Aishwarya Mitra

[{"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>Aishwarya Mitra completed <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a> survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Mitra'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-355729-2026-01-21\" id=\"heading-bio-355729-2026-01-21\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-bio-355729-2026-01-21\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-355729-2026-01-21\" 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-355729-2026-01-21\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-bio-355729-2026-01-21\" 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\tSparky Mitra is a housing justice organizer, bioengineer and UC San Diego alum.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-355729-2026-01-21\" id=\"heading-key-message-355729-2026-01-21\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-key-message-355729-2026-01-21\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-355729-2026-01-21\" 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-355729-2026-01-21\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-key-message-355729-2026-01-21\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><ul><li>We must restore peoples’ economic freedom and dignity and make San Diego more affordable. It is time that the top 1% paid their fair share to the workers that have ensured their success. Instead of using our taxes to pay for endless wars and genocide abroad, it is time that Congress worked for the people it is meant to represent. These funds can be used to fund the Social Security Expansion Act, federally-funded public transit, equity initiatives. These investments will allow us to build a future where scientific progress, economic security, and opportunity are not privileges, but rights shared by all.</li><li>We are demanding care over cruelty. Dignity without delay. And it’s time our representation caught up. As people across the country are surveilled for merely existing and silenced for speaking out, we must push back against federally-backed campaigns of terror. Trump and his allies are attacking democracy itself, from the rights to protest and exist freely to the rights to fair jobs and livable wages. We can’t afford to wait this out. Towards this, we must also ABOLISH ICE. With the onslaught of domestic attacks on speech and human rights by our current administration, it is more important than ever to defend and assert our human rights. This includes re-enshrining, codifying and strengthening our inalienable rights in the United States.</li><li>Our tradition of innovation in San Diego is losing its human touch. My extensive engineering background in research and policy-forward settings alike has uniquely equipped me with bold ideas to legislate on, such as creating government-funded LABraries to democratize science innovation. Progress doesn’t mean pushing profits over people. We need leaders capping drug prices while supporting funding for research. I will fight for Universal Healthcare and protect medical innovation. The bold path is the realistic one. Delay has already cost us too much. Our people and planet need decisive action like passing the Green New Deal, not half-measures.</li></ul></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-355729-2026-01-21\" id=\"heading1-355729-2026-01-21\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse1-355729-2026-01-21\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-355729-2026-01-21\" 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=\"heading1-355729-2026-01-21\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse1-355729-2026-01-21\" 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\tAffordability, science funding, housing justice, healthcare, immigrants' rights, free speech, democratic values, climate change\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>\n<div class=\"small\" data-nosnippet=\"\"><p><i><b>Note:</b> Mitra submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on January 21, 2026.</i></p></div>\n<div class=\"text-center\" style=\"margin-top: 30px\"><button class=\"btn btn-default showResponses text-center\">Show past responses</button><button class=\"btn btn-default hideResponses text-center\">Hide past responses</button></div>\n<div class=\"pastResponses\" style=\"display: none\"><p class=\"large-date\">\tDecember 17 submission</p><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-key-message-355729-2025-12-17\" id=\"heading-key-message-355729-2025-12-17\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-key-message-355729-2025-12-17\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-355729-2025-12-17\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\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\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-key-message-355729-2025-12-17\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-key-message-355729-2025-12-17\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><ul><li>We must restore peoples’ economic freedom and dignity and make San Diego more affordable. It is time that the top 1% paid their fair share to the workers that have ensured their success. Instead of using our taxes to pay for endless wars and genocide abroad, it is time that Congress worked for the people it is meant to represent. These funds can be used to fund the Social Security Expansion Act, federally-funded public transit, equity initiatives. These investments will allow us to build a future where scientific progress, economic security, and opportunity are not privileges, but rights shared by all.</li><li>We are demanding care over cruelty. Dignity without delay. And it’s time our representation caught up.\r\nAs people across the country are surveilled for merely existing and silenced for speaking out, we must push back against federally-backed campaigns of terror. Trump and his allies are attacking democracy itself, from the rights to protest and exist freely to the rights to fair jobs and livable wages. We can’t afford to wait this out. With the onslaught of domestic attacks on speech and human rights by our current administration, it is more important than ever to defend and assert our human rights. This includes re-enshrining, codifying and strengthening our inalienable rights in the United States.