Priorities

The climate emergency is the biggest existential threat to our globe. In CA-12, we are experiencing the harrowing impacts of extreme weather patterns, deadly heat waves, and rising sea levels on our coastal cities, inland communities, and hillside residents. Communities of color, people living in low-income zip codes, and fenceline communities have been hit hardest by the impacts of climate change. Folks who were redlined into neighborhoods with high biohazards, communities dealing with fires at refineries, and people living in housing ill-equipped to deal with unhealthy air quality during wildfire season are still impacted and can’t catch up. As a mother of two, Lateefah fears what her daughters and their kids will face if we don’t act with strong, bold solutions. 

That is why, once elected to Congress, Lateefah will stand up to the fossil fuel industry and work with colleagues to build on the progress made in the Inflation Reduction Act and pass the Green New Deal. Critical to this work is the transition to net-zero emissions and our continued investment into clean energy alternatives. Lateefah will work to streamline the energy transmission permitting process, which is critical to facilitating the development of clean energy infrastructure and reducing bureaucratic barriers, while also investing in clean energy research, development, and manufacturing to expand climate technology and bring more clean energy jobs and critical funding to Alameda County. She will advocate for energy-efficient mass transit systems and support safe pedestrian and bike infrastructure and other non-polluting mobility options for our communities. 

Lateefah understands that our fight for climate justice has left the most at-risk communities behind in its wake. That is why she will work to guarantee new requirements for how Superfund sites are cleaned to ensure that climate change and impacts on vulnerable communities are considered, expand clean energy transition initiatives, and provide additional tax incentives for families to bring energy-efficient appliances into low and middle-income homes. She will ensure that federal agencies work with state and local governments to implement climate change policies that protect and fund California’s natural resources and public lands, secure access to clean water, and make clean, affordable power available for all Californians.