"Trailblazer Kurt Jose: A Filipino-American's HISTORIC Run for US CONGRESS! | Episode # 247 🇺🇸🇵🇭
00:30.9
There's also a high number of Latinos.
00:33.0
It's like a very ethnic mix of people, like a lot of immigrants.
00:38.0
When you win, you're going to Washington.
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And if you get a bill passed, it's not just for Californians.
00:43.4
It's not just for Filipinos.
00:45.0
It's for the whole United States, correct?
00:47.2
Yes, that's precisely correct.
00:48.7
I'm glad you pointed that out because speaking to everyone in different cities,
00:51.9
like, oh, I live in Cerritos.
00:52.9
I live in El Segundo.
00:54.0
How can I vote for you?
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I'm like, you know what?
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Even if you can't vote for me, help spread the word.
00:58.7
Because you get me up there, I represent all the national stuff.
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And then I also work with all the local leaders.
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And the podcast will begin in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
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Ladies and gentlemen, proud to introduce, I'm proud to say that we will have a Filipino in Congress,
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Thank you so much, Paco.
01:24.7
It's a pleasure to meet you.
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And it's an honor to finally be here on your podcast.
01:28.2
Pleasure to have you.
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And hopefully this is the beginning of your long journey in changing policy,
01:34.7
in doing what's best for the country.
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I've always been behind the scenes, but now I want to be at the front,
01:42.5
empowering all the Filipinos and leading us towards the future and getting more representation.
01:47.9
Which is good, right?
01:49.3
A while ago, me and Michael, he's our artist relations manager.
01:53.3
He's like, I have a lot of questions.
01:55.8
What are your questions?
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And so he listed a plethora of questions with regard to the academe,
02:04.2
with regard to what you used to do.
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A lot of questions.
02:08.1
And I was like, I just want to know why he's running.
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Let's start there.
02:15.3
Why are you running?
02:16.6
I'm running for Congress because over the past few years,
02:19.3
I've grown really tired of how politics has always taken priority over people.
02:24.0
And in America as a whole,
02:25.6
you always hear the left and the right always arguing and nothing's done.
02:31.6
Actually, this hundredth, eighteenth Congress is going down in history as the most ineffective one.
02:36.4
You have only 40 bills passed, one of which being removing whole milk and putting 2%.
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And when it comes to food scarcity all across the US, kids don't have a meal.
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It's important that, you know, they receive the nutrition.
02:50.8
We're not trying to give them M&M's for breakfast, but most importantly, I'm running because I want to represent the
02:55.5
Filipinos in the United States.
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I'm the only one running right now.
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As far as I know, we're running for Congress in the entire US.
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And if I do get in, I'll be the first full Filipino in Congress.
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And, you know, given that we're the largest population outside of the US of Filipinos, I mean, outside of Philippines.
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Yeah, rather, we don't have that representation, just like our other Asian brothers and sisters.
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You know, we're not like people who are Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese.
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So I really want to come in and I want to bring in and really highlight.
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And strengthen that relationship we have because we've always been a part of the US.
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We're the fabric of it, too.
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But, you know, it's not that widely known.
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Why? Is it because we're subservient?
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Why? Why do you think we don't assert ourselves too much?
03:41.4
I think it just starts with relatability and also, you know, seeing the face out there.
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Like I was just meeting someone earlier, a Filipino woman inside of Seafood City.
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And she said, Oh, no, I don't want to vote because I don't like any of the presidential selection.
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And I said, Yeah, but, you know, voting goes beyond the president.
03:59.5
There's the local, there's everything.
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And she said, Yeah, but what are you going to do for me?
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And I think that's the same sort of sentiment of everybody.
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If they don't see it directly impacting them, they don't see a face that's familiar.
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How can you relate and say, you know, what are they going to do for me?
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Sige nga, let's go there.
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You understand Tagalog, di ba?
04:19.8
Maraming, maraming Tagalog or konti lang?
04:25.5
No, the reason why I'm asking, maganda kasi yung question eh.
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That question of what can you do for me?
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Yeah, we're so detached with regard to the presidential election, right?
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And sometimes when you're in Washington, the fear is you're young, you're passionate.
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You might get eaten by the swamp or they might try to elbow you around and try to bully you around.
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What district are you, are you going to represent?
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So I'm running in District 31, California's congressional district.
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Um, and then 31, it comprises of 18 cities.
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So it goes all the way from La Verne, all the way to West Covina, Covina, La Puente, El Monte, even up to Baldwin Park in Azusa.
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So it's a lot of cities.
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And, you know, in that mix, there's a lot of Filipino people.
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There's also a high number of Latinos.
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It's like a very, um, ethnic mix of people, like a lot of immigrants, uh, immigrant families who
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are there so that district wise, that's, they're very diverse set, a very actually diverse district, uh, compared to other districts.
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So, uh, that's the congressional district that I'm in.
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But this one in particular, I grew up in, you know, I'm born and raised here in LA.
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My family, like after all the LA King riots, they decided to move, move, uh, further east.
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Except the thing is when they move further east, it was such a small community.
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There was less than like 4,000 people.
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Now there's over like 50 plus thousand people there.
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In the time that I grew up.
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In this district, I've really seen how it's changed, uh, what's been good, what's not been so good lately.
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And being one of the candidates has actually grew up there.
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I didn't, you know, move there from another state.
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So to answer, to, to echo that person's, um, one of your constituents that you met at Sifu City, what can you do for her or him or us in general?
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Well, for me, uh, being at the front of it is representing Filipinos on the national level, but also empowering our local communities.
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Cause like myself growing up.
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I guess further east in a smaller community, it was hard for me to connect to like Filipino culture, to Filipino, you know, let's say compared to me growing up in downtown LA or Glendale or somewhere, it was hard for me to connect, like even to programs.
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So for me, like what I would start with is definitely our youth.
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Once I'm in Congress, I would start in and work with, uh, the consulates.
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I would work with, uh, different organizations to come in and try and promote different programs that we can do to make a nice cultural exchange.
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Between the Philippines and, uh, US citizens to empower young Filipino leaders, give them a platform and a voice that's on a national level, not just a state or not just city or municipal, something on the more national level and connecting all of us across the US, uh, a unification of sorts rather than like happening, let's just say in New York and California and Texas.
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Now we're going to put everyone together.
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That would be the one thing, but I would say in particular, if we're hitting more harder issues, uh, on the healthcare side.
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Uh, in this district, I am the only healthcare advocate, short history, but when I was 15, I actually, uh, worked with, uh, the Honorable Mervyn Dimely.
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Unfortunately, he passed now.
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When I see service, I've learned from all these different individuals.
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Uh, some of them are also Congressman Dreyer.
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He used to be Congressman in my district and Senator Feinstein.
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So like I was bipartisan as it gets, but when I was 15 in Compton and Linwood, we worked on childhood obesity, diabetes, and, um, legislation geared towards health care.
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One of the other things that I found very interesting, uh, is removing, uh, fast food restaurants within a mile of each other.
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So like, for instance, you couldn't build McDonald's, uh, and then, you know, half a mile later, another McDonald's.
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So the idea is that the kids in these communities, they're not going to be trapped by the McNuggets.
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Because that's what.
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Causes the obesity and diabetes.
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So luckily I worked with them as their teenage representative and they actually got the assembly, got it passed.
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Ironically enough, he was the one, he's the congressman in my district right now, 31, back in 83.
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I just learned that recently, what he did for Filipinos back in 83 was the ones who fought in World War II who didn't have citizenship.
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He fought in Congress to get them citizenship and get it granted.