</li><li>Our tradition of innovation in San Diego is losing its human touch. My extensive engineering background in research and policy-forward settings alike has uniquely equipped me with bold ideas to legislate on, such as creating government-funded LABraries to democratize science innovation. Progress doesn’t mean pushing profits over people. We need leaders capping drug prices while supporting funding for research. I will fight for Universal Healthcare and protect medical innovation. The bold path is the realistic one. Delay has already cost us too much. Our people and planet need decisive action like passing the Green New Deal, not half-measures.</li></ul></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-355729-2025-12-17\" id=\"heading1-355729-2025-12-17\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse1-355729-2025-12-17\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-355729-2025-12-17\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\t\tWhat areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?\t\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading1-355729-2025-12-17\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse1-355729-2025-12-17\" 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\t\tAffordability, science funding, housing justice, healthcare, immigrants' rights, free speech, democratic values, climate change\t\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div></div><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><p><i><b>Note:</b> Mitra submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on December 17, 2025.</i></p></div></div>", "answer_text": "See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection\n\nAishwarya Mitra completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Mitra's responses.\nExpand all | Collapse all\nWho are you? Tell us about yourself. Sparky Mitra is a housing justice organizer, bioengineer and UC San Diego alum. 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? We must restore peoples’ economic freedom and dignity and make San Diego more affordable. It is time that the top 1% paid their fair share to the workers that have ensured their success. Instead of using our taxes to pay for endless wars and genocide abroad, it is time that Congress worked for the people it is meant to represent. These funds can be used to fund the Social Security Expansion Act, federally-funded public transit, equity initiatives. These investments will allow us to build a future where scientific progress, economic security, and opportunity are not privileges, but rights shared by all. We are demanding care over cruelty. Dignity without delay. And it’s time our representation caught up. As people across the country are surveilled for merely existing and silenced for speaking out, we must push back against federally-backed campaigns of terror. Trump and his allies are attacking democracy itself, from the rights to protest and exist freely to the rights to fair jobs and livable wages. We can’t afford to wait this out. Towards this, we must also ABOLISH ICE. With the onslaught of domestic attacks on speech and human rights by our current administration, it is more important than ever to defend and assert our human rights. This includes re-enshrining, codifying and strengthening our inalienable rights in the United States. Our tradition of innovation in San Diego is losing its human touch. My extensive engineering background in research and policy-forward settings alike has uniquely equipped me with bold ideas to legislate on, such as creating government-funded LABraries to democratize science innovation. Progress doesn’t mean pushing profits over people. We need leaders capping drug prices while supporting funding for research. I will fight for Universal Healthcare and protect medical innovation. The bold path is the realistic one. Delay has already cost us too much. Our people and planet need decisive action like passing the Green New Deal, not half-measures. What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Affordability, science funding, housing justice, healthcare, immigrants' rights, free speech, democratic values, climate change\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.\nNote: Mitra submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on January 21, 2026.\nShow past responses Hide past responses\nDecember 17 submission 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? We must restore peoples’ economic freedom and dignity and make San Diego more affordable. It is time that the top 1% paid their fair share to the workers that have ensured their success. Instead of using our taxes to pay for endless wars and genocide abroad, it is time that Congress worked for the people it is meant to represent. These funds can be used to fund the Social Security Expansion Act, federally-funded public transit, equity initiatives. These investments will allow us to build a future where scientific progress, economic security, and opportunity are not privileges, but rights shared by all. We are demanding care over cruelty. Dignity without delay. And it’s time our representation caught up.\r\nAs people across the country are surveilled for merely existing and silenced for speaking out, we must push back against federally-backed campaigns of terror. Trump and his allies are attacking democracy itself, from the rights to protest and exist freely to the rights to fair jobs and livable wages. We can’t afford to wait this out. With the onslaught of domestic attacks on speech and human rights by our current administration, it is more important than ever to defend and assert our human rights. This includes re-enshrining, codifying and strengthening our inalienable rights in the United States. Our tradition of innovation in San Diego is losing its human touch. My extensive engineering background in research and policy-forward settings alike has uniquely equipped me with bold ideas to legislate on, such as creating government-funded LABraries to democratize science innovation. Progress doesn’t mean pushing profits over people. We need leaders capping drug prices while supporting funding for research. I will fight for Universal Healthcare and protect medical innovation. The bold path is the realistic one. Delay has already cost us too much. Our people and planet need decisive action like passing the Green New Deal, not half-measures. What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Affordability, science funding, housing justice, healthcare, immigrants' rights, free speech, democratic values, climate change Note: 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. Note: Mitra submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on December 17, 2025."}]