Santa Clarita resident Jonathan Ahmadi announced Thursday that he is running to represent Assembly District 38 in Sacramento.
Ahmadi, a Democrat, said the district needs someone who represents the community’s values.
“We absolutely need to have leadership that not only represents us but can get things done for us,” he said.
Suzette Valladares, R-Santa Clarita, currently represents the district, which includes most of the SCV. Ahmadi said Valladares’ predecessor, Christy Smith, D-Santa Clarita, secured taxpayer dollars for the district.
“That’s the type of thing that a Democrat in the California supermajority is going to be able to do,” he said. “Sadly, that’s not what our current representative will be able to provide for us.”
Ahmadi told The Signal his work in the community represents his values, noting his involvement with Santa Clarita’s Homelessness Task Force, the Veteran Services Collaborative, SCV Chamber of Commerce’s Next SCV and other local groups.
“I want to ensure that we’re building more affordable housing for first-time homebuyers and for middle-class, working families,” he said, adding that voters tell him they moved to the area because of the affordable housing, great schools and safe community.
Ahmadi said he’s drawn to Santa Clarita for the community’s engagement in philanthropic events.
“It’s unique,” he said of the city. “It’s not something that I have seen really anywhere else.”
Ahmadi, who briefly ran for Santa Clarita City Council last year, said he also plans to prioritize the post-pandemic recovery for business.
“We need policies in place in Sacramento that are thinking about what is work going to look like in the future and how do we make work and the changing dynamics of work more accessible and flexible for workers and businesses,” he said, adding that health care should be part of that conversation.
Senior care is another top priority for Ahmadi.
“The state of senior care is California right now is unconscionable,” he said. “There’s no dignity in aging if you don’t have that really extravagant amount of wealth and it just shouldn’t be that way. It’s immoral.”
