Understanding Your Government with AZ Representative Oscar de los Santos

Understanding Government Levels

• 💡 The federal government primarily handles foreign relations and wars, operating from Washington D.C. with the President, US Senate, and US Congress.
• 🎯 The state government (e.g., Arizona) manages significant areas like Medicaid, public education (including universities via the Arizona Board of Regents), and incarceration, with a budget of around $17-18 billion annually.
• 🔑 Local government encompasses county boards of supervisors, city councils (which often allocate most of their budget to police departments), and school boards that decide budgets, curriculum, and employment policies for local districts.
• 📌 Local and state officials often have a more direct and significant impact on citizens' daily lives compared to federal representatives.

Role of an Arizona State Representative

• 🚀 As an Arizona House Representative for District 11, Oscar de los Santos advocates for constituent priorities such as affordable housing, affordable healthcare, and quality schools.
• 💼 In his role as House Democratic Leader, he leads 26 other Democrats, acts as the chief spokesperson for the party, and negotiates with Republicans and the Governor's office.
• ✅ Key achievements include negotiating a $17.6 billion state budget that expanded free school meals, advanced tuition-free college pathways, boosted affordable care, and launched a plan to end veteran homelessness.
• ⚖️ He has introduced legislation to erase $2 billion in medical debt, target corporate landlord AI price fixing, and prohibit LGBTQ+ discrimination.

Key Policy Issues in Arizona

• 🏠 The housing crisis in Arizona is exacerbated by corporate landlords using AI tools to collude and raise rents; proposed legislation aims to give Arizona families "first dibs" on homes for 60 days before corporations can purchase them.
• ❤️ Healthcare is emphasized as a human right, with a focus on ensuring access for all, especially vulnerable populations, through programs like Medicaid.
• 🏳️‍🌈 Legislation has been introduced to repeal Article 30 of the Arizona Constitution to protect marriage equality and to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in housing and employment, which is currently legal in Arizona.

Engaging with Your Government

• 📧 To connect with elected officials, use resources like azleg.gov or usa.gov/elected officials with your zip code to find contact information for local, state, and federal representatives.
• 🗣️ Citizens can participate by attending city council meetings or state legislative committee hearings to provide public input on specific bills, or by joining protests to make their voices heard.
• 🤝 For those hesitant about direct public engagement, joining community organizations like Lucha or Fu Arts Movement offers ways to contribute without necessarily putting one's name out front.
• 💬 To address political polarization, focus on one-on-one conversations to humanize issues and find common ground, rather than engaging in online debates.

Recommended Resources

• 📚 For learning about how government works and staying updated on state legislative activities, Civic Engagement Beyond Voting offers phenomenal explainers and weekly emails during session.
• 📊 The Arizona Center for Economic Progress provides excellent resources and explainers on the state budget, highlighting its significance as a statement of moral values and priorities.
• 🌐 For federal policy information, the websites of US Congress members (e.g., Yasminari, Greg Stanton) are valuable resources with extensive team support.