Meet Marisol Rubio, Candidate For San Leandro's State Senate Seat

SAN LEANDRO, CA — As the November election approaches, Patch is providing in-depth coverage to help you make an informed decision.

We reached out to both candidates for California State Senate District 9. We asked them identical questions and we are providing you with their unedited responses.

Here are the answers from Marisol Rubio.

Name:
Marisol Rubio

Campaign website:
www.marisolforca.com

Party affiliation:
Democrat

Education:
B.A., UC, Berkeley – Molecular and Cell Biology, Neurobiology emphasis
A.A., Diablo Valley College – German, Italian, French, Spanish

Occupation:
Home Healthcare Provider, Educator

Family:
One daughter who is a childhood brain cancer survivor with multiple lifelong
disabilities that she has overcome in order to be able to succeed now in college at UC, Davis
with a double major in Psychology and Spanish.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?
No.

Age:
50

Previous public office, appointive or elective:
Elected Director and appointed Vice President, Dublin San Ramon Services District (Water Agency).

Why are you seeking this office?
California is facing a range of issues that are holding back our best and brightest from living to
their fullest potential and destroying the planet for our youth due to growing income inequality,
health care costs, cost of living, and student debt, and a rapidly evolving climate crisis that is
forcing many to live below poverty level and in a deteriorating environment. I am running to
advocate for working families and our youth on these issues and more. I will bring integrity and
accountability back to this senate seat and provide a voice for all in my district. That is why I am
the only candidate running a grassroot, clean money campaign and that is why I am endorsed by
leading environmental groups including that’s why I’m endorsed by Sierra Club, California
Environmental Justice Alliance, Jane Fonda PAC, Sustainable Rossmoor, 350 Bay Area, Center
for Biological Diversity Action Fund, Evolve California, and the California Environmental
Voters.

Our community deserves a leader who matches their values and understands the struggles of
working families and marginalized communities. As a single mother of a childhood brain cancer
survivor living with lifelong disabilities and chronic illness, as an educator, former original
research mentor and Vice President and Director of the Dublin San Ramon Services (water)
District, and current San Ramon City Councilmember, I have experienced firsthand the impact that bad policies can have on issues such as housing, education, health care, public safety, and the environment.

I have served in many community leadership roles to advance initiatives that I deeply care about
including serving on the Sierra Club California and the San Francisco Bay Chapter Executive
Committee, Director of Government Relations for the San Francisco Bay Hispanic Chamber of
Commerce, and Founding Advisory Board Member of FemTruth Youth – a nonprofit that
advocates for women’s reproductive health and education – and The Natalie Project – a
protections advocacy fund for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
I have dedicated my life and career to helping others earn the opportunity to succeed. In
Sacramento, I will put my lived, volunteer, and elected experience, as well as my science,
education, and public health background to develop policies proven to work for our district, and
together, make a stronger California for all.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is
___, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The rising cost of living and upward mobility throughout our lifespan, as well as addressing
climate change.

As the cost of living continues to climb, whether it’s the cost of housing, insurance, public
utilities, fuel, rent, and public education, the dream of homeownership and building wealth
declines. And with that decline comes a reduced quality of life and other unintended impacts on
our mental and physical health from financial stress and insecurity.

We need to invest in:

1) Affordable Housing: We must incentivize and work collaboratively with cities across
California to invest in more truly affordable, inclusionary housing for the unhoused and
for our workforce including first responders, teachers, frontline workers, and essential
workers who kept us afloat during the pandemic. Helping the unhoused find permanent
housing and employment through housing first initiatives and transitional housing with
wraparound services that include job training, mental health and rehabilitative services,
and nutritional support are essential to their long-term success. The State must help fund
these efforts by supporting initiatives that drive revenues towards affordable housing. We
should diversify the type of housing made available so that, over time, young people can
save enough money for a downpayment and become homeowners sooner and build
wealth towards their long-term homes and establish financial solvency in their retirement.
Rainy day funds should be available to renters who are at risk of becoming unhoused and
we must work in conjunction with cities to ensure that sudden rent hikes do not displace
people on fixed incomes. Ensuring that rents remain affordable is an important precursor
to establishing enough savings for a downpayment on a home.

