One job should be enough. Our residents shouldn’t have to rely on gig work to make ends meet. Teachers shouldn’t have to drive Uber after their school day ends to afford living here. So my vision for Richmond is not just to grow available jobs, but to offer people careers. 

Filling our city staff vacancies is so important. In addition to making our city services better, filling those jobs means getting residents a local, stable career with good union pay and benefits. 

Developing our young workforce is another major reason I voted to increase funding to YouthWorks, the city department that provides job training and placement to Richmond youth. By helping youth build their resume and earn income, this program helps young people begin careers AND supports our crime prevention efforts in Richmond. 

Finally, we know our climate is changing. And we have over 170 toxic waste sites around our city. Part of my public safety platform is climate change resilience, and that means new, skilled jobs in the green economy that will make our city safer.