EDITORIAL: Aisha Wahab, East Bay congressional candidate, answers Bay Area News Group's primary questionnaire

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Ahead of the June primary election, the Bay Area News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates for California's 14th Congressional District. You can find the full questionnaire below. Questionnaires may have been edited for spelling, grammar, length and clarity.

You can read our endorsement in this race here.

To read our endorsements for other important Bay Area races click here.

Name: Aisha WahabCurrent job title: California state senator for District 10 and Senate assistant majority leaderDate of birth: January 11, 1987

Political party affiliation: DemocratOther political positions held: Hayward City CouncilCity where you reside: Hayward

What are the top three problems you're seeking to solve if elected?

1. The cost of living, especially housing, health care, utilities and everyday essentials.

2. Economic insecurity, including the loss of stable middle-class jobs and the threat of AI-driven displacement.

3. A lack of accountability from powerful institutions, whether that is corporations, federal agencies or government systems that are failing working families.

Why are you uniquely qualified to address the three problems you've identified above?

My life experience and my record line up with the challenges people face. I grew up in foster care, lived through deep instability, worked full-time through school and know firsthand what it means to struggle for safety and opportunity. In the Legislature, I have shown that I can take hard problems and turn them into policy that lowers costs, protects vulnerable people and demands accountability. I do not just talk about affordability and fairness. I have delivered on them.

What differentiates you from your most serious competitors for this seat?

I offer both lived experience and a proven record of governing. I have been recognized as one of the most effective legislators in Sacramento and have been able to have many of my bills become bipartisan and signed into law. I have passed laws, helped shape budgets and taken on powerful interests on behalf of working people. I am not running to build a brand. I am running to solve problems. Voters deserve someone who understands struggle personally, knows how government works and has already shown the courage to fight for real change.

What one congressional committee would you most like to chair, if given the opportunity? And how would that position serve your constituents?

I think it is premature to assume any chairmanship as a freshman. I would be open to multiple different committees and would be committed to leading in the best interest of my district, as I have in the Senate. I served as chair of Public Safety, Housing and now Business, Professions and Economic Development. I have led large policy packages each year to tackle the issues facing Californians in these respective committees. I hope to serve to the best of my ability, wherever I'm placed.

You're running to be a lawmaker. If you were going to be remembered for writing and passing one law, what would it be?

A law that makes the American Dream real again: lowering the cost of housing, expanding access to homeownership, protecting renters from abuse and stopping private equity firms from pricing families out of the communities they built.

Since 1960, what one piece of federal legislation has benefited Americans the most?

The 1965 creation of Medicare and Medicaid. Those programs transformed health care access for seniors, people with disabilities, children and low-income families, and they remain among the most important guarantees of dignity and security in American life.

Why should renters vote for you? How will you make their lives more affordable?

Renters should vote for me because I am one of them, and I understand the fear of being priced out. I have fought for tenant protections, lower move-in costs and more housing supply. In Congress, I would push for more housing production, stronger renter tax relief, enforcement against price gouging and junk fees, expanded rental assistance and federal investment that helps people stay in the communities where they work and raise their families.

Why should first-time homebuyers support you?

I hope to be a first-time homebuyer. Because I know homeownership should not be reserved for the wealthy or the already connected. I have already fought to help first-time buyers and expand access to down-payment support. In Congress, I would support federal down-payment assistance, lower borrowing and insurance costs where possible, expand starter-home construction and remove barriers that keep middle-class families from buying their first home.

Explain how you would use your position to help tackle homelessness in your district.

Homelessness requires urgency, compassion and honesty. I would push for a housing-first approach paired with treatment, mental health care and accountability for results. That means expanding permanent supportive housing, accelerating affordable housing production, protecting federal housing dollars, strengthening prevention so fewer people fall into homelessness in the first place and demanding measurable outcomes from agencies receiving public funds.

Bay Area transit agencies are facing a fiscal cliff. Their solvency appears to depend on the passage of a proposed November sales tax. What's your position on that tax? What changes would you demand of Bay Area transit agencies, if any, in order to receive more federal funds?

The region cannot afford a transit collapse, but taxpayers also deserve accountability. State law already authorized a November 2026 regional transit measure to help avoid major cuts. I support stabilizing transit, but any additional public investment must come with clear reforms: consolidation, cleaner and safer service, better frequency, stronger financial transparency and coordinated regional management and performance standards tied to reliability and ridership. Federal dollars should reward agencies that are improving the rider experience and using public money responsibly.

What is your position on the California High-Speed Rail project? Would you support appropriating more federal funds for it? If so, under what conditions, if any?

I support high-speed rail as a long-term climate, mobility and economic project, but it must be grounded in public trust. California's High-Speed Rail Authority says about $4 billion in federal funding was removed from its budget assumptions in late 2025, leaving federal funding at less than 10% of total program costs. I would support additional federal funding only with strong oversight, realistic milestones, independent accountability and a clear demonstration that each added dollar moves the project meaningfully toward usable service.

Joint Venture Silicon Valley estimates 400,000 Bay Area jobs are at risk of being replaced by AI. What legislation would you support, if any, to protect your district's workers and/or consumers from automation?

