 One thing that really sets you apart and candidates like you apart from the establishment is that you actually Can empathize with people who are feeling apathetic about the political process and even turned off by it because you know You do see this general sense of well I want to check out of electoral politics because it's not working I don't want to vote and even I felt that instinct that I had to fight You know earlier this year when Joe Biden started to push ahead. I'm sure we all felt that way, right? So it's like I I think that the fact that you're able to Empathize it puts you in a unique situation to where you're able to communicate with people who feel the same way because like when you look at Individuals within the establishment like your opponent Jimmy Gomez Gomez You know, they have no idea why people are so turned off by the political process Like some of the comments that I've seen more, you know from out-of-touch elite celebrities Is how could any millennial be upset with Joe Biden as the nominee look at his platform? He has the most progressive platform in American history But I mean if you ask them to name three policies on that platform that was written by consultants He probably couldn't so I mean like things aren't changing and where things are changing for the better They're not changing fast enough so I'm so glad that you're able to speak to that and You know people know about that and they know that you're aware of this But I want to talk a little bit more about Jimmy Gomez because this is an individual who he is losing popularity And he just he he hasn't met the moment now I alluded to the fact earlier in this interview that he is a corporate Democrat But can you expand upon that because during COVID-19 if you're not there for your constituents when they need you the most I think that that really speaks to a failure in leadership and speaks to the necessity of replacing him So talk through in your opinion why you think he needs to be ousted because a lot of people don't necessarily know who Jimmy Gomez is He's not like one of these high-profile Democrats, you know, that's a rising star with a lot of name recognition So people may not be aware but in terms of like the need for your future constituents. How has he failed in your opinion? It's gonna be a long list I'm I'm sure Well, I mean to me, I mean just to make clear I don't know him personally. I've never met him and I'm sure he's he's a great guy and then a great friend to a lot Of people but when it comes to Legislating on the behalf of 700,000 people in your district. It becomes a very serious matter. So if you don't have If you don't have a plan on what's your first 100 days of Congress or what your first two years will look like Why are you in office? And what does that look like like what are you standing for? We need to see that in an elected official and a representative and before I go to the corporate aspect. I think the corporate aspect Is just an example of what I'm getting at is just this lack of conviction this this this urgency that's that's lighting a fire inside of you where everything you do is for your community right now because It's really a life or death for a lot of people in terms of finances and debt and where they're going and And to realize that this job in position isn't a position to be taken lightly at all that if it were a job at Like all of us that had jobs, but we understand that if we Performed below a certain standard or certain levels of expectations that our time would be very up would be up And so what what got us to to shape up and do our jobs is is that fact and realization and knowing that? But because our elected officials Continue to be reelected continue to not be challenged continue to be elected into the office by campaign and corporate funds There's no there's no measure of accountability or oh, I should actually be doing what I was called to do or reminder system in place Because we have all of this corporate money. And so there's there's also the campaign finance part of that where For a community or a district no representative should be determined based on how much Corporate money they were able to fundraise like that's ridiculous Shouldn't somebody that's elected from the community be elected based upon their platform their visionary ideals What they envision and and their track record and what they've done and how they spent their time and what they've learned like isn't isn't that more all more important when it comes to electing somebody into office and so Even and and so these are these bigger things where we have they're not able to really take firm stances on policies for the people and an example of that is And that's also because they're tied to their corporate interests because they just basically are puppets and and when I say Corporate Dems or corporate Republicans. I think they're all the same because in the at the end of the day You're just part of the status quo and you're enabling the transfers of wealth that are happening between the masses of working people To the few and privileged are that are wealthy And even in this pandemic we've seen the biggest transfers of wealth happen to the wealthy and the privileged and the few where this oligarchy Doesn't is is doesn't seem like it's going to be ending soon if the people really don't rise up and so the thing about My opponent Jimmy is he's not taking firm stances on issues that hurt and the hurt the district the most Yes, he might have done this and that but where are we in our People experiencing homelessness. Why is it that we have 45,000 brothers and sisters living unhoused? Why is it that people continue to live in financial distress? What have you done during the 78 years that you've been in office including your assembly years has our district gone better? No, and it's not and I know it sounds unfair to put it on one person but if you're in a situation where Los Angeles is known for being local corrupt politics with the pay-to-play developer scheme and and if Los Angeles is known for its homelessness crisis and the lack of affordable housing and And and that wouldn't that be your main goal in fixing and addressing heard Addressing the areas where people are hurting the most and so when you're not doing that either it makes you think is this person really connected and hearing the constituency in the communities or even able to relate to the suffering or is even making any effort and engaging in Regular office hours for the constituents or regular town halls and when you look at it the questions are all no He hasn't fought for housing legislation of any kind He hasn't taken a stance on recurring monthly cash relief He hasn't taken a stance on rent and mortgage cancellation and in all of these things It's like come on like we're supposed to be one of the arguably the most progressive districts in the nation But you're not like you say you're progressive, but I don't really see it I don't see you being big and bold and I'm not saying you have to scream and Do everything all day like not in a physical sense, but I