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And he fulfilled that promise.
08:46.0
You know, the epiphany, Kurt, that I'm having while you're talking is, yes, you're running in the state of California.
08:54.5
But then again, you're going to Washington when you win.
08:57.5
Not if you win, when you win.
08:59.7
You're going to Washington.
09:01.3
And if you get a bill passed, it's not just for Californians.
09:05.5
It's not just for Filipinos.
09:07.1
It's for the whole United States, correct?
09:09.7
Yes, that's precisely correct.
09:11.1
And that's why, for me, I'm doing my best to push as much as I can.
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And I told everybody, although, you know, this is, I've always been there behind the scenes.
09:19.4
But now that you're seeing me out there, I'm not going to stop.
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This is just the beginning of it all.
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that's actually, I'm glad you pointed that out, because speaking to everyone in different cities, like, oh, I live in Cerritos, I live in El Segundo.
09:31.6
Like, how can I vote for you?
09:33.2
I'm like, you know what, even if you can't vote for me, help spread the word.
09:36.6
Because you get me up there, I represent all the national stuff.
09:40.4
And then I also work with all the local leaders.
09:43.0
So now you've put us all together in one room.
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And now you have a formidable lineup of people that could handle the national issues.
09:50.9
Like, that's why for me, when that person said that, like, what are you going to do?
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Like, for me, to echo, like, what I've learned, my mentors, I would directly impact people from day one.
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I'm not giving you a promise of two years from now.
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Like, I feel the word change, they always say that we're going to change, we're going to transform.
10:09.2
But in actuality, it's never acted on.
10:12.3
Like, for me, for example, if we look at one issue in particular, let's say medical debt.
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A lot of people face medical debt.
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You know, even earlier, I heard of someone that recently had a major healthcare issue.
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You know, they needed to get their fundings because of medical debt.
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One thing that I would do that's within the powers of Congress is I would go in there and I would tell them,
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take that off the consumer credit score.
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Because that's within the powers to do that.
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And now you give the person financial freedom.
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So if you're someone, you know, which is like most of us, let's say you're living on a day-to-day, I mean, a week-to-week paycheck.
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Or let's say, you know, you have this major health problem, now you need a bunch of treatments.
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At least that way.
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You have the freedom that's there.
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But on the healthcare side, I also want to increase the access to life-saving technology.
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Because it's been sitting there.
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So, for instance, like when we look at mental health, it's one of the biggest issues now when it comes to homelessness.
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Or just in general in the United States, especially past the pandemic.
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There's life-saving tech out there such as pharmacogenetic testing.
11:17.5
Pharmacogenetic testing, I know it's a lot.
11:20.1
Pharmacogenetic, okay.
11:21.1
Yeah, but essentially, you take the DNA.
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And you see how you react to medications before it's administered.
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So, for instance, like, you know, you and I, we're two young gentlemen.
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Like, we can see what the reaction is, whether we're going to have, you know, a dry mouth or whether we're going to have headaches or possible kidney failure before we even take the pill.
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Because the ironic thing about all of this is you take different medications, but, you know, it's one size fits all.
11:51.7
It's like shotgun approach, right?
11:54.0
I think they're doing that with cancer nowadays, cancer treatment, right?
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It's more specific.
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They're profiling you, your DNA, and your cancer.
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So, that way, they can treat you specifically for what you have.
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Something like that.
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I'm not an expert, but I get what you're saying.
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That's exactly out there.
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And there's so many of us, you know, when they created these medications, I highly doubt they had 300 Filipinos to study, you know, to make the medications.
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At least this one, it's specific and tailored to you.
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And can help prevent those things.
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But those are the kind of things I'm looking at.
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And then also on the healthcare side, working, looking at healthcare workers, like one thing in California that I was a bit disappointed in is they were supposed to implement higher wages for healthcare workers.
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But it was put on hold, even though it was approved.
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That, to me, I didn't really agree with, even though, you know, some of it came from the same aisle as my party.
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That's why, for me, it's not even about party.
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It's about real solutions and getting it done at the end of the day on what's reasonable.
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It's also how to rally support.
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When I was growing up, seeing everybody, and it sounds funny, it's like a teenager walking around with different people in politics.
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It's, I see that there's more, you know, camaraderie.
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Like, you can be in session right now, but after the session, you're all friends.
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And I saw that firsthand, whereas now, goodness.
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Now it's too polarized.
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I don't even know what to do.
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Like, I'm running as a Democrat in Congress.
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I tell that to people that go, oh.
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Do you want me to be Republican?
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They're like, no.
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I'm like, then what do you want me to be?
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Like, it's really hard.
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And then there's some people who go, oh, I'm a Democrat.
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Oh, thank goodness.
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Or, but, you know, either way, there's work that needs to be done.
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And it's sitting there.
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Now, with regard to bipartisanship, because growing up, you were exposed to bipartisanship, right?
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That's a thing now.
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It's so polarized.
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And I'm not, I'm going to shine the spotlight on you, no?
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When you get to Congress, they're going to try to say, just stay with us or ignore the other side.
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You're, right now, you're focused on the agenda.
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But parties, both parties, red and blue, they have their own agenda, right?
14:16.1
How are you going to prevent yourself from getting sucked into that practice?
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So, a little side note here.
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Is, because I know a lot of your listeners are going to start to get to know me, and also you're getting to know me as well.
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Like, everything in my life wasn't really given to me.
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I had to earn my way.
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And funny enough, like, you know, I'm already Filipino.
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I'm already far away from the city.
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I ended up becoming a lawyer, trained at Oxford University, where I lived in the UK.
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And I've, but I've taken that, that blessing, and I've also used it.
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I've worked in other communities across the globe in other cities.
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So, for instance, I've worked with the London Metropolitan Police.
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We worked on community policing to improve racial relations on Stop and Search.
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And then, in regards to the Philippines, I've also done numerous projects working with the barangays.
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So, some of it is access to cancer screening.
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Because, like, I realized that there was an educational gap on the importance of screening.
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Especially for things like such as HIV.
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So, I focused on that with local ones.
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Like, right now, even though I'm running for Congress, we actually have a project out there where we're focused on bringing in smart cities.
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And focus on entrepreneurship programs for small businesses.
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You know, when I mean small businesses, I really mean the small, small businesses.
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The mom and pops.
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The woman selling balut.
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The person selling tahoe.
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And actually, the funny thing about that is.
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Can you say that again?
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On another note about the Tagalog.
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I tried to speak as much as I can when I was a kid.
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But my little cousins, when I would arrive.
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And I visit Philippines a lot when I'm little.
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I would try to talk.
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Because my mom and dad would teach me some words.
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And then, they go, oh.
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Like, you can't talk.
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And then, to add to that, they go, oh, taba.
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And then, I go, what?
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And then, when I learned what that word was, I was already kind of a big kid.
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So, I said, you know what?
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I'm not even going to talk to you.
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There's no diplomacy.
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I'm going to chase you.
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So, I would chase them.
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And then, I never learned.
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Where are you from in the Philippines, though?
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So, my mom's side is from Bulacan.
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And my dad's side is from Mindanao, Siargao.
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Have you been to Siargao?
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That's the part where I have actually a grudge with him.
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Because I haven't been there yet.
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The past couple of years, I said, you know.
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When people ask me, how do you find the Philippines lately?
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I said, well, lately, the past few years, it's really great.
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I see Naia Turco.
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And the next few years, I said, you know, when people ask me, how do you find the Philippines
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I said, well, lately, the past few years, it's really great.
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I see Naia terminal 2.
