Text by ANDY ROBINSON and CARLOTA BLANCO
candidates
2022 DISTRICT 18 ELECTION GUIDE
about me top issues message to youth 14 FEBRUARY 2022
anna eshoo
greg tanaka
I love public service. … local government shaped me as a legislator, and then in 1992, I was privileged to be elected to represent this congressional district, the first woman in the history of the district ... The work that I've done in the community with nonprofits … those are the things that have shaped me.
I grew up very poor … with my single mom ... in a really rough area ... very unlike Palo Alto. I wasn't a political kid. I'm not like a professional politician ... I was running a small startup and a software development and the mayor at the time was trying to ban software… that's why I ran for city council.
The very top of the list is to protect our democracy by protecting the vote ... The vote is sacred in a democracy, and the threats are coming from state legislatures ... to manipulate votes that are cast by the voters. And the challenges have to be met certainly to address climate change, my record is replete on that ... my voting record has earned the support of all organizations that have endorsed my candidacy for many cycles and national organizations as well.
We need a legislator for the digital age, especially for Silicon Valley … the country's losing a lot by not having a good grasp of technology … If you don't have good policies, it's gonna be tough to have a robust economy. Without a robust economy, it's going to be really hard for a lot of those that are disadvantaged. So it's important that we remain at the forefront, that we have tech-forward policies, that we are supportive of entrepreneurs.
I hope that along the path of life that you will always have a devotion to our democracy, because our democracy needs you … and make time in your lives to always give back to your community. If we have strong communities, we have a strong democracy.
It's important to get involved … If you look, the average age of people in politics is … 30 years more than the average age of the private sector. The average age in Congress is ... like 66 to 69 years old. The retirement age is 65. And so it is so important that the youth get involved.
