Ahead of the November general election, the Southern California News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates who wish to represent you. You can find the full questionnaire below. Questionnaires may have been edited for spelling, grammar, length and, in some instances, to remove hate speech and offensive language.
MORE: Read all the candidate responses in our Voter Guide
Name: Franky Carrillo
Current job title: Criminal Justice Reform Adviser
Political party affiliation: Democrat
Incumbent: No
Other political positions held:
Worked to close one of the oldest, most problematic juvenile halls in the state of California, Los Padrinos.
Elected member of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party’s Central Committee.
Chaired the 52nd Assembly District Central Committee.
Appointed to the L.A. County District Attorney’s advisory board on the Probation Oversight Commission.
Co-chair of the Measure A A campaign for Sheriff’s Department accountability.
Lead advocate supporting SB 9 and 260 to grant youth another chance to plead their case before a judge.
Helped establish the Franky Carrillo Teen Court, a widely recognized alternative to the L.A. County Superior Court.
Played a vital role in fundraising and media relations for the campaign to end the death penalty.
City where you reside: Los Angeles, CA
Campaign website or social media: https://frankycarrillo.com/
It’s no secret that California will play an outsized role in AI development and regulation. That was a big topic for the legislature this year, but what is one way you’d like to see the legislature tackle concerns about bias or transparency in the AI space or encourage innovation and start-ups? (Please be specific in your response, and keep your answer to 200 words or less.)
– In all sectors, we must encourage startups and innovation. However, technology, in particular AI, continues to evolve quickly; we must implement it safely and sustainably while we ensure that communities are not misled or left behind.– There have been discussions of AI for the use of facial recognition or for policing; this is concerning. We need to be careful of built-in bias and racial profiling, creating further systemic damage to marginalized communities.– As AI evolves, we need to train and retrain low-income workers to join the workforce.– There also needs to be regulation on knowingly disseminating misinformation and disinformation under the guise of journalism or for political gain or election interference and manipulation.
Before California voters this year is a proposition to increase the state’s minimum wage to $18 per hour, the nation’s highest, by 2026. Do you support increasing the minimum wage in this way? Why or why not? (Please keep your answer to 150 words or less.)
It is important to increase the minimum wage, people need a livable wage. Our wages have not kept pace with the rising cost of living, and workers deserve to hold jobs that allow them to afford food, necessities, and housing near their workplace.
This year, California faced a large budget deficit that put a strain on lawmakers’ ability to fund certain programs and projects going forward. What is one thing you believe the state should do to avoid such large deficits in the future? (Please be specific in your answer, and limit it to 150 words or less.)
We must continue to plan for future budget surpluses and shortfalls. And making the wealthiest Californians and corporations pay their fair share through a wealth tax would go far in funding programs our communities need. There are many priorities for funding, including necessary social safety nets and protections for workers. We also need investment in our children and their future, including housing and climate action.
Speaking of the budget, there are multiple proposed bond measures before voters this year. Is the state in a good place to issue bonds for state programs and infrastructure projects? Should certain programs or projects be prioritized over others? (Please be specific in your response, and keep your answer to 200 words or less.)
Our basic infrastructure is first in priority but we also need continued investment in additional infrastructure and updated infrastructure that will stand the test of time and endure natural disasters and weather occurrences.
Proposition 4 is in line with equity, climate action, and environmental justice efforts, including investment for drinking water and groundwater in addition to support for wildfire and forest initiatives. In California, wildfires have become an urgent and increasing safety and environmental crisis..
Proposition 5, supported by the California Democratic Party, the California State Building and Construction Trades Council, and the California Labor Federation, is also a critical measure to expedite housing and infrastructure in the Los Angeles region. We need the construction of affordable units immediately, the longer we stall on meeting our housing goals, the more inaccessible housing becomes, harming our most vulnerable. Accessible and diverse housing solutions are an urgent necessity to tackle the homeless issue.
Cost of living is high on the list of concerns among voters, particularly among younger people. What is one bipartisan proposal you have to alleviate concerns about high prices or the cost of living in California? (Please be specific in your response, and limit it to 200 words.)
We need to grow bipartisan support for closing more prisons and instead investing in diversion and prevention programs, which are far less costly and far more humane. Because of reforms to the criminal legal system, the number of people incarcerated is falling. And we need to ramp up those results and pass the considerable savings on to Californians. The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office announced that closing five more prisons in the state would result in a savings of $1 billion every year.
The legislature this year considered recommendations from a first-in-the-nation task force that considered how California could atone for past racism and discrimination against Black people, including potential compensation. What do you believe is the role of the state in atoning for the atrocities committed against Black people? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)
I applaud the California Reparations Task Force for its leadership on this important issue addressing the historic trajectory of racism in our state. In everything we do as leaders, we need to understand how our past actions and decisions impact our community in the present day. Our shameful history requires that we right our wrongs and provide resources and restitution to harmed communities. Restorative justice, empathy, and equity are woven into everything I do.
I also stand with the California Legislative Black Caucus, the ACLU, Anti-Recidivism Coalition, League of Women Voters of California, and many others in supporting the amendment to the reparations bill to end indentured servitude in our state prisons. We must support Proposition 6 to end our state’s history of forced labor.
Gov. Gavin Newsom recently ordered state agencies to remove homeless encampments on state property and urged cities to follow through. What else do you propose the state do to help eradicate homelessness? (Please limit your response to 200 words or less.)
Homelessness is personal to me. I’ve been homeless at different times in my life, both as a child and after my exoneration from a wrongful conviction for a crime I didn’t commit. The bottom line is we need to create far more housing. That is why when I am elected to the State Assembly, I will work to fund new housing development for all income levels, streamline building approval processes, establish low-barrier navigation centers, create supportive housing, and more local accountability to build new housing and increase homeownership.
Similarly, Gov. Gavin Newsom has urged county leaders to take advantage more of a new state law that makes it easier to place someone with severe mental health or substance abuse issues into conservatorships, an effort to keep more people out of homelessness. But local leaders in Southern California have said they need more time and resources to build, fund and staff more mental health facilities. Is there anything the legislature could — or should — do to aid communities struggling to find the resources to properly provide this type of mental health support? (Please be specific in your answer, and limit the response to 200 words or less.)
More must be done to solve issues of mental health, substance use, and homelessness, and I plan to address these with urgency, including:– In addition to recently passed Prop 1, bolster resources to deal with homelessness and mental health humanely.– Work with federal partners to increase the value of Section 8 vouchers and funding for wraparound services.– Direct state funding to more efficiently provide mental health and substance-use recovery services to our unhoused.– Rather than simply hiring more armed officers in dealing with mental health calls, I will work with law enforcement entities to assign mental health professionals to law enforcement divisions.
What’s the No. 1 song on your playlist while you’re on the campaign trail?
Xiuhtezcatl Tonatiuh’s song ‘Careful’ is a powerful song with imagery and lyrics paying tribute to the native community. The song includes the lyrics “lo que me enseño mis tias, mis primas, mi pueblo…are you community made, are you claimed by who you claim…” These lyrics speak to me because not only as a Latino is my history intertwined with a native connection but it also speaks to this race. When my immigrant parents first came to Los Angeles, they started their lives in Assembly District 52, I was born in the district, my kids attend school here, and my life is here.
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