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I see the NLEX and the SLEX and then I'm gone.
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I try to explore as much as I can but then I get stuck.
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And then, only having a few days at a time, it's hard for me to see so many things.
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Siargao is happening, no?
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So, let's go back, huh?
17:14.8
Like, like, um, your, your degree, your extracurricular activities, your passion, and, and you're not even 40.
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You're also the youngest in your family, right?
17:31.7
I am, I'm indeed the youngest and, um.
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How many siblings?
17:37.5
We're just two siblings.
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Oh, you and your sister?
17:39.3
Yeah, it's just us two.
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How was it growing up with your sister?
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Well, we, we also have quite a good gap between us, but I will say as a little kid, I'm, I guess I was like a little terror running around causing problems.
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And then, um, funny enough, it doesn't make sense.
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Even as a little kid, I didn't like going to school.
17:56.2
I know that doesn't make sense now, but there's a funny thing about that.
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I want to hear it.
18:00.5
Uh, oh no, when I was a kid, they dropped me off in first grade.
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I actually ran, hopped the fence and the janitor grabbed me and locked me in the bathroom for the rest of the day.
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And it only turned around for me, I think when I'm nine, because my principal handed me a, uh, everyone got an award.
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You know, when you're little, you get an award, best in math, best in, you know, music.
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And she handed me a medal and I said, or no, a certificate.
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And I said, it was blank.
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I said, so what is, what am I good at?
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And I'm not even joking.
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She said this, I don't know, you figure it out.
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I just have to give you one.
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And I said, what?
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So I said, oh, wow.
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So, you know, it might sound a little weird, but from that point I said, okay, I'm going to turn it on.
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And I was only in fourth grade and yeah, I guess I started liking school because the competitive spirit kicked in.
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So I said, okay, let me show you what I can do.
19:01.8
So, um, but, but yeah, like with everything, uh, kind of circling back to earlier, I'm, I may be new to politics,
19:11.8
Um, to working in communities, like, uh, here in the United States, I work a lot in California, I work a lot in Illinois, uh, Wisconsin.
19:20.3
Uh, we do a lot of stuff for community outreach and, um, I've been doing that for so many years, but it's taking that same mentality.
19:28.4
Well, what, what pushed you to do community, um, service?
19:33.3
What really pushed me is the fact that I can see the difference you make in people's lives.
19:41.8
Gave you as a blank certificate, right?
19:45.1
Oh, let me show you what I can do.
19:47.4
Then you did well in school.
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You could have stopped there, right?
19:51.6
But then again, you pushed it outside of school.
19:55.6
So I'm, I'm, I'm trying to get inside your head because, because, you know, I mean, if, if, if people guys go to go to Kurt's website because everything is there.
20:06.1
Actually, Michael and I did an extensive research.
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We just don't want to throw everything.
20:11.8
It's not you, right?
20:12.7
But very, very impressive.
20:14.5
But I want to hear your context, your context of being who you are.
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So blank certificate.
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Now you've proven that you can do good in school.
20:26.3
What pushed you to, to make a change in the community at 15?
20:31.3
Honestly, it was the fact that you can make a difference and you didn't need to be an adult.
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You didn't need to be, uh, you know, you didn't need to be in a position.
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It's called just taking the initiative.
20:41.8
But PlayStation, there were, there was a PlayStation, there was Sega.
20:45.2
I mean, you know, I, I did use that.
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And, and the funny thing is because of me doing this, I also missed a lot of days in high school.
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So that actually like is a, is another funny point too.
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In my junior and senior year, I missed so much high school that my vice principal, a new one sat me down and she said, Hey, you're missing so much school.
21:05.1
Do you know if you were here, you'd do better.
21:07.1
But back then I didn't really care for too much diplomacy.
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I answered in a pretty bad way.
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I said, well, you know, if you would give higher grades, then she said, what did you say?
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And I said, I'm sorry.
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I didn't mean that that way.
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So then she told me, Oh, you know, if you don't have an excuse slip, you're going to be in Saturday school every, every Saturday, you know, for six hours.
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See, that's, that, that, that rebuttal is actually the start of your motivation.
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If you would give high grades, you'd see more of me.
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And now here you are, right?
21:41.2
Trying to represent the district into pushing the same mentality that you've had since you were young, which is not only championing yourself, but the people that you represent.
21:57.6
So this, this person who had this smart Alec attitude.
22:05.3
Is that why, is that why you went into law?
22:07.6
Because you like to argue?
22:08.7
No, funny enough.
22:11.2
Uh, actually funny enough about law.
22:13.7
I've always, I love basketball growing up.
22:16.4
I love even acting and, but my parents told me, Hey, acting is not good at the age of 10.
22:22.1
They're like, acting is not going to do anything for you to go do, do something else.
22:25.9
But that's not why I went into law.
22:27.3
I went into law because I said, Hey, this is going to give me the tools to achieve what I want to do.
22:32.8
Cause even before, no, which is actually my grandpa used to tell me, I said, Oh, I'm going to become a lawyer.
22:40.3
He's like, Oh, you want to become a lawyer?
22:41.1
I'm like, no, I said a lawyer.
22:43.7
He's like, yeah, I know a liar.
22:45.7
And funny enough, he used to joke with me.
22:47.5
He's like, well, you should just become a priest if you want to influence people.
22:51.2
And I said, yeah, but that's a little limited.
22:53.3
I said, uh, this has a, this has a smaller audience.
22:56.9
I want to go bigger.
22:57.9
But, uh, for me, like I saw law as like a means of, of like giving me the training, giving me like the, uh, the expertise to take on the hard issues because before I actually moved, uh, to the UK.
23:11.1
I, that's when I worked for the, of course, 15 and then to 17, 18, I, I worked in like all this public service and I really saw, wow, Hey, if you know how to do this and you know how to unpack the laws, you can then start to change it for people because now you.
23:26.0
Can you say, can you repeat that?
23:27.4
Because that would be nice for our audience to pick up if you can.
23:32.0
So what I learned was if you unpack the laws and you have the motivation and you join the two together, you can actually be an agent for change.
23:40.9
And be an effective one, because I feel like that's why people get left behind is because, Hey, they're not educated about it.
23:48.3
No one tells them about it or no one reaches out to teach them or, or, or, you know, spread information about things.
23:54.1
So then you get lost in the process.
23:55.5
And that's why I understand if you don't want to be involved in, in like politics or law, because you're like, Oh, what's it do for me kind of thing.
24:04.1
Um, and that's why I went into law because I saw, Hey, you know what, working in the Congressman's office.
24:10.8
We were working on immigration cases.
24:12.9
We were working on, uh, at that time it was the mortgage crisis.
24:15.8
So people were losing their homes.
24:17.7
And funny enough, I was the youngest in the office at 17, everyone else was like 20 and above.
24:24.0
And I solved a lot of cases to the point that people at the time, edible arrangements, you know, those, they were new.
24:30.3
So they were the hottest item.
24:32.0
I would have like five in the office, all addressed to me, not even the Congressman they're addressed to me, but then everyone in the office ate it.
24:39.0
So they're like, Hey, young gun.
24:42.6
We ate your food.
24:43.8
I was like, Oh, that's terrible.
24:46.5
I said, can I at least have, you know, a pineapple?
24:50.6
No, none for you.
24:52.3
They're like, you learned the pecking order here that you're the youngest.
24:54.9
I'm like, yeah, but I'm the most effective one.
24:56.4
They're like, yeah, that doesn't matter.
24:58.0
See, that's going back to Washington, the pecking order, right?
