basic necessities that are inseparable from affordability, not to be treated as a commodity. Healthcare is foundational — when people are healthy, they can work, support their families, and contribute to our communities.
A responsible budget that prioritizes Californians must prioritize these basic needs, not undermine and diminish them.
What are the top three most pressing issues facing the state, and what would you propose, as a state legislator, to address them? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
Ensuring housing access, which trickles into affordability and workforce development, and vice versa.
California has a housing and homelessness crisis; for too long, we’ve allowed restrictive zoning and decades of under-building to squeeze out working families, drive up rents, and exacerbate homelessness. We must work even harder to address our state housing crisis. We need bold housing strategies that are not limited to or leave the work exclusively to municipalities, and incentivize those municipalities that are working toward meeting their Regional Housing Needs Assessment. An agenda that centers equity and inclusion and helps our most vulnerable populations–seniors on fixed incomes, veterans, and those on the brink of homelessness. This means reforming outdated zoning laws to allow more multi-family and senior housing, especially near transit and job centers, and expanding first-time home-buyer programs to different types of housing, from townhomes to condos. Ensuring affordability also ensures access to housing and stability in people’s lives. Housing is an essential need that allows our communities to thrive.
Many working-class families are also struggling across the state and Los Angeles. Too many working families are working long hours, raising children, and contributing to their communities, yet still struggle to get by. Ensuring access to education and career pathways can be transformational, with a degree or a union apprenticeship changing the trajectory of an entire family. We must make education and technical training affordable and accessible for all Californians. This means reducing the financial burdens students face–from tuition, to housing and food insecurity.
What specific policy would you champion in the statehouse to improve the cost of living for residents? Would you see this having an immediate impact on Californians or would it take some time? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
Workers in California are the invisible backbone of our economy and state. Yet too many people are earning wages that don’t match the cost of living. I support efforts that provide fair wages, affordable healthcare, and safe working conditions. This strengthens not only individual workers but also public health and community safety.
I would champion legislation requiring strong labor and wage standards for any entity receiving state funding, whether directly or indirectly, or those that receive tax incentives. This includes wage floors tied to regional cost of living, safe staffing requirements, and workplace protections. Too many California workers earn wages that don’t keep pace with the cost of living. In setting statewide standards, we can raise wages and improve working conditions.
Higher wages and safer conditions would have immediate impacts, stronger labor standards would reduce turnover, improve service quality, and ease pressure on public systems like healthcare, which would have a longer-term impact.
Improving the cost of living isn’t just about lowering prices; it’s about ensuring Californians earn enough to live with dignity. As someone who has a spouse in the creative industry who works egregiously long hours, with family members who have benefited from a union while others have not, I have firsthand seen the difference in wages and protections that impacts one’s quality of life.
There have been numerous efforts made in the state legislature to curtail federal immigration enforcement in California, from prohibitions on agents wearing masks to banning federal officers from future employment in a public agency. Do you see any area where the state could better protect its residents from the federal government’s widespread immigration crackdown? Would you prefer the state work more hand-in-hand with the federal government on immigration? Where does the role as a state legislator fall into your beliefs here? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
California was built by the hard work and contributions of immigrants. We need to ensure that schools, churches, and hospitals are safe havens for everyone, and that families can live without fear of being separated.
At the state level, we should continue strengthening protections that limit unnecessary cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and ensure that due process and civil rights are upheld. We should also protect workers by enforcing labor protections regardless of immigration status, so that no one is exploited under threat of deportation.
There is a role for thoughtful coordination with the federal government, particularly when it comes to addressing serious criminal activity, but the weaponization of ICE by the Trump administration is unprecedented, and any cooperation between the state and federal government can never come at the expense of constitutional rights or lead to indiscriminate enforcement that harms families and communities.
As a state legislator, my responsibility is to protect the well-being of all residents, uphold California’s values, and ensure our laws reflect both compassion and fairness. That means standing up when federal actions overreach, while also working constructively where it benefits our communities.
