What actions would you take as a state legislator to protect and strengthen Washington’s food security safety net, including both public nutrition programs and the food banks and food pantries serving communities across the state?

The state has a major responsibility and role to play in ensuring all Washingtonians, regardless of socioeconomic background, have access to food and nutritional security. That role takes the form of providing nutritional supplement programs parallel to SNAP and WIC, creating business zoning to make sure grocery stores are accessible to vulnerable communities, and partnering with food banks and other community organizations to reach members of our community who are suffering from food insecurity.  In the State Senate, I will continue to support measures that increase staffing and infrastructure for the nutritional programs that are meeting the needs of communities across our state. I will also make sure that any legislation includes specific measures targeted at rural and underserved communities that face food shortages at a higher rate. Finally, I believe that we must take a careful look at the causes of food insecurity for Washington families and address underlying sources including the rising cost of living, our affordable housing and healthcare shortage, and a minimum wage that forces historically disadvantaged communities to work several jobs at once.

What have you done to understand food insecurity in the communities you seek to represent—including engaging with people experiencing hunger or local hunger-relief organizations—and what policies would you prioritize to address the root causes of hunger and ensure Washington residents can afford and access the food they need?

faced food insecurity early in my life, when we were down to 1 meal a day for a period. My first job at age 12 was picking berries which doubled as a way for me to care for my younger brothers – who probably ate more than what they picked each summer.  I picked and earned enough to start paying into social security three years later. I support food banks as well as school and community gardens that provide fresh produce for them.   I voted for the new Millionaires Tax, with which we will eventually deliver meaningful tax relief that saves Washingtonians money on their grocery store bills.  By removing the sales tax on diapers, over the counter medications, and hygiene products, which combined with the existing exemption on food will lead to most things in Washingtonians’ grocery carts to be tax free.    I also supported the $80.2 billion supplemental budget that protects people served by core state services who are being impacted by cuts pushed through in Congress. Where we could, we backfilled in the areas of food, shelter, and health with harm reduction being a primary concern. We maintained our commitment to food, shelter, and health for Washingtonians who are struggling and I will be fully committed to doing so again in the 2027 Session.

What policies or investments would you support to strengthen Washington’s food system, increase access to locally produced food, support Washington farmers and producers, and reduce food waste?

In the State Senate, I will build on my record of supporting food assistance programs, including the 2023 Hunger Relief bill (HB 2023), that I cosponsored which appropriated $28 million for food assistance programs across the state. I will continue to support legislation that is directed towards students so they may learn in an environment where their attention is on their studies, not whether or not they are going to be able to eat lunch. I am proud to have co-sponsored the legislation that established and continued the Washington Food Policy Forum, where industry and policy leaders have come together to collaborate on increasing food production here in Washington, subsidizing food purchases for our school and food banks, and ensuring WA farmers are able to utilize sustainable techniques to protect our environment while keeping our crop growth and jobs here in our state.