25:01.3
How are you going to get past the hurdles of the Pelosi's the shifts, the, you know, and I heard when you're new.
25:11.4
They make you do phone calls for, for, um, for the donors and all that stuff.
25:17.9
So for me, the difference is when I go to DC, I'm not necessarily a new face because I work with a lot of the legislators there, especially out in Illinois, um, and around California.
25:29.4
So I'm not a completely new face to them, but the difference between me that I can promise everybody, if they, you know, put their faith in me, you're going to get someone who's a firm negotiator.
25:39.0
It's actually how I got my first job.
25:41.2
So in law school, I won a negotiation competition.
25:45.0
We beat like a hundred other Oxford lawyers.
25:48.7
And in that, through that, uh, academics and even in life in business, I became like a really firm negotiator because part of it is I understand that there is compromise and we do need that today, but compromise without sacrificing your principles.
26:04.2
And for me coming in, I don't plan to be that member or representative is going to say, Oh, you know what?
26:09.0
You have to be quiet.
26:10.0
You gotta be with the.
26:11.2
I'm like, yeah, but at the same time, I don't think, uh, we gotta bring this out.
26:17.2
And one difference between me, no matter kind of which room you put me in, uh, I feel like members of Congress are just like anybody else.
26:24.5
And I, it's, I kind of share with people, like, let's say you're stuck at an airport.
26:28.2
Who do you want to talk to every day?
26:30.0
Like, do you want to talk to, uh, the person that like, if a stranger's next to you, do you want to talk to them?
26:35.6
I'm kind of those people that, Hey, if I'm sitting there and we end up talking pretty soon, we're going to end up talking.
26:40.5
I'm kind of those people that, Hey, if I'm sitting there and we end up talking pretty soon, we're going to end up talking.
26:40.6
And that's the same mentality I bring, uh, into Congress is when the work needs to be done, we get the work done.
26:48.7
But at the same time, you're probably going to get along with me and, um, we're going to make things happen because I understand, I think from having like such a diverse experience of being in so many different places, I have a understanding of like just who people are and like what makes you tick, what makes you feel happy.
27:06.9
And from there we can kind of, I think it's most importantly.
27:10.5
It's finding the commonality with each other, whether you're a Republican or a Democrat, like part of one of the main messages that I've been really pitching to everybody is because like I said earlier, you know, Democrat, oh gosh, Republican, oh gosh, like, uh, everything is, oh, I was like, you know, whether we're red, we're blue at the end of the day for everyone, we're, we're red, white, and blue.
27:36.1
We're all a part of America.
27:38.3
And whatever that vision is.
27:40.0
So that's why I have, like, I think in my race, I'm one of the more unique ones.
27:45.9
It's really pushing for unification, really pushing for like diplomatic measures, pushing for peace because those sides are achievable if we just really listen.
27:55.8
And I think that's the problem.
27:57.0
No one's really listening nowadays and it's showing.
28:00.4
What else, what else is on your platform?
28:02.5
So you mentioned a while ago, Ofcam for the nurses, for, for healthcare professionals.
28:10.0
Outside of healthcare, I'm really focused on, um, education reform.
28:16.0
Explain education reform.
28:17.6
That's interesting.
28:19.0
So an education reform, like, see, this is where you see the difference.
28:22.0
Today's Democrat, they're probably gonna be like, oh, he's gonna go in there and censor my schools, teach my children something.
28:27.5
I don't want them to learn.
28:28.8
No, for me, when I think of, um, education reform, I look at, um, high schools and colleges, and I'm really about financial literacy, electives and investment and.
28:41.0
Yeah, because nowadays the kids of today, they have this digital platform that we're in, they can become their own business person, whether they want to start a successful podcast like you, whether they want to go and, you know, sell hats that they have embroidered themselves.
28:55.5
But at the same time, how do you harness that passion and allow them to sustain it?
29:00.6
Because yes, there's passion, but then there's also the harsh realities of like, oh, I got to pay this bill, got to pay that bill.
29:04.6
So my emphasis on education is implementing courses to tackle real life.
29:11.0
Yeah, it's true, because, because right now they're still teaching us the industrial way of, um, the, uh, educating you because of the industrial revolution or the industrial era era, right?
29:24.5
And they're prepping you to be a worker.
29:26.8
What you're saying is let's change it.
29:29.1
Let's reform in such a way.
29:30.7
Let's add curriculum to maybe this person wants to be an entrepreneur.
29:34.6
This person wants to be a music mogul.
29:36.5
This person wants to be blah.
29:40.0
Bringing that out.
29:40.8
But then also at the same time, knowing how to tackle the real problems you have as an adult, like, you know, how to handle your bills, how to balance your own checkbook.
29:48.3
I feel like my generation and the generations after us, it's kind of hard for us to be as fiscally responsible as, let's say, our parents or our grandparents, because that kind of faded.
29:57.7
So I want to bring that in and also on the education reform side.
30:01.2
Like nowadays, you always hear, oh, loan forgiveness.
30:04.2
Like when I look at loan forgiveness, I know that's a hard topic because a lot of the burden goes on the taxpayer.
30:10.0
And for me, my vision of like some form of giving financial relief is almost similar to the medical debt.
30:17.3
We take the college student debt and remove it off the consumer credit score.
30:21.5
Once again, it's also within congressional powers.
30:24.4
But then at the same time, too, if we're going to be putting and, you know, let's say my colleagues are like, no, Kurt, we really want forgiveness.
30:32.6
OK, let's get the wealthy universities in on it.
30:35.6
Because as you know, there's so many wealthy universities who drive the cost.
30:40.0
And every year they're setting that bar higher and higher and people are priced out of an education.
30:45.2
So for me, I see that reform as we hold them accountable.
30:48.9
I'm going to hold them accountable to pay their fair share and not just put it on the taxpayers.
30:54.5
But part of that financial literacy is also so you have this new generation of people that know how to be financially smart.
31:00.9
And we also put investment into trade and vocational schools so that people can be trained, certified in a variety of jobs.
31:08.1
Like and contribute.
31:10.0
To the workforce so that they're not, you know, left out.
31:14.2
But also in regards to all of this, the idea behind it is really empower them and change the culture of how we run so that the roots of education really grow in the U.S.
31:25.7
Because right now it's been declining, sadly, are competitively around the world.
31:31.2
We're not America is not as the way it used to be in regards to the education front.
31:36.5
Like, yes, we have the leading researchers.
31:38.5
We have the leading tech.
31:40.0
But at the same time, our children are also suffering from it.
31:43.5
So it's just being more innovative and it's suffering because of like overcrowding teachers wages, things like that.
31:48.7
So that's why for me, I propose like community driven solutions to help them fix it because the federal government can come in and help some schools that may not have this amount of funding.
32:00.0
You mentioned that.
32:01.2
Why are they not as competitive as they have to be?
32:05.2
I mean, you don't have kids yet.
32:07.6
Do you have kids?
32:08.5
No, not at the moment.
32:09.0
You don't have kids yet.
32:11.5
Michael has kids.
32:13.6
It's hard to raise kids, especially if you give them to the teacher.
32:17.2
Teacher has to have what?
32:18.3
Like 30 to 35, 40 students.
32:22.3
Sometimes even more.
32:25.0
I mean, she has that for the whole day.
32:27.1
She has those kids.
32:28.2
And then she sees her paycheck.
32:34.6
Like speak to the teachers because I have friends who are nurses, friends who are teachers.
32:40.0
And it's the same thing.
32:42.0
They're like, I don't want to be a teacher anymore because my wage isn't that competitive compared to others.