Health care costs — like in many other areas — are continuing to rise. What policies, specifically, would you support or like to champion that could lower premiums or out-of-pocket expenses? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
California has the opportunity and the responsibility to lead the nation in building a healthcare system that truly works for everyone. I am a proud supporter of CalCare, California’s single-payer healthcare plan and model, because I believe no one should go without care due to cost, coverage, or corporate bureaucracy.
CalCare would significantly reduce premiums and out-of-pocket costs by eliminating private insurance overhead, negotiating prescription drug prices, and spreading risk across the entire population. Under this model, Californians would no longer face high deductibles, surprise billing, or gaps in coverage. Our communities deserve a system where patients come before profits and where healthcare workers are respected, protected, and empowered.
As a state senator, I will fight to raise the standard of care across the board—supporting safe staffing ratios, stronger workplace protections, and fair wages for healthcare workers. I will advocate for reinvestment in underserved communities and push for reforms that center equity, dignity, and public health. I’m dedicated to working on and helping deliver the transformational change our healthcare system desperately needs.
For short-term solutions, I would support policies that cap out-of-pocket costs, expand coverage through Medi-Cal, and enforce price transparency and rate regulation for hospitals and insurers.
Lowering costs must be parallel with maintaining quality. That means investing in safe staffing ratios and strengthening the healthcare workforce to ensure access doesn’t come at the expense of care. Healthcare should be accessible and affordable for every Californian, regardless of employment or ability to pay.
Would you support expanding state health care programs to ensure more residents — including those who are not citizens — are covered? How would you propose the state fund such an expansion? Or, how would you propose the people who cannot afford health care still get the necessary care they need without expanding state programs? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
I’ll work to ensure that California closes future budget deficits without sacrificing the health, safety, or dignity of our most vulnerable communities. Our budget is a reflection of our values. Trying to balance it by slashing essential services for low-income and undocumented Californians, healthcare workers, students, and seniors is unjust and short-sighted.
In times of fiscal challenges, we shouldn’t resort to cutting programs that people rely on to survive. Instead, we need to conduct a thorough review of state spending to identify redundancies and inefficiencies. This is an opportunity to pursue bold, fair, and sustainable revenue solutions.
That includes closing corporate tax loopholes and, most significantly, penalizing large employers that push their workers onto Medi-Cal by failing to provide a living wage. In doing so, we can ensure that the burden of balancing the budget doesn’t fall on in-home care workers, undocumented families, or low-income students.
California is the fourth-largest economy in the world —we have the resources to care for everyone, but we must have the political will to demand that the wealthiest among us pay their fair share. I will fight for budgets that protect the social safety net and invest in a future where all Californians can thrive.
I support progressive measures, including taxing corporations to fill the gap left by federal funding cuts. Asking those with the greatest ability to pay their fair share is not radical; collectively, we can protect and expand programs that are vital to our state.
As part of combating homelessness, elected officials often talk about the need to prevent people from losing their homes in the first place. What policies or programs should the state adopt to make housing more affordable for renters and homeowners? What do you propose the state do to incentivize housing development and expedite such projects? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
Throughout my time working in the non-profit sector and as a public servant, I was always a renter. It was through the benefit of having rent stabilization protections that, after 15 years, I had the opportunity to save and qualify for a first-time homebuyer program. In addition, during my time working in the California State Assembly, one of the most successful events I led was a first-time home buyer seminar in an area with a high percentage of renters, in East Los Angeles, where we had over 200 attendees. In analyzing the data of a community, we offered information and services with a direct benefit that empowered those desiring homeownership.
Californians deserve safe, stable homes. Housing policy in California has tilted toward the interests of corporate landlords and developers that don’t offer enough housing commensurate with income. Such reforms and policies are not about targeting small landlords, but are intended to create fair rules and curtail policies that have contributed to our housing crisis.
As the daughter of parents who have rented throughout their lives, I know firsthand how important it is we protect renters, especially seniors – our largest population who are susceptible to vulnerabilities. I support a comprehensive agenda that centers on stability and dignity. That includes expanding rent stabilization measures, specifically among corporate landlords, along with accountability when landlords engage in harassment, neglect habitability or unjustly push out tenants.