2) Addressing The Rising Cost of Living: We must do everything possible to attract
businesses in the renewable energy and insurance sector into California to create a more
competitive market that helps spread risk and drive down costs. We must ensure that the
California FAIR Plan is solvent as a low-cost option in high-risk zones.

3) Education and Health Care: Addressing the social determinants of poverty and crime
begins by making sure that pre-k through college and health care services, including
mental health services, are affordable, accessible, and timely. It is important that all
children, regardless of their zip code and family’s resources, have a strong educational
foundation in preschool. We also want to make sure that the pursuit of higher education
does not lead low-income or nontraditional students into lifelong debt and, therein, create
transgenerational poverty. We must ensure that single parents have access to free before
and after school programs, regardless of their child’s health status, so that they can be
gainfully employed and ascertain higher education in order to be better able to financially
support their families. Going to college should open doors, not shut them. Our seniors
and people with disabilities must have access to safe, reliable transportation, access to
timely, affordable health care, and the support of healthcare case managers to help them
oversee their care and enable them to live independently. There are many ways that we
can close the gap on socioeconomic and health outcomes and, as someone who has a
background in public health and has lived through all of these challenges, I know exactly
how to address these problems efficiently and effectively. That is why I am endorsed by
the largest teacher’s association the California Teachers Association, San Lorenzo and
Hayward Education Associations, California Faculty Association, California Service
Employees Association, National Union of Healthcare Workers, Health Care for All –
California, and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
(AFSCME) Council 57.

4) Investing in Infrastructure and Create more Sustainable Communities: Several California
cities are facing severely aging infrastructure and, with that said, it is an opportune time
to invest in establishing a green infrastructure and economy. While cities can look into
bonds that will not sunset, the state can help offset these costs through additional grants
stemming from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and from the Inflation
Reduction Act. We must install more point chargers to enable more people to transition to
electric vehicles and continue to provide purchasing incentives to help make these
vehicles more affordable. Workers in the fossil fuel industry must have a means to transition to green jobs, which I have already been doing for the past several years as Co-Chair of a Contra Costa Building and Construction Trades Council Labor-Climate Task Force in collaboration with several Bay Area environmental groups and the UC, Berkeley Labor Center to lay the foundation for Just Transition. We must also increase public transportation ridership by expanding and creating a more integrated transportation system that is readily accessible to all, including those with disabilities, hiring more staff, and improving the safety, reliability, and cleanliness of our public transportation.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidate seeking this post?
Many things, including who funds our campaigns, who has historically and unwaveringly
supported women's reproductive rights, as well as who has unambiguously fought against
climate change.

My opponent takes money from:

1) Petroleum companies ensuring that we never get off our reliance on Big Oil. In fact, he is the
second highest recipient of oil money according to the L.A. Times. That is why my opponent
failed to vote on over 12 key environmental bills in 2023 alone, including SB 253, the Climate
Corporate Leadership and Accountability Act, SB 261 Climate Financial Risk Disclosure, and
AB 631 - Oil and gas: enforcement: penalties. Conversely, I am a proven climate champion and
will make sure your children and grandchildren have a healthy, safe, and habitable planet to live
in and will make sure that the refineries in Martinez are held accountable for the pollution they
are creating and for the health hazards they are posing to fence line communities.

2) Private financial institutions making sure we never make public banking a broader initiative.
That is why he opposed bills such as AB 857 (2019) which would allow local governments to
sponsor public banks and provide low-cost financing for affordable housing development.

3) Insurance companies, hospitals, and medical and pharmaceutical companies that have stalled
our efforts towards quality, affordable, and accessible health care and regulating drug prices.

4) Big Ag and loggers who contribute to our increasing greenhouse gas emissions.

5) Charter school money, which means our public schools will continue to have to compete for
public funds in an inequitable, unaccountable, and nontransparent dual system.