32:52.1
But then again, the advocacy of being a teacher is you have to have the heart to be able to do that.
32:58.2
What can you do for them?
32:59.9
And I honestly respect teachers because funny enough, I taught university students myself for like three years.
33:08.0
So maybe not the young kids, but I taught.
33:09.7
Definitely the older kids also while being very close in age to them, which made it interesting.
33:15.4
But like, but at the same time with them, I would focus for teachers.
33:19.4
I understand where they're coming from, like having, you know, lower wages and not enough support because like you said, 40 students, sometimes they have 60.
33:28.8
But I think one lesson that could be learned from the pandemic is that there's innovative ways we can put in the classroom.
33:35.2
But at the same time, the money is there.
33:37.6
It's just a matter of working.
33:39.7
Working with community leaders and also the federal government, like such as people coming myself and saying, hey, when we examine your budgets, what's wrong?
33:47.6
Why are we not getting support for some of these teachers?
33:50.3
Because high risk, I mean, sorry, high stress, especially amongst children, all the different pressures they have is real.
33:57.5
It's a real thing.
33:58.8
But I think teachers should also have assistants who come in and help support them in the class.
34:03.4
And then we also examine new ways of how we can create programs where, you know, as a temporary solution, at least handle.
34:09.8
The amount of students you have and give them some sort of individualized attention.
34:13.7
Yeah, because that's also why we're declining as schools are overcrowded.
34:17.9
Teachers, sadly, want to leave the profession or change, and we're not doing our best to incentivize them to stay.
34:24.7
And I think if we find ways to incentivize them to stay, not only by increasing wages, but also changing the environment they're in, it's going to, you know, bring back the love for teaching and the reason why they want to be there.
34:39.7
I'm not discrediting any teachers at all.
34:41.6
I know they all want to be passionate, but I understand it's really hard when you're teaching 60, you know, 40, 50 kids at a time, especially if they don't want to listen.
34:52.3
But I think it starts with there is giving a really good working environment and also a supportive one, because at the same time, just one teacher for that many kids is not a lot.
35:04.4
But if you have an assistant there, like a TA who can come in and, you know, deal with certain things.
35:09.7
Let's say, you know, kids are having problems at home.
35:14.8
Want to address like youth mental health.
35:17.1
Having a trained professional there helps.
35:20.0
But then let's say it's just little things like just solving little fights.
35:24.5
Because right now, at this day and age, really, teachers are important because the problem we're having with social media, the promotion of digital material, kids learning online is it's hard to see what they see.
35:41.7
And I mean, it's even hard to monitor them.
35:45.0
So that's why, you know, we kind of need to be in there and help bolster the needs that are there.
35:51.3
So there's education reform, health care, worker reform and health care reform.
35:57.6
So I'm also like more in my district.
36:00.4
I'm definitely about local economic development, like with small businesses.
36:05.1
You mentioned that a while ago.
36:06.7
Let's talk about that.
36:08.3
So for me, with the local economy.
36:09.7
Economic development.
36:10.4
I'm really about highlighting.
36:11.8
Actually, I even call it LED, like a LED bulb, because the idea behind it is illuminating the local businesses.
36:19.6
Because one thing I saw in the pandemic, people lost their business.
36:23.5
You know, a lot of the aid that went there from federal didn't make it to the small business.
36:28.0
It went to like the person.
36:31.3
Let's say a small business is a franchise owner of Chipotle.
36:35.9
That's not really that small business.
36:39.7
Here, he probably just paid the franchise fee for the year to Chipotle.
36:43.8
And it's forgiven.
36:46.0
So for me, I'm focused on expanding the SBA programs to have community outreach, but also empowering minority-owned businesses, especially like Filipino-owned businesses.
36:57.3
Because there's so many of us in the community that are the real small mom and pop shops, and they don't have a lot of support.
37:03.8
But one thing that is unique to my platform is I am focused on the immigration aspect.
37:09.2
So, in regards to the immigration aspect, I want to fast-track visa applications and create a strong network of industry partners, whether they're national, local, or even citywide.
37:22.3
So that, let's say we have people who have been here in the country for a while, but their legal status is, you know, in question.
37:31.1
We can fast-track visa applications for them so that they have at least a temporary work permit and they're not waiting.
37:39.2
Because also, which you might know, talking on this podcast, there's Filipinos out there that are not getting a living wage.
37:46.6
They're being taken advantage of, sometimes even by fellow Filipinos.
37:50.9
I'll share something with you and maybe the audience.
37:54.5
You know, I mean, it's an open secret that there are immigrants without papers who would use someone else's social security number.
38:04.0
And you mentioned about being taken advantage of.
38:07.0
They have to work.
38:08.3
There's nothing we could do.
38:09.4
They bring in a social security number that's not theirs.
38:15.1
They don't get any refund.
38:18.6
Does that make sense?
38:20.2
I mean, that's sad.
38:21.8
That's sad for the worker.
38:24.0
Sad for everybody involved.
38:25.7
Sad for the identity that was stolen.
38:29.1
All across the board, it's making a big mess of people.
38:33.0
Because at the same time, some of those people who are going through that, now they're older.
38:36.4
Maybe they were doing this 20, 30 years already.
38:39.2
And 40 years even.
38:41.1
So that's why for me, a lot of the local economic development is centered on that.
38:47.0
A lot of it is also into job training, like investing in a lot of job training in the area.
38:52.9
And also investing in the green economy, bringing in a diverse amount of jobs.
38:58.8
But in my district in particular, I'm really about healthcare centers.
39:02.0
Because where I live, like some people out there who, let's say you live in Pasadena or you live in Glendale or you live in LA,
39:09.2
you have easy access to hospitals.
39:12.2
Yeah, or urgent care.
39:13.3
In my district, that's really hard.
39:15.7
Like I actually went to a meet and greet in West Covina.
39:17.9
And I was actually telling people, I said, if there is an emergency right now, like hopefully not,
39:23.8
the nearest emergency room is very far from here.
39:26.9
Because I even drove down the street and there was a hospital that said no emergency services.
39:31.1
So they're basically just like a big doctor's clinic.
39:33.6
And for me, that's what I ultimately care about is developing.
39:39.2
The cities in that way.
39:41.3
And also bringing more people in to each city in the district.
39:44.6
Like highlighting what it is, whether it's tourism.
39:47.6
Because also the Olympics are coming here in 2028.
39:50.4
And part of the rowing is going to be happening in Benelli Park, which is in my district.
39:54.5
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
39:55.6
So you're going to be getting people in here.
39:57.8
So why is all the development happening in just downtown LA?
40:00.9
Why is there no development in our areas?
40:03.2
And finding ways to improve our communities.
40:05.6
Including Raging Waters, I'm just kidding.
40:09.7
Part of the district.
40:11.2
Yeah, Raging Waters is part of the district.
40:15.2
Right, why does it have to be this area?
40:16.7
No, just kidding.
40:17.3
Yeah, no, but it's true.
40:18.6
Like you want to get people to visit.
40:21.7
I see certain cities in my district and I'm like, why are the businesses closing?
40:25.6
You know, what's going on?
40:27.4
And when I learn what's going on, you really start to see, oh, now we know.
40:30.8
Like sometimes they're missing workers.
40:32.9
Sometimes, you know, they're still recovering from the effects of the past few years.
40:37.9
And that's what I listen to.
40:40.3
And that's what I've been hearing on what I can do to bring a formidable agenda to represent them in D.C.
40:47.2
Your competition, are they as young as you?
40:51.7
No, I'm definitely the youngest.
40:53.6
We need young blood, no?