To encourage housing development, we must also invest in first-time homebuyer programs that accommodate various levels of income.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law in 2023 authorizing state energy regulators to penalize oil companies making excessive profits. But the California Energy Commission put off imposing the penalties last year after two oil refineries, which represent nearly a fifth of California’s refining capacity, said they would shut down operations. Those announcements prompted many to be concerned about soaring gas prices. What do you think of the commission’s decision? And how would you, as a state legislator, propose balancing California’s climate goals with protecting consumers from high gas prices at the pump? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
In what was an opportunity to require oil companies to pay their fair share when there were excessive profits, the California Energy Commission rolled back progress toward clean energy – the opposite of their mission to lead the state to a 100% clean energy future. We simply cannot wait or postpone deadlines to improve the quality of life and health in our communities, especially in the wake of heatwaves, wildfire events, and potential grid failures. I grew up in El Sereno, in a home where high energy bills and poor air quality were everyday realities and shared struggles among Californians.
I’ve spent my career making sure vulnerable communities aren’t left behind in our clean energy future. California has made progress in phasing out gas power plants, but we’ve failed to adequately replace them with clean, renewable alternatives. This puts us at serious risk during heatwaves, wildfires, and other climate emergencies. We transition away from oil and gas subsidies, hold polluters accountable, and reinvest those funds into renewable energy infrastructure and grid modernization so that clean energy becomes the prominent norm that is equally accessible.
By phasing out oil and gas subsidies, we have the opportunity to reinvest those dollars in rooftop solar for apartments in communities such as Koreatown and Boyle Heights, expand EV charging in dense corridors, and create neighborhood microgrids so power stays on during climate emergencies.
In 2024, voters approved Proposition 36 to increase penalties for certain drug and retail theft crimes and make available a drug treatment option for some who plead guilty to felony drug possession. Would you, as a legislator, demand that more funding for behavioral health treatments be included in the budget? How would you ensure that money is used properly? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
Our solutions must be rooted in helping others – California must provide dedicated, sustained funding to implement Proposition 36 responsibly and equitably. Voters supported this measure with the expectation that it would expand access to treatment and reduce incarceration for people struggling with addiction, not exacerbate inequities or overwhelm already underfunded systems. Without proper investment, we risk replicating the same cycles of punishment and neglect that have contributed to our past approaches to substance use, often leading to a revolving door of those who fall into the carceral system and or homelessness.
Prioritizing treatment is crucial to creating real and lasting change for people struggling with addiction. Studies have shown that incarceration alone does not heal addiction, but often makes it worse, leading to vicious cycles. By investing in evidence-based treatment and rehabilitation, we can help people rebuild their lives, reunite with their families, and reduce recidivism more effectively than punishment. This means funding proven solutions and treatment programs that meet people where they are. From inpatient rehab and recovery, outpatient counseling, and expanding mental health treatment facilities. Prioritizing treatment over punishment has proven to be more effective, more cost-efficient, and better for public safety overall.
What role should the state play in ensuring hospitals and doctors are providing gender-affirming care to LGBTQ+ residents? Similarly, what role do you believe the state could play should other states adopt policies that restrict that care? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
Every Californian deserves to live with dignity, safety, and equality. I am fully committed to continuing to protect full legal and social equality for LGBTQIA+ individuals and opposing any effort to roll back those rights. Los Angeles’ LGBTQIA+ community continues to face disproportionate levels of homelessness, discrimination, and healthcare disparities.
Similarly, ensuring funding for healthcare, including gender-affirming care, expanding mental health resources for queer youth, and strengthening housing programs for LGBTQIA+ people experiencing homelessness. I’ve worked alongside the LGBTQIA+ community since my time in the State Assembly, and I will continue working to ensure that California leads as a state of inclusivity and diversity. In addition to ensuring that discrimination does not occur, and is reported and addressed if there is any speculation of.
