Aaron Bautista

Name

Aaron Bautista

Occupation

Special Education Teacher

Political Office

State Assembly District 28

Political Affiliation

Democrat

How would you describe yourself to voters?

I would describe myself as the candidate who is "For the People, For the Community"

What do you see as the top issues in this campaign?

Education, Workers Rights, The Cost of Living, Healthcare

In your opinion, how would you rate the state’s response to the pandemic? Why?

I would give it a 6.5 because I believe the state did its best with the limited information they had at the time about covid, but as casinos and hotels opened up while everything else stayed close, it was apparent that the state only allowed them to reopen because they are what helps keep the state afloat, which makes sense, but it put so many workers at risk, and then other families that really need money to survive were just out of luck because their places of employment weren't reopened. Then there were issues with the unemployment system so the people struggled even harder. This showed the state wasn't exactly prepared, but they did try their best to make do with the resources the state had, because at the same time, how do you prepare for something you don't know too much about,

Education and local government officials have long asked lawmakers to change the way the state assesses property taxes. That includes raising the current tax threshold. Should lawmakers consider raising those thresholds? If not, what is the best way for governments to raise money for local programs?

Everything should be considered, but I do think taxes should be one of the last things looked at. We could raise money by diversifying the economy and also making the state more attractive to businesses. The tourism and gaming industry will always be our bread and butter, but having more businesses and more industries coming to the state would help improve the economy by providing not only jobs but by increasing tax revenue that these businesses bring in. These businesses might possibly even bring in more tourists, residents, etc. Maybe we could even have people donate their change at stores to benefit education. I think if we get creative we can come up with new ideas to help raise money for local programs without taxing our hard working families.