CA Assemblymember Low: Why Mayor Pete is the right choice for our community

By California Assemblymember Evan Low

As Mayor Pete’s campaign co-chair, I am proud to help deliver his message of belonging to people in the 28th District I serve and across the nation.

Pete Buttigieg has the rare ability to get to the heart of a problem instantaneously, which enables him to come up with practical solutions to heal our nation. Moreover, Mayor Pete is the candidate who has an agenda to further integrate our Asian American communities into this great nation.

It has been my greatest honor and privilege to serve the community ever since I was elected as the youngest Asian American state legislator in the history of California in 2014. As a longtime champion for Silicon Valley families in the state legislature, I am the founder of California Legislative Technology and Innovative Caucus. I am also Chair Emeritus of the California LGBT Legislative Caucus. As a State Assemblymember and advocate, I have successfully pushed through legislation protecting and celebrating LGBTQ rights, fighting opioid abuse, and maintaining the integrity of the electoral process.

Asian American communities have contributed tremendously to the development of California and America; however, the “model minority” myth has ironically masked the discrimination against our communities.

Even now, with the outbreak of Coronavirus in Wuhan, China, instead of mitigating the disproportionate fear triggered by the virus, President Trump has gone so far as to banning foreign nationals from China entry into the U.S. We deserve a president who not only appreciates our remarkable contribution, but also recognizes our unique struggles.

In this respect, Mayor Pete’s Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Policy stands out as the only policy which recognizes that AAPIs must be approached as a number of distinct communities, each with its own culture, language, and issues. One of the key policies of Mayor Pete’s AAPI plan is to commit to data disaggregation by the federal government and promote it to the state and local levels. As most federal, state, and local governmental agencies do not separate data for each distinct community, we don’t have the necessary data to help improve each individual community. We don’t know how many Vietnamese high school students graduate and continue to a four-year college; we don’t know where the greatest health disparities lie in the Hmong community. Without disaggregated data, we can never answer the problems and find solutions to them.

Although each of the communities under the AAPI umbrella has its own distinct culture and language, they all share the same entrepreneurial spirit. By proposing an investment of $10 billion in businesses owned by minority entrepreneurs (certainly including AAPI entrepreneurs) and expanding access to capital through the Small Business Administration, Mayor Pete will help our small businesses succeed and empower our communities economically. Moreover, Mayor Pete will increase labor protections for domestic and gig workers.

Mayor Peter specifically advocates increasing funding on research concerning the healthcare of our communities, which are facing unique challenges such as higher rates of Hepatitis B, cervical cancers, and diabetes. Furthermore, in his “Medicare For All Who Want It” plan, aside from allowing those with private insurance policies to keep it if they so wish, Mayor Pete provides healthcare accessibility to millions of Americans without coverage. His plan will also remove the current barriers to mental health services.

Mayor Pete’s AAPI policy, which includes immigration reform and increasing enforcement of hate crime laws, is written by the policy leaders, non-profit directors, and stakeholders in our community, thereby truly reflecting the community needs. I hope you will join me in supporting Pete Buttigieg in the Democratic Primary on March 3, and together we can #WinTheEra.

Evan Low was elected to the California State Assembly in November 2014 to represent District 28. At the age of 31, Assemblymember Low became the youngest Asian American legislator to have been elected to the Assembly in state history. The district is located in Silicon Valley and includes Campbell, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Saratoga, and the areas of West San Jose, Willow Glen, Cambrian, and Almaden Valley in San Jose.  Assemblymember Low chairs the Business and Professions Committee.