Jennifer Tran

[{"question": "Ballotpedia survey responses", "answer_html": "<p>See also: <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a></p>\n<div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-xs-10 col-md-6 col-xs-offset-1 col-md-offset-3\"><p><a href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\"><img align=\"middle\" alt=\"Candidate Connection\" src=\"https://cdn.ballotpedia.org/images/8/88/Candidate_Connection_Logo.png\" width=\"90%\"/></a></p></div></div>\n<p>Jennifer Tran completed <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a> survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Tran's responses.</p>\n<p><span class=\"expand-all\">Expand all</span> | <span class=\"collapse-all\">Collapse all</span></p>\n<div aria-multiselectable=\"true\" class=\"panel-group\" id=\"accordion\" role=\"tablist\"><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-199004-2024-02-06\" id=\"heading-bio-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-bio-199004-2024-02-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWho are you? Tell us about yourself.\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-bio-199004-2024-02-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-bio-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tDr. Jennifer Tran is a CSU professor of Ethnic Studies, community organizer, and President of the Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce. Born and raised in Oakland as a daughter of war refugees, she earned her PhD from USC and has spent her entire professional career serving East Bay communities. The career politicians and party politics are failing and our cities are in decline. Both Washington and local governments are broken and we need to change the game. Our current crises around public safety, homelessness, and economic decay require a federal response with federal resources. Dr. Tran will propose a key legislation, the Modern Cities Act, that offers actionable, sensible solutions that will actually solve these urgent problems while creating opportunities for hard working families. Dr. Tran has a unique ability to find common ground that unites diverse communities across various sectors including business leaders, educators, social workers, firefighters, police, healthcare workers, government agencies, immigrants, victims of violence and other marginalized communities. Dr. Tran understands systems dysfunction and has the vision to restore and revive the East Bay and other similar promising regions across the country. You can learn more about Dr. Tran’s plan to transform and modernize our federal approach to these and other issues like universal healthcare, tuition-free education, Green New Deal, immigration and human rights at www.drtranforcongress.com\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-199004-2024-02-06\" id=\"heading-key-message-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-key-message-199004-2024-02-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tPlease list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-key-message-199004-2024-02-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-key-message-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><ul><li>This election is a battle for the future of what it means to be progressive. Do we want a political system where a millionaire puppet candidate is bought and controlled by a single billionaire? Do we want someone who spent the past decade forcing the dangerous ideology of defunding the police making it to congress to continue spreading that destructive policy experiment? Or do we want a candidate who will bring sensible solutions, bold vision, and real progress? Congress is broken because politicians have forgotten how to make compromises and lead together as Americans. We need to find the ideas that both parties can agree on and make federal laws that benefit working Americans. We can't allow the billionaire class to buy congress. </li><li>American city and municipal governments are bastions of corruption and ineptitude. These local governments have determined the outcomes of the foundations of our society - public safety, homelessness and economic decay. Have you ever traveled outside the US and seen a clean and safe city? Did you wonder like I did, why the richest nation in the world doesn't have cities like that?\r\nIn my first 100 days in Congress, I will introduce a bill to the House floor called the Modern Cities Act (MCA). The MCA will create the cities of the future that we all deserve. This law will transform policing, end homelessness within two years, incentivize massive small business development, and usher in a new era of government fiscal transparency. </li><li>The advanced stages of climate collapse are on the horizon. Most scientists agree that we have passed the critical tipping points for hyper-destructive temperature increases. Large swaths of the planet will become uninhabitable with lost capacity to grow food. We need solutions now. \r\n\r\nMy climate position is that we need to invest heavily as a nation in innovative technologies that can capture greenhouse gases at scale to reverse the temperature increases humans have caused. That is literally our only hope of reversing this trajectory we’re on. Any politician who tells you that they want to transition to clean power sources over time by incrementally changing human behavior simply doesn’t understand how dire the situation already is. </li></ul></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-199004-2024-02-06\" id=\"heading1-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse1-199004-2024-02-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading1-199004-2024-02-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse1-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tThe federal government should stop funding empirical geopolitical wars and reinvest in our own infrastructure. The Modern Cities Act focuses on federally-funded solutions to establish public safety, eliminate homelessness, and reverse economic decay in every American city. We will pay for the MCA by taxing billionaires and eliminating wasteful redundancies in federal spending. <br/><br/>\r\nBeyond the MCA, my priorities are climate change, immigration, human rights, education, and fiscal transparency for all levels of government. \t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse2-199004-2024-02-06\" id=\"heading2-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse2-199004-2024-02-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse2-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading2-199004-2024-02-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse2-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tHonesty, Integrity, Vision, Ability to Compromise\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse3-199004-2024-02-06\" id=\"heading3-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse3-199004-2024-02-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse3-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading3-199004-2024-02-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse3-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tCongressional Representatives need to represent ALL their constituents, not just one community. \t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse4-199004-2024-02-06\" id=\"heading4-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse4-199004-2024-02-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse4-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat is something that has been a struggle in your life?