6) Developer money, which means he will ignore the individual needs of cities who are
struggling to meet our state mandates in lieu of currying favor with his donors. I am in favor of
more housing but am specifically focused on creating more inclusionary affordable workforce
housing, as well as getting our unhoused housed.

I do NOT accept money from any of these entities because I am 100% fully committed to serving
people first.

Unlike my opponent, as your State Senator, I will be a 100% Pro-choice Senator every day and
every year and have demonstrated my commitment to women’s reproductive health, education,
and advocacy as a Founding Advisory Board Member for FemTruth Youth. Alternatively, my
opponent was the only Democrat in 2022 to earn a D grade from NARAL and the title of
“Hostile to reproductive freedom.” He did not vote on critical bills, such as SCA 10 to enshrine
in our California constitution the right to an abortion, which became Prop 1 in 2022 and passed by over 70% in our district. He has failed to vote on several other abortion bills, including most recently AB 576 (2023) which provides Medi-Cal reimbursement for an abortion. He will tell you that he has had a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood, but that was only in three select years and the rest of the years he scored between 66% and 80%.

His lack of support for women’s rights includes not voting in favor of bills that protect women from harassment or discrimination in the workplace such as SB 820 (2018) which prohibits non-disclosure agreements in sexual assault, harassment, or discrimination, SB 142 (2019) employee lactation accommodation, AB 569 (2017) which prohibits firing employees for having an abortion, or SB 973 (2020) which requires employers to file an annual equal pay report.

As a current SEIU 2015 Contra Costa County Labor Council Delegate, I will consistently
support workers’ rights by raising the minimum wage and by showing up to vote. Unlike my
opponent whom the California Labor Federation scored at 55% and 65% in 2020 and 2021,
respectively, I will vote in favor of bills such as AB 616 (2021) that authorize “card check” for
farm workers unions, AB 51 (2019) which prohibits forced employment arbitration agreements,
and SB 1102 (2020) which requires employers to provide H-2A employees with a written notice
of their rights.

He will say he is a housing champion, but his voting record says otherwise. Having experienced
housing and employment insecurity as a single parent and caregiver, I will incentivize cities to
build more inclusionary affordable housing aimed at keeping those most at risk housed,
implement strong tenant protections, and ensure that the unhoused have wraparound services –
including psychological, health care, nutritional, and job training services - to help them cope
with trauma and possible addiction and successfully integrate back into society and the
workforce. Unlike my opponent, I will vote in favor of bills such as SB 679 (2022) which
addresses homelessness and the low-income housing crisis by creating the Los Angeles County
Affordable Housing Solutions Agency to centralize efforts to increase funding, preservation,
development, and updated zoning across the region and AB 2501 (2020) which protects
homeowners and renters from foreclosure and eviction due to COVID-related circumstances. As
the only candidate who does not take money from developers or financial institutions, I will
continue to be a champion for truly affordable housing and public banking.

Lastly, a politician’s top priority is to be honest and transparent with their constituents, which is
something my opponent has struggled to do, as evidenced through his contributions, series of
missed votes on critical issues such as women’s reproductive rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, public
safety, and the environment. That is why he has consistently received a failing grade from
Courage California and in 2022 received a “D” legislative scorecard from NARAL (now
Reproductive Freedom for All) and was named, “Hostile to Reproductive Freedom”, and a 24%
from the California Environmental Justice Alliance, a 30% from Sierra Club, and 37% from the
California Environmental Voters (formerly CLCV). In 2023 alone, he missed 150 missed distinct
votes. Lastly, the community needs to know his politics including accepting contributions from entities linked to Lennar who, ultimately, won the contract to develop the Concord Naval Weapons Station when he was Mayor of Concord running for Assembly. He had to, ultimately, refund this money.