True equality also means representation, visibility, and safety in every aspect of life — especially when it comes to healthcare and gender affirming care. Our state’s diversity is its strength, and our laws must reflect that truth. I will continue to stand with LGBTQIA+ communities as we fight against federal efforts.
Governments around the world are increasingly considering an age ban or other restrictions on social media use among young people, citing mental health and other concerns. Do you believe it’s the state’s responsibility to regulate social media use? Why or why not? And what specific restrictions or safeguards would you propose as a state lawmaker? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
States can limit access and create safeguards that protect and prioritize children by holding providers accountable, just as California should, especially as a tech center. Not all young people have caretakers or family at home who are always readily available to monitor their use. We can and should hold the providers of these websites and applications accountable for viewership, censorship and content they put out or allow, with a priority on the safety of minors.
For reference, for age-restricted activities such as smoking and drinking, there are laws enforced that prevent underage people from engaging in activities that may affect development and are not age-appropriate. Similarly, and especially given how addictive social media can be, restrictions should be placed on the ‘vendors’ to protect children.
Rather, resources should be increased and invested in socially appropriate activities that promote health and wellness. This includes investing in the arts and music, group activities that foster skills, sports and programs. Screen time is affecting our youth population and is an area where balance is greatly required to maintain real-world skills.
Artificial intelligence has become a ubiquitous part of our lives. Yet public concerns remain that there aren’t enough regulations governing when or how AI should be used, and that the technology would replace jobs and leave too many Californians unemployed. How specifically would you balance such concerns with the desire to foster innovation and have California remain a leader in this space? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
AI is drastically changing the world and our economy; without question, California has a responsibility to address regulation and accountability. There must be reasonable regulations and safeguards around AI. For efficiencies, etc., however, the human component cannot be replaced, which should be responsible for being the final set of eyes and ears; the need for human oversight remains imperative. This is especially relevant to areas such as the medical field that cannot and should not rely too quickly or entirely on AI alone. The need to address workforce impacts and AI is dire. There are nuances that AI cannot relate to, such as emotion, pain, bias, etc., that cannot replace human cognition.
In addition, we must analyze the need for data privacy protections and ensure that jobs and skills that require analysis and decision-making are not replaced by AI due to the human component that cannot be replicated.
Statistically, violent crime rates in California is on the decline, but still, residents are not feeling safe or at ease in their communities. How do you see your role in the state legislature in addressing the underlying issues that make Californians feel unsafe in their own neighborhoods? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
Californians deserve to feel safe in their communities, which entails not only addressing crime but also societal impacts that lead to it. While overall crime rates trend downward, we must not dismiss the fear or instability that people feel.
Public safety comes in many forms, such as reducing trash, ensuring well-lit communities, and activating spaces. The role of law enforcement and peace officers should be to protect and serve communities with transparency, accountability, and compassion. We need to invest far more in addressing the root causes of crime – poverty, homelessness, addiction, and lack of opportunity – through prevention and intervention programs, not solely punitive measures.
As state senator, I’ll advocate for expanding crisis response systems such as unarmed mental health, domestic violence, and homelessness outreach teams so that the proper professionals respond to relevant situations, work to repeal a bill passed that allows for warrantless arrests, and, upon analysis, undergo reform of Prop. 36. I support re-evaluating police budgets to ensure that taxpayer dollars are also invested where they make the most impact: schools, youth programs, and mental health services.
In the state legislature, my role is to direct allocations that increase safety: stable housing, mental health care, and economic opportunity. I support expanding programs like CalVIP, which fund community organizations that help halt cycles of violence before they escalate.
Public safety is not just about enforcement; it’s about prevention, trust, and making sure communities have the resources to thrive. When we invest in people, we build safer neighborhoods for everyone.
What’s a hidden talent you have? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)
Conversational, I can speak two additional languages aside from English. Not only because of this skill, but due to my genuine interest in people, I am able to relate to countless communities, despite age, background and different life experiences. Being able to find common ground is one of my greatest skills that is highly pertinent and valuable for the role of elected leadership.