40:56.0
I actually feel the next youngest person might be like in their late 50s, I think, if I can recall correctly.
41:02.5
So I'm definitely the youngest one there in the race.
41:05.2
Okay, so what else is on your platform?
41:07.9
See, I want to get it all out.
41:09.8
So that way, when we disseminate the information, everything is just.
41:14.4
So platform-wise, it's centered on those three major pieces.
41:19.1
But I am, in regards to like other parts of it, I guess it's more of like what's my stance on certain issues.
41:27.3
Let's talk about that.
41:28.6
Because like, for instance, at a recent forum, someone asked me like, what about child safety online?
41:33.8
Like, you know, is that in your education or what is that?
41:37.9
Think about child safety online.
41:39.2
Like, I'm sure you heard about all the recent hearings that the Senate's been having about
41:45.4
So with that being said, like when I was a researcher out in Oxford, my specialty was
41:50.3
actually cyber crime.
41:51.6
And within that, cyber harassment, cyber stalking, things like those, of those nature.
41:57.2
And when I started to unpack everything, I said, if you were actually being harassed
42:03.5
right now, teenager or adult, how can you actually go and do something like that?
42:07.8
How can you even fix this for yourself?
42:09.0
Like, let's say someone put a bunch of embarrassing images and the hard part is all these social
42:14.3
media companies, they're scattered everywhere, Netherlands, Ireland, you know, and now you're
42:19.4
serving legal notices, you actually need to have someone serve legal notices to get it
42:24.1
You know that the agreement of all these social media platforms actually say that if you post
42:29.0
a picture, they pretty much own it.
42:35.4
You can, it's like, it's like now they can do whatever they can.
42:38.4
Whatever they want to do with it.
42:40.1
And the thing that's bad about that is, and I understand what Congress is trying to do,
42:44.9
but because of that inaction, we're kind of where we're at right now.
42:48.2
And now it's getting worse because you have AI.
42:50.8
So now people are starting to distribute AI made images of people.
42:55.8
Like just yesterday, there was a problem at a middle school, not too far from here.
42:59.6
You know, they were distributing AI nude photos of middle school kids.
43:04.6
And, you know, before the worry is, are they going to look up bad things online?
43:06.6
Now they're making AI images of their kids.
43:07.6
And the problem with all of this is the social media companies put it on the parents and
43:08.6
the children to self-regulate themselves.
43:09.6
And the way I look at it is it's like the paradigm of seatbelt and car.
43:10.6
What did we do there?
43:11.6
We really focused on the seatbelt, but we also focused on the cars itself.
43:14.6
So that's why for me, it's not, as a member of Congress, I'm not just going to be grilling
43:15.6
the, uh, the tech companies.
43:38.6
I mean, the social plot media platforms, I'm going to be grilling the device makers
43:41.0
too, because in regards to surveillance marketing, I don't know, um, just for the viewers out
43:47.4
there in regards to marketing, they have so much data on us.
43:51.2
Like right now I could be like Paco.
43:52.6
To say something.
43:55.6
That's gotta pop up on the phone after we're done talking.
43:57.2
We're going to probably find all the different places to find it.
44:02.7
And you know, that comes from the behavior marketing and everything.
44:06.4
so when they tell me oh you know there's not much we can do about it you know we'll try our best
44:11.1
come on now yes you guys have it within your power to do it and the hard part about it is the way to
44:17.9
push them and compel them is through law and that's what i learned that's why it kind of goes
44:22.9
back to like how i used laws as a tool to change things when you look at the laws of the united
44:29.0
states in regards to social media um they're not modernized they're still dating back to the 80s
44:35.3
before the internet became a thing yeah being dealt with as um what was that oh my god they
44:42.2
they talked about that that's why that's why they were trying to change it uh two congress
44:48.2
sessions ago three two four zero or something it was oh my god it is it escapes me because they
44:55.2
were trying to put tick tock in a box they couldn't right they couldn't because the laws
45:00.0
are not there yeah so that's why like as like being in congress being on that platform they
45:05.3
were trying to put tick tock in a box they couldn't right they were trying to put tick tock in a box
45:06.5
is we start to propose bills you get uh people from all across the aisle republican democrat
45:12.7
independent doesn't matter let's let's start getting these bills to protect children because
45:17.0
i'm pretty sure we can all agree we want to protect children uh that's one thing i would
45:20.9
hope everyone can agree on and we go from there and we start to do that because even some of these
45:26.4
members of congress they've also experienced what social media can do to them oh yeah and you know
45:31.3
at the same time we're going to respect first amendment rights and freedom of speech especially
45:35.3
for like the lgbtq community that's one important thing especially for children that i would look
45:41.2
at in particular but at the same time we have those mechanisms that could now help them and you
45:48.4
know don't leave it on the parent to regulate this don't leave it on the children you know they're a
45:53.7
part of the conversation and a part of making it happen but when you hold them accountable now they
45:59.0
really have to sit down and listen because now when they see hey there's a legal law that's
46:02.8
pressing us what do we do
46:05.3
and there's states out there that are doing that like i think there's texas and oklahoma but this is
46:08.8
where the federal government can come in we now unify that and make it uh you know a federal law
46:15.8
and that's where i think these companies will start to listen seriously yeah that's a serious
46:20.7
thing because right now when i was watching the whole thing on meta on tick tock on on x
46:25.9
i mean it was it was more uh a scripted answer to congress i'm like oh my god a lawyer devised it
46:35.3
yeah there's no empathy no no there's none right and that's why for me even running in
46:42.0
congress a lot of the policy that i want to put in and a lot of my agenda is built towards being
46:49.1
humane being more empathetic because at the same time all these things i'm mentioning
46:54.7
i i went through this myself and you know i'm not saying that because every politician says
46:59.9
oh you know i understand where you're coming from no i really do like uh when it comes to like when i
47:05.3
talk about healthcare centers on my platform i lost my grandpa in 2022 and he was uh thank you
47:12.9
and he was in a small community hospital in san dimas they weren't equipped to handle levels of
47:18.6
trauma and you know it took hours before he could get help and also at that time being
47:25.1
covet a lot of the ics were closed so for me i really saw the lack and it wasn't the fault of
47:31.6
the doctors or the nurses there you know they they don't have the
47:35.3
facilities to handle that and when i started looking at it more i said wow there's really
47:39.5
not a lot of facilities that could handle it like for him he ended up all the way out in l.a
47:46.3
from sandima oh my god all the way out in l.a and i learned that firsthand and even during the
47:53.4
pandemic actually the the reason why i keep mentioning the pandemic too is because i really
47:58.2
saw firsthand where this whole politics over people really happened you know small businesses
48:05.3
because they don't have the right access to information and i believe that's the wrong thing
48:10.3
that happens is access to information because when people don't have that access that outreach
48:17.7
that example that model you know how do we expect them to guide themselves you know how do you guide
48:24.2
yourself in a dark room okay question um you're doing you're you're you're representing the
48:32.2
district but on a national scale right
48:35.3
yes how does your how does what you do disseminate down to the local
48:43.8
in an instant or is that is that something that takes time
48:49.0
just to go back to the person you bumped into at seafood city right how does the information
48:54.7
travel up and how does it go back down to the community it goes back down because that's why
48:59.9
