(D) Randy Parraz
PARRAZ FOR CHANGE
Candidate for US Senate
Randy Parraz has spent the past sixteen years of his professional life fighting for change and committed to civic engagement, civil rights and working families.
Randy’s commitment to public service was inspired by his father, John Parraz, who as a Sergeant with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, co-founded an organization to improve the recruitment, hiring and retention of Latinos in the field of law enforcement. Thirty-one years after his death, the Latino Peace Officers Association has become a national organization with a presence in twenty-five states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico. Because of his father’s commitment to community, public safety and equal opportunity, Randy learned at a very young age the importance of using one’s skill, talent, education and energy in service to others.
Politically, Randy believes strongly in breaking down barriers and empowering individuals to succeed. When it comes to solving problems, Randy has said, “We need to fundamentally alter the way we think and act as stewards of democracy and caretakers of our human condition. People need to feel that who they are, what they do and what they think matters to those who they entrust to represent them. We need to create opportunities for others to assume responsibility for the challenges we face. And we need work together, act together and take risks together so that we can eventually celebrate all that we achieve together.”
Similar to President Obama, Randy started his career as a community organizer. From organizing house meetings in East Dallas to solve neighborhood issues, to establishing the National Strawberry Commission for Workers Rights for strawberry pickers struggling to form a union in the fields of California, to organizing residential construction workers in Arizona so that workers could receive fair, just and timely compensation for their labor, Randy has spent a considerable amount of time working with others in pursuit of progressive, positive change.
From 2002-2004, Randy’s commitment to helping Arizona’s middle and working families began when he moved to the state to fulfill his duties as the Arizona State Director for the National AFL-CIO. In the fall of 2007, Randy returned to Arizona and began work in the housing industry as a political organizer for the Laborers’ International Union of North America. The residential organizing campaign not only exposed the unfair treatment of workers, but it also shed light on the shady lending practices and treatment of home buyers.
In the spring of 2008, Randy, in partnership with other organizations and individuals, helped launch a new coalition – Maricopa Citizens for Safety and Accountability (MCSA) – to expose the misplaced priorities, abusive practices and ineffective policies of Sheriff Arpaio and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO). From crime suppression sweeps that unfairly and unjustly targeted the Hispanic community, to millions of dollars in legal settlements, to the harassment and intimidation of citizens, elected officials, county employees and judges who took positions in opposition to Sheriff Arpaio, MCSA lead the fight to hold Sheriff Arpaio and the Board of Supervisors accountable for their actions.
Randy was born and raised in Sacramento, California. He attended the University of California, Berkeley where he studied history and sociology. Randy continued his graduate studies and earned a law degree from Boalt Hall School of Law at U.C. Berkeley and a master’s degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Randy Parraz- Stance on Issues
ECONOMY
With over 300,000 Arizonans out of work because of the recent economic crisis, Arizona has been one of the hardest hit State’s in the country. The loss of jobs, combined with record foreclosures and declining home values have shaken the economic security of hundreds of thousands of families here in Arizona. To make matters worse, many small business owners and entrepreneurs eager to start a business are now having difficulty getting access to credit. The absurdity of this situation is that, just recently, hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars were used to bailout many of this nation’s top financial institutions.
As your Senator I will support efforts to regulate the financial industry to make sure that “Too Big to Fail” no longer becomes the standard for applying for corporate welfare. Incompetence should not be funded by American taxpayers.
In terms of the foreclosure crisis, I will support regulations that cause for greater accountability and transparency when it comes to the relationships between builders, lenders and appraisals so that the types of conditions that created the previous meltdown do not reappear.
And when it comes to small businesses, I will work to support regulations that require the country’s top financial banks to provide greater and more flexible access to credit to start or expand one’s business.
EDUCATION
Our need to recommit our state to the challenge of educating the next generation of leaders, technicians, healthcare workers, business owners, innovators, teachers, administrators and entrepreneurs in every field imaginable cannot be overstated. Over the past few years the state legislature has chosen to balance the budget by cutting hundreds of millions of dollars from public education. Consequently our schools are forced to do more with less. Last year alone over 3,000 teachers were laid off.
As a father with two daughters who attend public school in Arizona, I want my daughters to have access to the best in education – the best teachers, the best technology and the best programs. Just last month my daughter brought home a petition asking me to sign it in support of her music teacher whose position had been eliminated because of the cuts to education.