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading4-199004-2024-02-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse4-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tIt has been a struggle in my life to be an agent of truth. It is often a very lonely path because people can be so adverse to accepting difficult truths. \t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse5-199004-2024-02-06\" id=\"heading5-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse5-199004-2024-02-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse5-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading5-199004-2024-02-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse5-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tUS House of Representatives has the capacity to fund the federal government and determine the legislative future of the nation. \t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse6-199004-2024-02-06\" id=\"heading6-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse6-199004-2024-02-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse6-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tDo you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading6-199004-2024-02-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse6-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tNo, I believe that we need more people from outside the political apparatus to run for office and modernize a very dysfunctional political system. \t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse7-199004-2024-02-06\" id=\"heading7-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse7-199004-2024-02-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse7-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading7-199004-2024-02-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse7-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tWe need to redefine American exceptionalism. We should not be exporting geopolitical global war for empire building. We should be developing the most advanced skills in the world at mediation and diplomacy. The last anti-war president in the White House was Jimmy Carter. If we became the great mediators of geopolitical conflict instead of the purveyors of perpetual global war, we could resume the mantle of world leaders that has been lost over the past decade. <br/><br/>\r\nWe also need to reinvest in small business in a large way in order to keep up with other world economies. \t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse8-199004-2024-02-06\" id=\"heading8-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse8-199004-2024-02-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse8-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tDo you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading8-199004-2024-02-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse8-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tNo, I think Congress should be 4 years. \t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse9-199004-2024-02-06\" id=\"heading9-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse9-199004-2024-02-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse9-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat are your thoughts on term limits?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading9-199004-2024-02-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse9-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tTerm limits are very necessary for all elected officials and especially Supreme Court Justices. \t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse10-199004-2024-02-06\" id=\"heading10-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse10-199004-2024-02-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse10-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tDo you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading10-199004-2024-02-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse10-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tCompromise is essential for policymaking, yet compromise is precisely what's missing from Congress at this point in time. \t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse11-199004-2024-02-06\" id=\"heading11-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse11-199004-2024-02-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse11-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading11-199004-2024-02-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse11-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tASPIRE PAC and LPAC\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse12-199004-2024-02-06\" id=\"heading12-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse12-199004-2024-02-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse12-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading12-199004-2024-02-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse12-199004-2024-02-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tPlease see the Modern Cities Act on our website www.drtranforcongress.com\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div></div>\n<div class=\"small\" data-nosnippet=\"\"><p><i><b>Note:</b> Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.</i></p></div>", "answer_text": "See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection\n\nJennifer Tran completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Tran's responses.