Conversely, I am a champion on all the fronts where he falls short. You have an opportunity to
elect a candidate that is honest, transparent, and has integrity and that has the personal, academic, volunteer, professional, and elected experience to represent all of our residents effectively. A candidate who is running a clean money campaign that does not accept foreign, fossil fuel, insurance, or developer money and the only Latino/e elected in Contra Costa County
supervisorial districts 2 and 4. We have an opportunity to make history in this seat and to make
sure that your State Senator prioritizes the interests of our district over that of special interests.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?
• Secure more investments to address public safety, including help for at-risk youth, gun
violence prevention, and efforts to disrupt vehicle break-ins and retail theft.
• Champion laws that help every Californian attain access to quality, affordable, and timely
health care, including mental health care.
• Expand programs that help us all age with dignity and independence.
• Prioritize pre-K through college education and services that help the unhoused rebuild
their lives.
• Increase public transportation ridership by expanding and creating a more integrated
transportation system that is readily accessible to all, including those with disabilities,
hiring more staff, and improving the safety, reliability, and cleanliness of our public
transportation.
• Act with urgency to address our climate crisis on every front in conjunction with our
cities and all stakeholders.
• Ensure that California has the most comprehensive reproductive health care laws in the
country.
• Act with urgency to address our climate crisis and to ensure access to clean, reliable
water across California.
• Protect our cherished open spaces and allocate resources to revitalize our downtowns,
transit, and safe streets for all.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
My mother was a first generation immigrant who raised me as a single parent. She graduated
with a Master of Education and taught in a high-need school district for 30 years. She taught me
the value of fighting for a better future for my family and my community.
When my own daughter was diagnosed with brain cancer as a child, I advocated tirelessly on her
behalf against an unresponsive healthcare and education system. My determination to ensure her full recovery led to her survival from terminal cancer though it left her with lifelong disabilities.

I pursued my own education, graduating from UC, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts in
Molecular and Cell Biology, Neurobiology emphasis, to better understand her condition,
advocate for proper treatments and educational services, and to secure a financial future for both
of us. Through this journey, I experienced firsthand the systemic barriers that exist within our
social, healthcare, and educational institutions.

Taking my mother’s lessons of fighting for the good of the community, I applied the skills I
learned advocating for my daughter in ways that would support as many people as possible. I
delved into community and volunteer work with city, county, and state leaders in the areas of
disability rights, human rights, workers’ rights, social and racial justice, and the environment. My volunteer activities include serving as an Executive Board Member of Sierra Club California and the San Francisco Bay Chapter, Co-Chair of the Contra Costa Building Trades Council Labor-Climate Task Force, Vice Chair of the California Democratic Party Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee, Vice Chair of the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County Rules Committee and previously the Issues Committee, and as an SEIU 2015 Delegate at the Contra Costa Labor Council since 2019.

I have also been active in the nonprofit community as a Founding Advisory Board Member for
The Natalie Project - a fund advocacy group for individuals with intellectual and developmental
disabilities, and for FemTruth YouthTM - a nonprofit based in Danville that advocates for
women’s reproductive health and education.

I am a former Bilingual Science Teacher and Original Research Mentor and currently serve as a
San Ramon City Councilmember where I successfully passed the formation of a Climate Action
Plan (CAP) Task Force that will help inform and update our CAP, as well as help charter a
prospective Sustainability Advisory Committee in our city. As a Councilmember, I also
successfully advocated for disability and senior rights and increased access to our city programs
and services and for more inclusionary affordable workforce housing, including housing for
teachers and frontline and essential workers who kept us afloat during the pandemic.

I previously served as Director and Vice President of the Dublin San Ramon Services [water]
District (DSRSD) where during my tenure, the District and Board received the Special District
Leadership Foundation District of Distinction Award for their commitment to good governance
and to ethical and sound operating practices - a distinction afforded to only 39 out of 2,050
special districts across California. At DSRSD, I initiated efforts to reduce PFA’s in our water
system, to conserve water during a three-year drought, to increase communication with our
residents, and to expand green operations and infrastructure.

I have committed myself to turn personal hardship into progress for my community and will
bring a wealth of personal, academic, and professional knowledge and innovative ideas to the
California State Senate in the areas of education and childhood development, environmental
science, caregiver and disability rights, and healthcare management. I am also focused on driving
economic growth by facilitating access to higher education and attracting businesses with sound
operating practices that provide well-paying jobs.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
There are many but I would say that my mother always told my sisters and I that our education
is the one thing no one can take away from us.