I submitted my signatures and am officially on the ballot - hooray! Immense thanks to the 800+ people in LD 5 who took the time to sign my petition and the awesome volunteers who walked their neighborhoods. It was so fun to be at the street festivals where Senator Alston and I were able to talk to so many of you.

Looking forward to more conversations.

I hope to be at your door soon!

If you find yourself enjoying the nice patio weather, I suggest you pair it with a book by ASU alum Matthew Desmond, who I was fortunate to hear speak recently at downtown’s Herberger Theater Center. Eviction and Poverty, by America are two of the most insightful books I’ve read on the creation and perpetuation of poverty in our country.

It was memorable to speak with Professor Desmond after the event about the ways policy and people can work together to abolish poverty. He even signed my copy of his book with his message “Home is life”.

A few lecture takeaways…..

• The US has the highest level of child poverty among the 27 OECD countries.

• We build walls, physically and legislatively, that lead to communities of concentrated poverty and concentrated affluence.

• Ending poverty is possible, and the morally correct thing to work towards.

Community Corner

Over 150 Moms Demand Action advocates came to the Capitol this week. Their message is simple and strong: we need public safety measures to keep people safe from ever-growing gun violence.

Since 2020, firearms have been the leading cause of death in children and adolescents.

Moms Demand Action called on elected officials to start ensuring that firearms are properly stored and take responsibility to help save lives.