i focus on solutions that can happen from day one because i know the different things that i'm
49:04.7
crafting or i have in my mind uh not only a reflective of what i want to do but it's also
49:09.5
reflective of what people care about and on the national level when you're able to propose those
49:13.8
bills and get it passed like let's say within the first three months we're getting it passed
49:18.5
you know first six months whatever it may be now that becomes and signed into the law now that's
49:23.1
a federal law so now we wait of course one one year for it to be implemented the following
49:27.4
calendar year now it's implemented and then now you could then use that as a model with the local
49:33.4
people whether it's assemblymen whether it's state senators whether it's governor
49:38.0
now we have a federal law to interact with because at the same time states have their
49:41.9
own independence to form what they want to do but the federal law also comes in and
49:47.5
helps influence what's going on and when there's a federal enforcement behind it now it's faster
49:54.3
for it to implement you know we don't always have to wait for a ballot measure to kick in
49:59.2
uh you know like let's say prop one or whatever it may be we don't have to wait
50:02.4
for a ballot measure to
50:03.4
be voted on we can now put it in yeah and you know i would hope that with the solutions that
50:08.6
we're coming up with i would also not be just be focused on colleagues in washington i'd be focused
50:14.4
on colleagues at the state and city level because that's one thing where that's actually why i chose
50:20.9
congress too like a lot of people why not city council why not you know mayor why not uh you
50:26.6
know board of education and to them i say the reason why i went for this is because it's a
50:32.0
unique one you're on the national level and you're also have to pay attention on your local district
50:37.4
itself which is a mixture of state um regional and things like that so that's why you know leveraging
50:44.5
those two positions together that's how you can make it happen and if you're not getting that
50:49.9
support or even listening to the local community then you just become fully disconnected and that's
50:54.9
that's evident in people in my race uh who have been politicians for so long and that's why i hear
51:02.0
like you know what are they doing for me and when i start to really hear that i go yeah you're right
51:07.0
they're not really doing much for you um because you don't even know their names so yeah and i feel
51:14.7
like the people in your district you should know their name if you don't know their name that means
51:18.8
they're not doing it for you right um you know it's up to them to go out not for you to get to
51:24.3
know them so that's how i look at uh like my role in in this okay how long did it take for you to
51:32.0
that you were gonna run uh if i'm being perfectly honest it perfectly honest it took me some time
51:39.4
to run i always knew i wanted to run since but it was wait since when uh actually i feel kind of bad
51:45.3
i told this while i was at my when i was 18 uh so they the people in the office asked me and i think
51:51.4
i might have even this is before going to the to the uk yeah i they asked me um because i love the
51:58.0
job so much of what i was doing as a case worker and i think i might have also said i was going to
52:02.0
a little smart thing but they said what job do you want in the future and i said oh i want i want
52:06.5
the congressman's job and they're like what which is good yeah i mean and i said i said yeah i want
52:13.2
i want the job and then they're like okay they were laughing they said well you know when he
52:17.2
retires maybe he'll endorse you but he retired before i could even get back here so because of
52:23.7
course they redistrict yes people change but uh but for me there but then more in particular
52:32.0
i've been doing this since maybe like 2019 um but for me being new to this whole political uh game
52:40.7
it's also a learning experience so at the same time you know it's it's been a fun learning process
52:49.0
but i also see now what i need to do to become more effective um but in terms of running no this
52:56.1
has been in my mind for a while it's actually funny the people i call they get shocked they're
53:00.4
like oh you're the candidate i go yeah i'm the candidate and they're like oh you're the candidate
53:02.0
you're calling yourself where's your lawyer where's your accountant right i said yeah but
53:07.0
that's the difference with me i like to really be hands-on to the point that people on my team
53:11.1
have been telling me hey stop it be the candidate i'm like yeah but i want to no no no be the
53:16.5
candidate so in my nature i'm really like that like i'm i'm i'm really hands-on with everything
53:23.9
but at the same time i feel like that's become the reason why i can understand what's going on
53:29.6
and that makes you unique i mean you're you're in touch with the
53:32.0
community yeah as opposed to your campaign manager or your your team you're you're the guy
53:36.9
that's going to washington pretty much you know funny enough this is a little funny side note
53:43.3
like for the viewers like oh my gosh he's a democrat i don't want to listen to him you know
53:47.2
hopefully you didn't turn off yet but like but funny i've been working so many years in illinois
53:54.1
out in the chicagoland area and we do a lot of community uh things whether it's you know
53:58.8
raising awareness to for blood banks or whether it's you know
54:02.0
uh different health care issues like with with the universities and what's hilarious is there's
54:08.5
a group of representatives that i work there because part of i was also helping them with like
54:12.9
getting more insurance coverage for people so that different you know they're not uh removed
54:19.4
for pre-existing conditions it was to increase the coverage especially for people on lower
54:23.8
lower incomes because you know the insurance company will be like oh oh yeah you had this
54:28.3
oh yeah can't take you there you're 10 pounds overweight okay your insurance goes up 100
54:32.0
dollars you know so i was helping them fix those kinds of issues like just as like on the
54:37.1
policy side and it's funny a lot of them are republican i didn't even realize that they
54:41.9
approached me and they said hey kurt you know we want someone from we want you to run with the
54:46.0
republican party and we'll support you here i said yeah but i don't really live here i live in
54:50.9
california and then they said oh that's okay like you know start living here and then i was like
54:57.5
ah then they asked me the next question what's your party registration
55:02.0
and i said oh boy i said i'm a i'm a democrat and then they go what i go why is that gonna
55:11.7
change our friendship now and then they were laughing no it didn't i hope i hope not unless
55:17.5
they just lied to my face but you know um but uh no it didn't like they were actually helpful and
55:24.3
they've they said although we can't really support you in your race at home because that would be
55:29.0
like really bad for us yeah they said you know
55:32.0
um we want to see you do well and for me a lot of it coming home was like really
55:37.1
taking care of everyone the community that i grew up in but you know what's nice
55:41.4
healthcare doesn't matter if you're democrat or republican
55:46.4
education it doesn't matter if you're democrat or republican right social media it doesn't matter
55:56.7
if you're democrat or republican small business doesn't matter if
56:02.0
you're doing everything thank you i really do hope that everything you profess today really
56:08.6
comes into fruition yeah we need it and that's really what i care about is you know at the end
56:14.2
of the day it's it's being able to to to improve the community because one thing is even though i
56:19.9
am new to this whole aspect of politics every community i've been in if whether i've lived
56:25.7
there for a few years or wherever my goal in life is leave it better than when i arrived
56:30.2
and this one has been where i've been for a long time and i've been there for a long time and i've
56:32.0
where i've been the longest and where i really grew up so that's why the motivation is is there
56:40.1
um and then also when i think of filipinos as a whole um throughout my own personal experience
56:47.6
i got disconnected from from things as well but at the same time i also grew tired of
56:53.6
like when you think of filipino people there's so many people that put stereotypes in there
56:59.2
