Our political system is broken. Congress has failed to act and meet the urgent challenges that are hurting our communities.
Hard-working families can’t keep up with rising prices and sky-high rents and home costs. Schools are not getting the investments they need to deliver quality education for students. Our infrastructure is not built to meet the needs of the 21st century, which is holding back our economy. Climate change is fueling droughts, wildfires, and floods that threaten our district and state.
I am running for Congress to take on a broken system, build on my record of results, and deliver solutions to the toughest problems facing our communities and country.
Click on an issue to see more…
Housing and Homelessness
Working families deserve a fair shot at achieving the American dream and owning a home. No one should be sleeping on the streets in the richest country in the world. That is why I have helped students and families find housing and am leading the school district in building thousands of more homes for those who work at our local schools.
In Congress, I will fight for:
Investments in affordable housing for working families.
Mental health and workforce training support for those who are unhoused.
Housing built on underutilized government land and lots for affordable housing.
Education
I became a teacher to help my bright and curious students find their passions and achieve their goals. But too often I watched circumstances outside their control negatively impact their education and future. That’s why I ran for office as a fierce advocate for students: defending student’s civil rights, securing $700 million more in annual school funding to support equity initiatives, developing dual language immersion programs, and pushing for hiring and curriculum autonomy. But there is more work to be done. Even now, too many politicians are more worried about what our kids are reading than if they can read at all.
In Congress, I will fight for:
Universal preschool to give our kids a crucial head start.
Equitable investment in our schools so every student can receive a high quality education with small class sizes.
Strong STEM, arts and extracurricular programs to keep students competitive in a global economy.
Affordability
People are choosing between groceries and electricity. Parents are sacrificing their careers due to the high cost of child care. And everyone is feeling the squeeze of inflation. That’s why I worked hard on the School Board to help alleviate our community’s financial strain including providing free breakfasts and lunches, creating a college savings program and assisting in access to financial aid, and supporting the country’s highest minimum wage for district workers. But Congress must step up more to help people make ends meet.
In Congress, I will:
Push for a minimum wage that matches the basic cost of living.
Work to expand affordable childcare options and push for universal preschool and afterschool programs.
Make community college free for all students.
Infrastructure
It's no secret that our basic infrastructure is failing and we have to take bold action before we fall behind. In my current role as a local leader, we made historic progress on infrastructure by passing the largest school infrastructure bond in the country to modernize our schools. Congress must capitalize on the momentum of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act bill to fix our roads, expand digital access, and develop new, environmentally friendly public transportation options while creating jobs and addressing inequity.
In Congress, I will fight for:
Improved public transportation systems and hubs to decrease our dependence on cars and alleviate traffic.
More green energy and transportation infrastructure development.
Equitable investment of transportation dollars to create jobs and support historically disadvantaged communities.
Jobs and the Economy
We must be focused on building a 21st century that works for all. We must do more to support small businesses, which are the backbone of our communities and our national economy. That’s why I have prioritized small businesses and good jobs on the school board by increasing opportunities for small businesses to compete for contracts and investing in career retraining and technical education for adult students.
We must also support entrepreneurship, innovation and the development of new technologies. We have seen the rapid advancement in areas like artificial intelligence, crypto and block chain technologies, as well as new climate and infrastructure technologies. We must work to ensure America is not left behind in embracing these technologies as we work to build a more equitable economy.
We have to continue this work in Congress to support small businesses and stimulate job creation across the Country.
In Congress, I will fight for:
Retraining and technical education to adapt our workforce to new industries and technologies that will power tomorrow’s economy
Fewer regulations for small businesses and investment in their resilience.
Good paying jobs through investments in infrastructure, emerging technologies, and education.
Support smart regulatory frameworks that embrace and spur technological innovations, while also protecting consumers and setting us on a path to a more equitable economy.
Ensure that America is at the forefront of development of the world’s 21st century financial system and technologies rather than countries like China and Russia.
Climate Change
We are facing an existential humanitarian crisis - climate change. Hotter temperatures, extreme weather, and poor air and water quality are threatening our lives daily. After sweating with my students on sizzling hot asphalt - sometimes reaching 145 degrees - I led efforts to combat climate change. Los Angeles schools are building more green spaces, electrifying all our buses, and committing to 100% renewable energy by 2030.
In Congress, I will fight to:
Hold the oil industry and polluters accountable.
Electrify public transportation fleets.