don't see that I don't see that that that conviction that passion where you really want to fight for the people happening Why is it that you're doing town hall sessions right before reelection time? Why is it why is it that you're doing it at once a year? Isn't it something where if you're representing to the people? It's not you doing your job and giving the people an update. You're doing the job with the people You're listening to the people in terms of what are your concerns and issues? What are you going through? What's your suffering? Oh are those are your ideas? Okay? Let me go back to DC and this is what I'll try to fight for that's the conversation that should be happening But it's not happening with him It's not happening with all of these corporate incumbents that are in office right now And that's the thing we need to bring that focus around to the people where it's not just lip service anymore and one of the things that prevents them from Being able to carry out their promises to be able to carry out where it's not like my opponent where he's like I'm for Medicare for all guys, but then his biggest donors are pharmaceutical companies and health care companies Are they for Medicare for all? No talk with your donors first or cut them off I'm for free education. It's like But your donors are student debt collectors. What are you talking about like what are you saying? Why are you at Black Lives Matter police police brutality? Protests are labeling them as police brutality when you're taking money from police union packs and private prisons Why are you doing this? Why are you saying that you're leading and speaking at USPS rallies? When you're taking money from its competitor and it's not to say that they can't coexist Yeah, they can but when you're taking money from both conflicting conflicts of interest like how are you going to say that? You're fighting in the best interests of USPS is so as you're claiming and so I think it's just a deeper realization of like What are elected officials doing? Yes, we talk about being progressive on social issues But what does that mean on a practical level as well? Like are we putting our money where our mouth is? Why do we continue to? Fund the Pentagon as it is and I am actually I give I give him props for voting for the 10% decrease and a lot of people I've been saying it's because I mean it's re-election time and and what that's that's one of the benefits Mike us running for office is to push them closer to the needle to do their job and that's what he's feeling and that's a great outcome of it and and And that's a great thing but for I think right now it's for us to really realize like what's going on Bernie's called it out in the early 90s when he said hey guys like we're being run by an oligarchy and an oligarchy is one Where just the few and the privileged are controlling everyone. That's what's going on right now We are being controlled through poverty Through through money right now. Why is it that? Ubi which seems something that could be dressed so easy and simple where bam It goes through your maybe set up a separate direct federal bank account where it goes separately just straight to you Where that happens and you're able to get instant access to that. Why is that something so hard? Because it bypasses the government it bypasses hands that can make money off of it that can all of these bureaucratic Types of things it goes straight to the people and that would be giving the people too much freedom too much money too much power It's not even too much money But too much power because when the people start waking up We know that with all of these protests that have been happening even within communities when people start waking up they know how to organize and protest and so Imagine if each of us were given pre-covid a thousand dollars a month This would give us the levers to say hey, I don't want those kind of minimum job horrible working conditions I don't want to be taken advantage of like that I I will be able to now start for a different career lift for that It would empower even labor unions because now they have a bigger leverage power in that sense as well So it would empower everyone and give that extra hope and give that extra Assistance But the thing that's going against it is that's not the priority of our elected officials right now That's not their priority. Their priority is to their corporate donors. Their priority is to Passing a $1,200 stimulus check for the people and then passing huge transfers of wealth that they won't talk about in their town halls To you because they don't they probably didn't even read those pages Because they were fumbling just to even give you what the benefits of the $1,200 stimulus check work Because they barely read the bill. I've seen my opponent stumble trying to answer very basic questions about Major highlights of a bill. So it's like why are you not doing your job in Congress? And so I know I kind of beat around the bush I mean not beat around the bush but answer that in so many different ways, but with this corporate Incumbent idea. It's so dangerous. It's it changes everything Why is it that corporate interests like? All a lot of his corporate donors were bailed out first in this pandemic Why why do we continue? Why did we give away 20? Why are we giving away 20? 20 plus billion dollars to defense contractors in a pandemic like this And yes, they might say on the on the superficial on the surface level It's coven 19 related But if you see how the payment scheme and what they could have done to do all of that No, it's just another handout like why are we not calling out these handouts to corporate interests? But then talking about where are we gonna get the money when we're when we're talking about prioritizing the people and it's this brainwashing of manipulation that we've also undergone as the American people right now and so the corporate I think the biggest thing that in addition to Proposing all of these flagship policies that are prioritizing people We really need to take money out of politics because we can't have our elected officials pledging their allegiance to corporate interests to the few in-party leadership that are controlling the entire Congress and House and All of that really needs to stop Yeah, I think that really you hit the nail on the head in calling out the conflict of interest I think that a lot of people they They know that there's this you know, they have a sense of money in politics being an issue But like really directly tying votes and specific legislative actions to specific donors That is something that I think is missing and I'm glad that you did that because it's important like when we live in this Late-stage capitalist society and we have commodified every single sector of society Healthcare education even human beings, you know, we are viewed as commodities now with regard to our labor Like you you have to speak to the money angle with regard to governing Otherwise, you're gonna miss the mark. You're not going to be able to diagnose the problems the many of which we face