As your Senator I will work with the federal, state and local leaders to secure funding from both private corporations and government agencies to deepen and broaden our investment in education. With an increasingly competitive global economy, our schools and our children need MORE – more technology, more classes in the arts and languages, more teachers, more innovation and more support – not LESS.
Priorities for Public Education
1. Teacher Pay: Teachers’ salaries need to reflect the level of responsibility they have in preparing our children and young adults to be informed, analytical, and productive citizens. Raising teachers’ salaries shows a recognition of the value placed on the work of the educator and at the same time allows for even more highly talented individuals to vie for these positions.
2. Technology/Teaching Facilities: Adequate teaching facilities, which include being wired and having access to elements such as SMART boards, are needed to facilitate an effective teaching environment that supports the learning process and is reflective of modern day students’ needs. Students need access to computers, laptops, internet and other state of the art technologies so that they can be best prepared to function in whatever field they choose to pursue as a profession.
3. Class size: It has been well documented that smaller classrooms maximize the educational experience for the student and overall effectiveness of the teacher. Smaller class sizes enable educators to provide students with more individualized attention and greater mastery of teaching material.
4. Financial Aid: For many students in high school, and especially students in community colleges and state universities, financial need continues to be a barrier to pursuing a college degree. At a time when public institutions are being privatized by rising tuition and fees, we need to make sure that college remains affordable and accessible to all students.
5. Engaging Curriculum: What students learn is just as important as how students learn. A high percentage of students who abandon their studies do so because they do not feel engaged with the material presented in the classroom. There is a need to place direct attention to the curriculum to make sure that it is relevant to modern day and presented in contexts that will engage the individual and allow for the best mastery of material. As our societies evolve, so too must the information that our students receive and the frameworks that the material is presented in so as to ensure that they feel motivated to further their education.
IMMIGRATION REFORM
John McCain’s obsession with Border Security fails to adequately address the complexity of the issues when it comes to providing a long term solution to our broken immigration system.
Given the most recent FBI crime reports that show an actual decrease in violent crime along the border, we need to shift our focus and resources away from militarizing our border with Mexico and instead focus on solutions to issues that have been postponed, neglected and ignored for far too long by Congress.
This campaign will support legislative efforts that address the following areas:
1) Worker rights and protections;
2) Employer behavior;
3) U.S. labor shortages – especially in the area of agriculture;
4) Family reunification;
5) Regional economic development;
6) Border security; and
7) A pathway to legalization.
Immigration reform has become an explosive and divisive issue, especially in Arizona with the recent passage of SB 1070. As we work towards developing solutions that resonate with our core values as Americans, I think it appropriate to reflect on the words of the president who signed into law the last major piece of legislation to overhaul our immigration system some twenty-four years ago:
The legalization provisions in this act will go far to improve the lives of a class of individuals who now must hide in the shadows, without access to many of the benefits of a free and open society. Very soon many of these men and women will be able to step into the sunlight and, ultimately, if they choose, they may become Americans.
Distance has not discouraged illegal immigration to the United States from all around the globe. The problem of illegal immigration should not, therefore, be seen as a problem between the United States and its neighbors. Our objective is only to establish a reasonable, fair, orderly, and secure system of immigration into this country and not to discriminate in any way against particular nations or people.
The act I am signing today is the product of one of the longest and most difficult legislative undertakings of recent memory. It has truly been a bipartisan effort, with this administration and the allies of immigration reform in the Congress, of both parties, working together to accomplish these critically important reforms. Future generations of Americans will be thankful for our efforts to humanely regain control of our borders and thereby preserve the value of one of the most sacred possessions of our people: American citizenship.
President Ronald Reagan
November 6, 1986
HEALTHCARE
It is incumbent upon the wealthiest nation in the world to create a system where the sick are cared for while the rest of us who are healthy take steps to minimize our chances of becoming sick. As your Senator, I will work on solutions that make healthcare both accessible and affordable for all Americans as well as promote programs that call on us to be proactive in terms of making lifestyle choices that decrease the likelihood of cancer, diabetes, obesity and other health conditions. Furthermore, I will support the training of healthcare professionals needed in our State and at the national level so that we can best serve those needing health services.
Arizona has some of the top ranked hospitals and research institutions that have earned both a national and international reputation for excellence in many fields including asthma, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and heart transplants. As your Senator, I will work with these institutions to make sure we are meeting the needs of these institutions so that we can continue to lead the country in their areas of expertise.