Create incentives for renewable energy development and use.
Combat heat islands through innovative green spaces and more shade.
Gun Violence
We can’t keep standing idly by while our children and families are dying. I advocated for legislation at the state and national level, divested the district from the gun industry, increased campus security measures, and educated families on proper gun storage and safety. But to end this epidemic and protect our communities from the unrelenting horror of gun violence, we must act at the federal level now.
In Congress, I will fight for:
Stricter background checks.
A ban on assault weapons.
A ban on large gun magazines.
Red flag laws to prevent domestic abusers and those struggling with mental illness from acquiring firearms.
Healthcare
Healthcare is a fundamental right. That’s why I made sure students and families received the care they needed by providing vision and dental screenings, opening campus health clinics, and creating the largest COVID testing network in the country. Congress needs to step up and stop kicking the expenses down to local governments and organizations.
In Congress, I will fight for:
A commonsense, effective public healthcare option for all who want it.
The ability for Medicare and Medicaid to negotiate the costs of prescription drugs to affordable levels.
Reproductive Rights
Our reproductive rights have been under attack for the past 50 years. But instead of passing a law to protect these rights, too many elected officials treated this very real issue with very real impacts on families’ health and safety as just another talking point. I’ve partnered with Planned Parenthood to open health clinics on school campuses and oppose abortion bans. But without federal legislative action soon, we risk losing this right entirely.
In Congress, I will fight for:
Reproductive rights to be codified into federal law.
Bans on unnecessary burdens on reproductive rights like forced ultrasounds.
Access to safe, affordable abortions for everyone who needs them.
Democracy and Voting Rights
Government is meant to work for us. Yet too often politicians grandstand rather than get anything done. From stolen election claims to removing elected leaders, it's no surprise people are starting to lose faith in democracy. As someone who spent their life working across lines of difference to get things done, I’m tired of it too. That’s why I worked to make people’s voices heard by increasing enfranchisement through voter registration drives, distributing election materials, and utilizing schools as vote centers. We need problem-solvers in Congress who protect our democracy and actually deliver on the issues that matter to us.
In Congress, I will fight for:
Expanded voting rights.
Protections against gerrymandering.
Improved voting laws like early registration, vote by mail, and early voting.
Removal of the influence of big money from politics.
LGBTQ+ Rights
My brother and I are incredibly close - in age, interests, and personality. Yet, because my brother is gay we were viewed completely differently under the law until Prop 8 - the California legislation banning gay marriage - was overturned in 2013. While we have made progress since then - I had the honor of being his best man in 2017 and was in the Supreme Court Chamber when U.S. v. Windsor ruled the Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional - the fight to dismantle systemic discrimination, close opportunity gaps, and fight hate is far from over. I have spent my life supporting the LGBTQ+ community. I protested Prop 8. I have worked to make schools a safe space for students to be themselves and to secure mental health resources for students. I will continue this work in Congress to ensure that we honor the lived experiences of all people in our policy and dismantle oppressive systems for future generations.
In Congress, I will:
Support the Equality Act.
Stand up to the hate and attacks we are seeing against the trans community.
Ensure access to crucial gender affirming care.
Technology
Technology has greatly improved our lives from medical advancements to education. That’s why I worked to close the digital divide by expanding wifi access and providing laptops. At the same time, we are dealing with higher depression rates in teens, more hate speech, and data gathering without our knowledge because the government has failed to protect the American people. We need to elect a new generation of leaders in Congress who understand these technologies and are able to finally hold tech companies accountable.
In Congress, I will fight for:
Accountability for social media and tech companies.
Common sense safe guards in technology and platforms to protect our kids and society.
Thoughtful regulation and development of AI that benefits all.
More protections for a person’s data.
Anti-Semitism
As a Jewish-American, I am heartbroken by the rise in anti-Semitism in this country. It is something we must not tolerate in any form in our communities. In our schools, we don’t shy away from teaching students about our shared painful history and its lessons. We celebrate diversity and encourage understanding. We need leaders who will stand up to hate and anti-Semitism in all its forms.
In Congress, I will:
Ensure federal agencies investigate and prosecute anti-Semitic hate crimes.
Stand with Israel and its people.
This will be a tough race and I need your help. Can you give whatever you can today to help launch our campaign?
If you’d like to mail a check, please make it payable to:
Nick Melvoin for Congress
PO Box 92320, Pasadena, CA 91109
