Pilar Schiavo, a Chatsworth resident, announced Thursday she’s running to represent California’s 38th District in the state Assembly.
The 38th Assembly District is currently represented by Assemblywoman Suzette Valladares, R-Santa Clarita, who is running for reelection in 2022.
Schiavo, a Democrat, is the first challenger to jump into the race.
“Guaranteeing access to health care in a way that does not break the bank, that’s definitely a huge priority for me,” said Schiavo in a conversation with The Signal.
Schiavo was responsible for legislative advocacy and community and political organizing for the California Nurses Association for 13 years before joining the Assembly race. Over the last three years, she coordinated nurse deployments to provide relief to disaster areas.
“The experience that we just went through with the pandemic, we’ve seen that our health is connected,” said Schiavo, a mother to her daughter Sofia, 8, and step-daughter Germany, a college student. “We need to make sure that we have healthy communities by guaranteeing health care to everybody.”
Affordable housing and ensuring people have good jobs are also part of Schiavo’s campaign platform.
“There’s all of these developments that are being built that do not, or hardly include any affordable housing,” she said. “And that’s what most people need, you know, most people need affordable housing, not luxury apartments and million-dollar homes.”
The 38th District includes Santa Clarita, Stevenson Ranch, Castaic, Acton, Agua Dulce, Simi Valley and parts of Los Angeles.