they make it like a joke but they don't understand
57:02.0
like just how significant our people are to american history uh to even to today yeah and
57:09.8
at the same time that's why i really want to come out there and i ask everybody you know a year or
57:15.1
two from now or actually well next cycle is two years i don't want to be the only candidate i want
57:20.2
to see people all across the us coming out you know let's join together let's do this because
57:26.5
i like even someone brought up earlier like why are you taking politics so seriously like when i
57:32.0
just speaking to different people today and over the weekend i said because you know it's a means
57:36.2
to actually change things right like how do you change things if you're just at home and we get
57:41.4
mad at the tv we're not going to change anything and change doesn't even just happen by being you
57:46.4
know a lawmaker it also happens by getting out on your phone spreading the word raising awareness
57:51.8
of things and growing up i'm i really grew tired of some people and i respect all all the professions
57:57.5
that people are in but like you go let's say you're a filipino healthcare or you're a nurse
58:02.0
i'm like not everyone is a nurse and i'm like if you look at the history of why there's so many
58:06.7
filipino nurses in world war ii after the pearl harbor attacks when the us entered the war world
58:13.1
war ii they thought that they were going to get a shortage of people in the profession
58:17.8
so that's why you know they were encouraging all these programs for nurses doctors everything but
58:22.2
not only that the filipino people themselves were people that really want to go out there
58:27.3
yeah and push the limits we we never actually said oh we're just going to stay at home it's okay
58:32.0
we want to be educated we want to like learn we want to be a part of it that's why now for all the
58:37.4
people who feel like they're silent i'm like no no let's rally around each other and let's go
58:42.9
let's bring that kababayan spirit together and bring it here show it make it proud because when
58:49.0
you look at our asian brothers and sisters everybody has a lot of representative like
58:53.0
when you go to orange county there's a lot of vietnamese there's a lot of korean
58:56.4
represents cambodian you go to los angeles it's chinese korea yeah yeah
59:02.2
and that's why i'm like where are we we're here we're with them so we should have a louder uh
59:08.3
you know a louder voice and we don't have to apologize for it no we don't have to and that's
59:13.8
what i i that also disheartens me too is like when people uh you know make it a novelty like
59:20.8
in a way we're proud of our professions we're very proud people but at the same time
59:25.5
we're more we're more and i want to tell people we're more my statement in running is not just
59:32.1
here in los angeles county it's not just california the message i want to send is
59:37.6
worldwide because uh like one little note i'll share is even before i went to law school i
59:43.0
actually had a project which caused a little bit of friction i wanted to work to provide legal
59:48.5
protections for ofws overseas and i was actually speaking to the u.s state department and the
59:54.4
philippine state department and they were supposed to be like as a researcher so i can be a more
59:58.7
diplomatic role but both of them are like no you're going to cause problems but i'll send this to the
60:04.0
That's why I ended up
60:05.6
Because I was gonna
60:09.0
And provide legal
60:10.2
Protections for people
60:13.2
And you know what
60:14.8
Filipinos need that
60:19.7
People take advantage
60:21.1
Of Filipinos worldwide
60:24.6
We live good lives
60:27.8
But in other parts
60:29.4
People are abused
60:33.6
That's why for me
60:37.3
So now I got to see the limits
60:39.4
By the State Department
60:42.3
You can push me there
60:43.8
That was back in 2016
60:46.5
If I'm a lawmaker
60:47.9
Now what are you gonna do?
60:50.5
See that's a nice word
60:53.6
Because that's what
60:54.3
You are going to be
60:57.5
I hope from your words
60:59.7
To the voters out there
61:01.0
And to the ballots
61:03.8
That's why I wake up
61:05.2
I've been so tired
61:06.7
In this whole process
61:14.9
When I see everyone's face
61:19.2
Wholehearted support
61:21.8
I've met some people
61:22.6
Who didn't like me
61:24.9
They got to know me
61:26.4
And they ended up
61:27.0
Changing their mind too
61:28.2
I hope to just bring
61:33.3
To help with regard
61:38.5
Where can they go?
61:41.3
What I would like people to do
61:42.9
Is go to the website
61:47.5
The most important right now is
61:49.7
Not even just funds
61:53.1
Because election day
61:57.2
It's the top two vote getters
61:58.8
You don't have to be
62:00.4
You don't have to be
62:01.5
It's just whoever gets
62:02.7
The top two votes
62:03.8
So if I get pushed
62:05.8
That then takes me
62:06.8
On to the November
62:08.3
So when you vote for
62:09.4
You'll also be voting
62:10.9
So I just want to
62:14.8
That's the best way
62:15.6
Anyone can support me
62:16.8
Is spread the word
62:18.4
Because whether you're
62:19.2
Someone who lives in
62:24.1
I'm sure you have a friend
62:25.3
Somewhere out there
62:26.1
Who's in the district
62:27.3
I actually have all the districts
62:32.2
Information for voting
62:35.2
One thing I should
62:36.0
Probably bring up is
62:37.0
I've met a lot of people
62:39.4
I don't know how to vote
62:43.5
And I never really
62:44.9
So along with the woman
62:46.6
Who didn't want to vote
62:47.3
There was people who were like
62:49.7
So we put that there
62:51.0
We have two links
62:54.8
You put your address
62:55.7
And that's LA County
62:57.3
That doesn't go to me
63:00.1
And you can figure out
63:00.8
What's the closest one to you
63:01.8
It shows the hours
63:02.7
And how busy it is
63:03.8
And it's on your website
63:05.0
It's on there right now
63:06.3
And people can go there
63:08.0
You know what I actually
63:08.7
Have been telling everyone?
63:09.7
Turn it into a party
63:11.2
I met a bunch of seniors
63:16.2
Hey we want to vote for you
63:17.2
We haven't voted since like
63:21.0
And then you know what they said?
63:22.9
One of the voting centers
63:24.0
Is behind a McDonald's
63:25.3
So I didn't tell them this
63:26.4
They did this on their own
63:28.1
We're going to meet up tomorrow
63:29.1
We're going to get McMuffins
63:31.4
And then after that
63:32.6
After we have coffee
63:33.4
Let's go vote together
63:36.0
I said man I want to join you
63:39.8
I'm telling people
63:43.0
Even if you get your friends
63:46.2
Before we go to this trivia night
63:48.3
Before we go to this concert
63:49.9
Let's just all go vote
63:51.5
I know it doesn't sound like that much fun
63:53.8
But if you make it fun
63:55.9
I'm not going to encourage you
63:57.8
At the polling center
64:02.3
Turn it into a fun activity
64:04.8
Don't take it so seriously
64:06.1
Like just try and learn about
64:07.7
All the different issues
64:11.2
A boring activity
64:14.6
Like what they did
64:15.6
I didn't even offer that to them
64:17.6
That's a really good idea actually
64:21.2
We have that information there
64:24.6
Who didn't register
64:27.0
Because that was the deadline
64:29.0
Still go to a voting center
64:30.2
And vote in person
64:31.5
And you can vote early
64:35.0
If you have your ballot
64:36.5
We also have a link
64:37.4
That shows all the centers
64:39.3
Or come out on March 5th
64:42.1
If you want the full feel
64:44.9
And voting in the US
64:46.0
So there is no excuse
64:48.2
There's not really
64:49.3
That's why I tell people
64:51.1
Don't wait till March 5th
64:52.3
Because when you wait till March 5th
64:54.0
Oh I got out of work
64:56.2
Whereas if you're on the weekend
64:57.3
You're having fun
65:00.8
Do this right now
65:02.0
Maybe while you're running errands
65:03.4
The voting center is right near you
65:08.0
Even though it sounds cliche
65:09.3
That's the best way
65:10.4
For your voice to be heard
65:17.0
Whether you dislike politicians
65:18.8
You dislike politics
65:21.5
One of the only ways
65:22.8
That could be heard
65:23.7
Because of course
65:26.3
Still needs to get to
65:28.7
A policy proposal
65:32.8
And if we don't get to that part
65:34.2
Where it's policy proposal
65:36.6
What else are we gonna do?
65:39.4
You leave that to me
65:40.3
You put that on my back
65:41.4
And I'm gonna make sure
65:42.9
Are represented properly
65:44.7
So final question
65:46.1
Is your voice loud?
65:49.7
Ladies and gentlemen
66:00.2
At the polling place
66:03.1
Don't forget March 5 guys
66:09.1
We'll post everything
66:10.3
In the description
66:16.0
Come out everyone