\nExpand all | Collapse all\nWho are you? Tell us about yourself. Dr. Jennifer Tran is a CSU professor of Ethnic Studies, community organizer, and President of the Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce. Born and raised in Oakland as a daughter of war refugees, she earned her PhD from USC and has spent her entire professional career serving East Bay communities. The career politicians and party politics are failing and our cities are in decline. Both Washington and local governments are broken and we need to change the game. Our current crises around public safety, homelessness, and economic decay require a federal response with federal resources. Dr. Tran will propose a key legislation, the Modern Cities Act, that offers actionable, sensible solutions that will actually solve these urgent problems while creating opportunities for hard working families. Dr. Tran has a unique ability to find common ground that unites diverse communities across various sectors including business leaders, educators, social workers, firefighters, police, healthcare workers, government agencies, immigrants, victims of violence and other marginalized communities. Dr. Tran understands systems dysfunction and has the vision to restore and revive the East Bay and other similar promising regions across the country. You can learn more about Dr. Tran’s plan to transform and modernize our federal approach to these and other issues like universal healthcare, tuition-free education, Green New Deal, immigration and human rights at www.drtranforcongress.com Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office? This election is a battle for the future of what it means to be progressive. Do we want a political system where a millionaire puppet candidate is bought and controlled by a single billionaire? Do we want someone who spent the past decade forcing the dangerous ideology of defunding the police making it to congress to continue spreading that destructive policy experiment? Or do we want a candidate who will bring sensible solutions, bold vision, and real progress? Congress is broken because politicians have forgotten how to make compromises and lead together as Americans. We need to find the ideas that both parties can agree on and make federal laws that benefit working Americans. We can't allow the billionaire class to buy congress. American city and municipal governments are bastions of corruption and ineptitude. These local governments have determined the outcomes of the foundations of our society - public safety, homelessness and economic decay. Have you ever traveled outside the US and seen a clean and safe city? Did you wonder like I did, why the richest nation in the world doesn't have cities like that?\r\nIn my first 100 days in Congress, I will introduce a bill to the House floor called the Modern Cities Act (MCA). The MCA will create the cities of the future that we all deserve. This law will transform policing, end homelessness within two years, incentivize massive small business development, and usher in a new era of government fiscal transparency. The advanced stages of climate collapse are on the horizon. Most scientists agree that we have passed the critical tipping points for hyper-destructive temperature increases. Large swaths of the planet will become uninhabitable with lost capacity to grow food. We need solutions now. \r\n\r\nMy climate position is that we need to invest heavily as a nation in innovative technologies that can capture greenhouse gases at scale to reverse the temperature increases humans have caused. That is literally our only hope of reversing this trajectory we’re on. Any politician who tells you that they want to transition to clean power sources over time by incrementally changing human behavior simply doesn’t understand how dire the situation already is. What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? The federal government should stop funding empirical geopolitical wars and reinvest in our own infrastructure. The Modern Cities Act focuses on federally-funded solutions to establish public safety, eliminate homelessness, and reverse economic decay in every American city. We will pay for the MCA by taxing billionaires and eliminating wasteful redundancies in federal spending. Beyond the MCA, my priorities are climate change, immigration, human rights, education, and fiscal transparency for all levels of government. What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official? Honesty, Integrity, Vision, Ability to Compromise What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office? Congressional Representatives need to represent ALL their constituents, not just one community. What is something that has been a struggle in your life? It has been a struggle in my life to be an agent of truth. It is often a very lonely path because people can be so adverse to accepting difficult truths. What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution? US House of Representatives has the capacity to fund the federal government and determine the legislative future of the nation. Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics? No, I believe that we need more people from outside the political apparatus to run for office and modernize a very dysfunctional political system. What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade? We need to redefine American exceptionalism. We should not be exporting geopolitical global war for empire building. We should be developing the most advanced skills in the world at mediation and diplomacy. The last anti-war president in the White House was Jimmy Carter. If we became the great mediators of geopolitical conflict instead of the purveyors of perpetual global war, we could resume the mantle of world leaders that has been lost over the past decade. We also need to reinvest in small business in a large way in order to keep up with other world economies. Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives? No, I think Congress should be 4 years. What are your thoughts on term limits? Term limits are very necessary for all elected officials and especially Supreme Court Justices. Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking? Compromise is essential for policymaking, yet compromise is precisely what's missing from Congress at this point in time. What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign? ASPIRE PAC and LPAC What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability? Please see the Modern Cities Act on our website www.drtranforcongress.com\nNote: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it."