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?

Washington’s food security and safety net is not something I will start working on if I am elected. Food security is something I have been working on for a long time. While my kids attended, I helped fill bags and distribute food on Fridays to kids at Broadview Thomson some 8 years ago. Both through that process and through covid, I saw first-hand the kids that needed food and relied on donations to eat. I have helped members of my community find free lunches during the summers as well. In addition, I chose to work on nutrition issues in my role at the Washington PTA Advocacy Committee.  Since I have been running for office, I have toured the food banks in my areas, I have met with their administrators, and helped pack groceries for folks. The need is significant and has only grown since COVID. I would love to see more community aid going to food security in our district which houses very wealth and economically disadvantaged populations throughout. I would want to help protect farmland in the state, work to better fund food subsidies. Finally, my decades of experience as an anti-monopoly and consumer protection attorney at the Federal Trade Commission has given me first-hand experience looking at escalating food costs. From the seeds owned by Monsantio, to the bottle neck of distributors and possessors, to the ever-increasing consolidation, we have work to do to make sure that profits don’t come at the expense of families accessing food in this state.

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?

I have visited the food banks in my community as a candidate running for office.  I have volunteered and donated to organizations that address youth food insecurity. I have worked on federal investigations three grocery store mergers in this area (Kroger/Albertsons, Whole Foods/Wild Oats, Whole Foods/ Amazon).  Our fundraisers have collect donations for our campaign and food for our foodbanks at the same events. I always try to participate and promote the mail carriers’ food collection drive.  I advocated for free school lunches in Olympia, with students and parents, for three years! I have participated with the PTA at 4 National PTA lobby days, I always volunteer to be point person on food-related legislation (thank you Rep. Jayapal). One of the talking points that always shocks me is that over half of college and K-12 students are at or on the brink of food insecurity. That is not acceptable in the 7th richest state in the Nation. In college I co-founded a Food Not Bombs chapter that still distributes food in Ogden, Utah! When I knock on doors in our community, I ask people what needs to get better and I listen, when they talk about food prices. I have participated in the surveillance pricing working group with legislators and the Seattle mayor. I am interested in helping all Washingtonians have access to healthy food. I am eager to work on this in Olympia.  One issue I want to prioritize is how to address the large employers in the state who have significant number of employees who are food insecure. We need to subsidize food for everyone, not the corporations who fail to offer employees enough to provide food to their families.

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?

I have supported Food Lifeline and the Washington Farmland Trust for years. My husband has dedicated years of service to public schools in developing more nutritious and delicious food for students. Both personally and through his company, we have been a good partner with Food Lifeline, the Pike Place Senior Center Food Bank, and Northwest Harvest for many years.  As far as policies I would support. I would want to try and further reduce the red tape and liability to encourage legal incentives to get good food to families that need it from restaurants, grocery stores, and farms. In addition, the Robinson Patman Act, as applied to state food retailers, could potentially bring down the cost of food in certain urban food deserts. And, I would want to know if private equity has a position in our food ecosystem that drives up prices or reduces quality. Next year I want to make sure we pass the surveillance pricing bill at the state level so that companies can’t use our data against us to raise the price of our groceries.    If elected, I will be a champion for food security. Thank you for the chance to be in touch about this. Looking forward to learning more from your team.