John Yi, candidate for Assembly District 54, 2024 election questionnaire – San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Ahead of the November general election, the Southern California News Group has compiled a list of questions to ask the candidates you want to represent. The full questionnaire can be found below. Questionnaires may have been edited for spelling, grammar and length, and in some cases hate speech and offensive language have been removed.

MORE: Read all candidate responses in our voter guide

Name: John Yi

Current job title: Public transportation advocate

Affiliation with a political party: democrat

Incumbent: NO

Other political offices: Olympic Park Neighborhood Council, LACDP Central Committee

City where you live: Los Angeles

Campaign website or social media: www.johnforassembly.com

It’s no secret that California will play an outsized role in the development and regulation of AI. This has been a big topic for the Legislature this year, but in what ways do you think the Legislature would address concerns about bias or transparency in the AI ​​space or encourage innovation and startups? (Please be specific in your answer and limit your answer to 200 words or less.)

I support technological innovation, including supporting efforts to advance AI technology. However, when implemented, these innovations must not reinforce our existing racial and socioeconomic biases. I support efforts like SB 1047 (Wiener), which requires security protocols when developing AI models, and the original and original AB 2930, which directly addressed discrimination in many AI use cases before being struck down by the Senate Budget Committee . I also support strong consequences for the malicious use of AI, including creating deep fakes to spread misinformation and preventing the use of user data in training models without their consent.

Another challenge California faces with AI is its impact on work, education and almost all aspects of life. With little action at the federal level, California must take a leadership role in protecting individual rights and privacy.

Before California voters this year is a proposal to raise the state’s minimum wage to $18 an hour, the highest in the country, by 2026. Do you support such an increase in the minimum wage? Why or why not? (Please limit your response to 150 words or less.)

I support raising the minimum wage for everyone. California is grappling with an affordability crisis, and a critical strategy to address affordability is to raise wages to keep pace with inflation. However, I believe that the minimum wage should be tied to a specific measure, such as inflation, instead of being voted on every few years. This prevents politics and bureaucracy from influencing when and how wages are adjusted.

This year, California faced a large budget deficit that put pressure on the Legislature’s ability to fund certain programs and projects going forward. What do you think the government should do to avoid such large deficits in the future? (Please be specific in your answer and keep it to 150 words or less.)

This fiscal crisis arose in part because of an unrecovered revenue deficit the previous year due to the state’s compliance with federal tax return extensions and a declining stock market impacting the tax revenues of high earners. This is a rather unusual circumstance, but the government must act proactively to implement a fiscal deficit plan if it occurs again. In the future, we will have to take forecast uncertainty into account when budgeting.

Speaking of the budget, there are several proposed bond measures before voters this year. Is the government able to issue bonds for government programs and infrastructure projects? Should certain programs or projects take priority over others? (Please be precise in your answer and limit your answer to 200 words or less.)

It is understandable that there are concerns about issuing bonds when the state is facing an immediate budget deficit. However, the need for these bond measures cannot be underestimated. Proposition 2 and Proposition 4 are both absolutely critical to the success of our state for the next generation. Both will fund major infrastructure projects to support our communities and improve quality of life.

In terms of specific programs that should be prioritized, I would prioritize bond measures related to affordable housing construction given the nationwide affordability crisis. We urgently need action to meet our housing needs and bond measures can provide the mechanism to get new projects off the ground.

The cost of living is high on the list of concerns among voters, particularly younger people. What bipartisan proposal do you have to address concerns about high prices or the cost of living in California? (Please be specific in your answer and limit it to 200 words.)

A bipartisan proposal for all Angelenos, especially our younger ones, is world-class public transit. If we actually had reliable, world-class buses and trains throughout our city, we could eliminate congestion, traffic, air pollution, and neighborhood segregation. Our city would be much more dynamic, affordable, accessible and metropolitan. Nobody likes driving in LA.

Lawmakers this year considered recommendations from a first-in-the-nation task force that looked at how California could make amends for its past racism and discrimination against black people, including possible reparations. What role do you think the state plays in atoning for atrocities committed against black people? (Please limit your response to 200 words or less.)

I believe that California has a role in reparations for Black Californians who were affected by the state’s involvement in slavery, Jim Crow policies, and redlining. Many of California’s largest cities have been and continue to be transformed by gentrifying majority-black neighborhoods without providing financially accessible places for these people to move to.

The state should make amends through financial support, investments in black businesses and low-income, majority-black neighborhoods. It should be ensured that these neighborhoods do not have food deserts that cause residents to eat nutrient-poor foods, which can lead to future health problems. Additionally, California can invest in the return of land taken through displacement. For example, Los Angeles County returned Bruce’s Beach — once owned by Black people and placed under eminent domain by the state — to its rightful owners in 2023. These ideas are not new and can continue to grow – the state must continue to invest in them and I support this.

Gov. Gavin Newsom recently ordered state agencies to remove homeless encampments on state property and urged cities to comply. What else do you suggest the state do to help eliminate homelessness? (Please limit your response to 200 words or less.)

Newsom’s executive order does not address ending homelessness. Rather, people are forcibly displaced from one city to the next. Relocating people geographically and burdening cities like Los Angeles that don’t implement the policy is not a path we should take. I believe that everyone should have the right to housing and that housing should not be a commodity. I propose funding more affordable housing projects across the state and, in the meantime, creating more emergency housing in cities that need it. I don’t believe shelters are a solution to homelessness, but they are useful in the transition period. Additionally, California must force landlords to keep rent affordable to prevent more people from becoming homeless. Keeping fewer people off the streets is one of the easiest ways to stop the spread of homelessness across the state.

Similarly, Gov. Gavin Newsom has urged county leaders to take greater advantage of a new state law that makes it easier to place someone with serious mental or substance abuse problems in conservatorships to keep more people out of homelessness. But local leaders in Southern California have said they need more time and resources to build, fund and staff more mental health facilities. Is there anything the Legislature could or should do to help communities that are struggling to find the resources to adequately provide this type of mental health support? (Please be specific in your answer and keep the answer to a maximum of 200 words.)

State lawmakers can have a big impact on adequately supporting this mental health support. I see this working through several tactics. First, the state can forgive grants and/or student loans for mental health professionals working in underserved communities. Incentivizing more people to become social workers, public health professionals, or other mental health professionals can make more resources and services available to those who need them most. Additionally, salaries and benefits should be increased for people in these positions because they can act as first responders to mental health crises. Second, the state can reallocate resources from the state prison system to fund programs to support those in need of mental health support. It is well known that many people end up in the prison system where they do not receive the services they need to improve. By providing support where the problem lies and providing more funding for mental health services, people can get the right treatment they need.

What’s the No. 1 song on your playlist while you’re on the campaign trail?

Please, please, please by Sabrina Carpenter