I would support legislation requiring worker impact assessments for major AI deployments, stronger notice and transparency when automation changes jobs, retraining and apprenticeship investments, portable benefits, protection against algorithmic discrimination and clear consumer safeguards around privacy, fraud, deepfakes and automated decision-making. AI should raise productivity without pushing workers aside or stripping consumers of their rights.

Would you support legislation to curb children's use of social media?

Yes. I support strong, constitutional guardrails that protect children online. That includes age-appropriate design standards, stronger privacy protections, limits on addictive features aimed at minors, meaningful parental tools, safer reporting systems and accountability for platforms that knowingly profit from harm to children. I would support legislation that is effective, enforceable and respectful of privacy and free speech.

Wealth inequality has hit its widest gap in more than three decades. The top 1% of households own 31% of all U.S. wealth. What policies would you support, if any, to narrow the wealth gap?

I would support policies that reward work more than wealth extraction: a fairer tax code, stronger labor protections, affordable child care, lower housing and health costs, expanded tax relief for working families, higher wages and more paths to asset building through homeownership, education and retirement savings. An economy cannot be healthy if it produces enormous wealth but leaves ordinary families unable to get ahead.

Explain your position on Donald Trump's military action against Iran. Would you support Rep. Ro Khanna's War Powers Resolution?

I believe military action against Iran without clear congressional authorization is dangerous and wrong. Congress must reclaim its constitutional role over war. I would support Rep. Ro Khanna's Iran War Powers Resolution. The Congressional Progressive Caucus backed H.Con.Res. 38 on March 1, 2026, and the resolution states that hostilities against Iran must end unless Congress specifically authorizes them. America should pursue diplomacy, regional stability and restraint, not another open-ended conflict.

Bay Area counties will lose billions in coming years as a result of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. These federal cuts, particularly to health care, are expected to hit Alameda and Santa Clara counties' residents hard. What actions, if any, would you support to protect the health care of these counties in light of these cuts?

I would fight to restore and protect federal Medicaid funding, oppose barriers that cause eligible people to lose coverage, defend safety-net hospitals and clinics, expand community-based care and make sure counties are not abandoned when Washington shifts costs onto local governments. Health care should not be balanced on the backs of working families, seniors, children and people with disabilities.

Beyond the threat of immediate cuts facing county budgets, what other health care challenges face your district's residents? What policies would you support to improve their health access and outcomes?

People in this district are dealing with high premiums, high deductibles, provider shortages, mental health access problems, long waits for care, gaps in maternal health and rising prescription costs. I would support stronger primary and preventive care, expanded mental health and substance-use treatment, better reimbursement for safety-net providers, prescription drug cost reform, protections for reproductive health care and workforce investments so more doctors, nurses, therapists and caregivers can serve our communities.

The federal government faces chronic deficits. It must either raise more revenue or cut more spending. Or both. Explain what policies you would support to raise more revenue and, if applicable, what spending you'd cut. Be specific.

I support a balanced approach centered on fairness and effectiveness. I would raise revenue by making the tax code more progressive, closing loopholes that let the wealthiest individuals and large corporations avoid paying what they owe, improving IRS enforcement against high-end tax evasion and reviewing capital gains and carried-interest preferences that disproportionately benefit the very wealthy. On spending, I would target waste, fraud and abuse, including excessive contractor spending, duplicative programs and corporate giveaways that do not produce public benefit. I would not balance the budget by cutting basic health care, nutrition, housing or education for working people.

A Bay Area News Group analysis shows that federal agents have recently increased the number of deportations of immigrants without prior criminal histories. This has affected immigrants in this specific district. Do you support the Trump administration's immigration policies? Describe the immigration policies you'd support.

No. Recent reporting shows immigration arrests and deportations have risen sharply, with federal officers now more likely to arrest people with no criminal convictions. I do not support fear-driven immigration enforcement that tears apart families and punishes people who are working, contributing and trying to build stable lives. I support comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship, protection for Dreamers, farmworkers and long-term residents, humane asylum processing, due process, smart border management and enforcement priorities focused on genuine public-safety threats rather than indiscriminate sweeps.

What do the biggest contributors to your campaign expect from you?

They expect me to be the same person in office that I am on the campaign trail: hardworking, accessible and focused on results. I have an open-door policy, will meet with everyone and try to build bridges. I will fight for affordability, fairness, public safety and accountability.

Do all of your policy goals above depend on your party controlling Congress? If so, how will you achieve anything if your party doesn't control Congress? How do you plan to build bipartisan coalitions to pass legislation in a divided Congress?

No. Some progress is easier with aligned leadership, but effective lawmakers still build coalitions issue by issue. I would work across the aisle where there is real overlap: housing supply, support for small businesses, infrastructure, semiconductor and manufacturing jobs, consumer protection, anti-corruption efforts and helping families with everyday costs. I believe voters are tired of performative politics. They want lawmakers who know how to negotiate, stay grounded and keep pushing until something gets done.

What else should we know about your capacity to directly improve the lives of this district's constituents?

My public service has always been rooted in one question: How does this help everyday people? I know what instability feels like. I know what it means to work hard and still worry about housing, safety and opportunity. That is why I approach policy with urgency and empathy, but also with discipline and a focus on outcomes. I have already shown that I can take on hard fights, pass meaningful laws and deliver for the people I represent. In Congress, I would bring that same focus to lowering costs, protecting rights, strengthening opportunity and making government work for this district.

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This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 5:43 PM.