}, {"question": "Campaign website", "answer_html": "<p>Tran's campaign website stated the following:\n</p>\n<div style=\"height:400px;overflow:scroll;border:1px solid gray;margin:20px;padding:10px;\">\n<table data-nosnippet=\"\" style=\"border-collapse: collapse; border: none;background-color: transparent; auto; ;\">\n<tbody><tr>\n<td style=\"border:none; color:#B2B7F2;font-size:35px;font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; padding: 10px 3px;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"20\">“\n</td>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 4px 10px;\" valign=\"top\">\n<p><b>The Modern Cities Act</b>\n</p><p>In my first 100 days in Congress, I’m going to introduce a bi-partisan bill to the house called the Modern Cities Act. This legislation will finally take our American cities into the 21st century we all deserve. We will modernize police departments in essential ways that dramatically improve public safety. We will repopulate our thriving commercial corridors by incentivizing small businesses. And we will pave the path to actually end homelessness in every city across the nation within two years. These problems are solvable and we have tangible solutions. But we need your support. We need you to spread the message to all your friends and family. We need you to donate so we can expand our reach. We need you to volunteer to register voters. We can absolutely do this if we do it together. \n</p><p>What does the Modern Cities Act include?\n</p><p><b>Public Safety</b>\n</p><p>1. Establish federal standard for Police Departments<br/>\n</p>\n<ul><li>Minimum ratio of population:police officers and federal funding to make up difference in municipal budgets to cover staffing increases</li>\n<li>Nationalized standards of police academies including classes on socio-cultural factors like race, ethnicity, gender, class</li></ul>\n<p>2. Integrate Mental Health into ALL aspects of policing<br/>\n</p>\n<ul><li>Mandated weekly mental health treatment for all officers</li>\n<li>Integrating Social Workers into Police Departments</li>\n<li>Every car will be staffed with one armed officer, and one social worker officer in police uniform to respond to non-violent incidents</li></ul>\n<p>3. Re-establish Police Departments as Dignified Institutions of Public Service<br/>\n</p>\n<ul><li>Standardize starting salaries to meet the local cost of living</li>\n<li>Reinvest in stimulus programs to offer discounted down payments on houses for police, firefighters, and teachers.</li></ul>\n<p><b>Homelessness</b>\n</p><p>1. Reopen state-run mental health hospitals\n</p><p>2. Invest in state-run drug addiction treatment hospitals\n</p><p>3. Expand housing voucher programs that prevent at-risk individuals from losing housing attached to mandatory job training and job placement\n</p><p>4. Establish Care Courts in every city where unhoused citizens are taken to humanely assess needs before placement\n</p><p><b>Small Business &amp; Workforce Development</b>\n</p><p>Expand Small Business Administration budget by $25B\n</p>\n<ul><li>Incentivize small businesses to fill leases in empty spaces of commercial corridors</li>\n<li>Incentivize Millennial-owned businesses and first-time business owners</li>\n<li>Invest in expansion of workforce pipeline programs at community colleges to ensure job placement.</li></ul>\n<p><b>Technology and Government Transparency</b>\n</p><p>1. Create and Implement a phone app that tracks government spending at all levels – town, city, county, state and federal<br/>\n</p>\n<ul><li>Make government spending information easy to view and understand for all users.</li></ul>\n<p>2. Implement AI technology to find instances of waste and redundancy in government budgets to maximize savings<sup class=\"reference\" id=\"cite_ref-quotedisclaimer_2-0\"><a href=\"#cite_note-quotedisclaimer-2\">[2]</a></sup>\n</p>\n</td>\n<td style=\"border: none; color: #B2B7F2; font-size: 35px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: right; padding: 10px 1px;\" valign=\"bottom\" width=\"20\">”\n</td></tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"cquotecite\" colspan=\"3\" style=\"border: none; padding-right: 4%\"><cite style=\"font-style: normal;font-size: smaller; float: right;\">—Jennifer Tran's campaign website (2024)<sup class=\"reference\" id=\"cite_ref-3\"><a href=\"#cite_note-3\">[3]</a></sup></cite>\n</td></tr></tbody></table>\n</div>", "answer_text": "Tran's campaign website stated the following:\n“ The Modern Cities Act In my first 100 days in Congress, I’m going to introduce a bi-partisan bill to the house called the Modern Cities Act. This legislation will finally take our American cities into the 21st century we all deserve. We will modernize police departments in essential ways that dramatically improve public safety. We will repopulate our thriving commercial corridors by incentivizing small businesses. And we will pave the path to actually end homelessness in every city across the nation within two years. These problems are solvable and we have tangible solutions. But we need your support. We need you to spread the message to all your friends and family. We need you to donate so we can expand our reach. We need you to volunteer to register voters. We can absolutely do this if we do it together. What does the Modern Cities Act include? Public Safety 1. Establish federal standard for Police Departments Minimum ratio of population:police officers and federal funding to make up difference in municipal budgets to cover staffing increases Nationalized standards of police academies including classes on socio-cultural factors like race, ethnicity, gender, class 2. Integrate Mental Health into ALL aspects of policing Mandated weekly mental health treatment for all officers Integrating Social Workers into Police Departments Every car will be staffed with one armed officer, and one social worker officer in police uniform to respond to non-violent incidents 3. Re-establish Police Departments as Dignified Institutions of Public Service Standardize starting salaries to meet the local cost of living Reinvest in stimulus programs to offer discounted down payments on houses for police, firefighters, and teachers. Homelessness 1. Reopen state-run mental health hospitals 2. Invest in state-run drug addiction treatment hospitals 3. Expand housing voucher programs that prevent at-risk individuals from losing housing attached to mandatory job training and job placement 4. Establish Care Courts in every city where unhoused citizens are taken to humanely assess needs before placement Small Business & Workforce Development Expand Small Business Administration budget by $25B Incentivize small businesses to fill leases in empty spaces of commercial corridors Incentivize Millennial-owned businesses and first-time business owners Invest in expansion of workforce pipeline programs at community colleges to ensure job placement. Technology and Government Transparency 1. Create and Implement a phone app that tracks government spending at all levels – town, city, county, state and federal Make government spending information easy to view and understand for all users. 2. Implement AI technology to find instances of waste and redundancy in government budgets to maximize savings [2] ” —Jennifer Tran's campaign website (2024) [3]"}]