EDITORIAL: Rakhi Israni, 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: Rakhi IsraniCurrent job title: Attorney / founder and president of Excel Test Prep, Inc.Date of birth: Undisclosed
Political party affiliation: DemocratOther political positions held: President of the PTSA at various levelsCity where you reside: Fremont
What are the top three problems you're seeking to solve if elected?
1. Affordability: Too many families across Silicon Valley, the East Bay and the Tri-Valley are doing everything right and still falling behind.
2. Government dysfunction: Washington is producing headlines instead of results.
3. Erosion of economic opportunity: The economy is being transformed by artificial intelligence, automation and global realignment, and working families are being asked to absorb all the risk while benefits flow to those already at the top.
Why are you uniquely qualified to address the three problems you've identified above?
I've built a business, practiced law, served on the bench, raised a family and led a national humanitarian organization, all in this community, all at the same time. On affordability, I built a business from the ground up right here in Fremont. On government dysfunction, I'm not a career politician. On economic transformation, I founded a nationwide education company in the shadow of Silicon Valley. I've mentored hundreds of students trying to build careers in a rapidly shifting economy. Through my humanitarian work, I have served people who fall through the cracks when the economy leaves them behind.
What differentiates you from your most serious competitors for this seat?
I'm the only candidate in this race who combines real-world business experience with a career of direct service to our community. I have built a successful nationwide business employing hundreds of people. I'm focused on affordability, anti-corruption, government performance and restoring trust in public institutions through competence rather than rhetoric. I'm a results-oriented Democrat who will revitalize our economy, not a politician who will play partisan games. I have the toughness to solve the urgent and important challenges facing our district.
What one congressional committee would you most like to chair, if given the opportunity? And how would that position serve your constituents?
The House Education and the Workforce Committee. The two challenges facing this district include the mental health crisis among our young people and the massive workforce disruption being driven by AI, and both fall squarely within this committee's jurisdiction. I would fight to fund retraining and upskilling programs so our workforce can manage and leverage AI rather than be replaced by it, make community college and vocational training free for high-demand skills and expand investment in trades and health care careers that AI cannot displace. This committee is where education policy, workforce development and labor protections all converge.
You're running to be a lawmaker. If you were going to be remembered for writing and passing one law, what would it be?
My signature legislation would be a comprehensive "Clean Up Washington Act" that (1) bans stock trading by members of Congress and their families, (2) imposes a mandatory retirement age of 75 for the president, Congress and federal judges and (3) establishes term limits for members of Congress. Government reform is the precondition for progress on everything else. You cannot fix housing if lawmakers are invested in the companies driving up costs. You cannot address the deficit honestly when the people writing the tax code are personally benefiting from the loopholes they refuse to close.
Since 1960, what one piece of federal legislation has benefited Americans the most?
The Civil Rights Act of 1964. It set the stage for the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which abolished the discriminatory national origins quotas that had effectively barred Asian immigrants from coming to this country. Without that law, my parents, and millions of families like ours, would never have had the chance to build a life in America. Our district - one of the most diverse in the country - is living proof of what that openness made possible. The families who came here have built businesses, filled classrooms, staffed hospitals and powered an economy that drives California and the nation.
Why should renters vote for you? How will you make their lives more affordable?
To increase housing supply, I would:
1. Expand the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit
2. Use federal infrastructure and transportation funding to incentivize multifamily zoning near transit corridors
3. Reform federal policies that have historically contributed to housing scarcity
4. Create accountability mechanisms for jurisdictions that block housing construction while receiving federal dollars
To provide direct affordability relief, I would:
1. Strengthen protections against predatory rental practices
2. Expand emergency rental assistance programs
3. Rein in corporate consolidation of rental housing that drives up prices and reduces tenant leverage
Why should first-time homebuyers support you?
Right now, the system is structurally stacked against first-time buyers. I would support a federal agenda addressing supply, access and affordability, including:
1. Federal incentives for starter homes, condos, town homes and missing middle housing
2. Targeted down payment assistance for middle-income first-time buyers
3. Expanded and reformed first-time homebuyer tax benefits
4. Federal transportation investment tied to local commitments to permit housing near transit
Explain how you would use your position to help tackle homelessness in your district.
In Congress, I would fight to protect and expand federal funding for supportive housing and homelessness prevention programs. I would push for increased investment in mental health and substance abuse treatment, which are often the root causes of chronic homelessness. I would also support expanding the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit to incentivize the construction of more affordable housing. At the local level, I would work closely with local officials to ensure federal resources are flowing to evidence-based programs.
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?
I support stabilizing Bay Area transit because reliable, affordable public transit is foundational to affordability, climate goals, economic competitiveness and mobility equity. If voters are being asked to approve another sales tax, transit agencies must provide a credible, public plan with concrete commitments on service reliability, cleaner stations, improved safety, fare coordination across agencies and a transparent timeline for how new revenue translates into measurable rider outcomes. At the federal level, I would condition additional federal transit funding on demonstrated regional governance reform. The Bay Area shouldn't be operating five or six independent transit agencies with no unified fare system.
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 for California. Any new federal appropriation must require:
1. Independent cost oversight with regular public reporting rather than self-assessments
2. Enforceable milestone deadlines tied directly to federal disbursements, so money flows only when benchmarks are met
3. Full procurement transparency, including open access to contract terms, change orders and vendor performance
4. A credible, independently validated plan to deliver a functional initial operating segment
5. A realistic long-term financing framework that accounts for costs, revenues and risks
I will fight for the federal investment this project needs.
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 on three fronts. First, upskilling our existing knowledge workforce to manage, deploy and oversee AI rather than be replaced by it. Second, expanding funding for professional training in fields that AI cannot replace any time soon such as trades, nursing, health care, skilled construction and other hands-on careers.Third, and perhaps most critically, maintaining America's competitive leadership in AI itself. Legislation that supports American AI research, protects our intellectual property and ensures that the economic gains from this technology are generated here and shared broadly is essential to both our national security and our economic future.
Would you support legislation to curb children's use of social media?
Yes. I'm the mother of four teenagers, so I see the grip these platforms have on young people in my own home every day. I would support legislation that addresses both the structural incentives and the specific harms. Platforms should be required to default to the least manipulative, most privacy-protective settings for users under 18. Features designed to hook adolescents through infinite scroll, autoplay and notification bombardment should be prohibited for minors. Data privacy protections for children must go substantially beyond what currently exists. I would also support stronger parental tools and family access controls as a complement.
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:
1. Strengthen the Child Tax Credit and expand the Earned Income Tax Credit to put more money in working families' pockets
2. Make community college and vocational training more affordable in order to open access to high-paying careers
3. Close corporate tax loopholes and ensure the wealthiest Americans and largest corporations pay their fair share
4. Protect and expand access to affordable health care, since medical debt is one of the leading drivers of poverty
5. Expand access to home ownership
6. Ban stock trading by members of Congress so lawmakers cannot profit from the policies they set
Explain your position on Donald Trump's military action against Iran. Would you support Rep. Ro Khanna's War Powers Resolution?
I believe the United States must retain the ability to act swiftly to protect our national security, defend our allies and respond to imminent threats. But there is a critical difference between acting decisively and acting impulsively. Decisive action is informed by intelligence, grounded in strategy and backed by a clear objective. Impulsive action bypasses deliberation, ignores consequences and risks entangling our nation in conflicts without an exit strategy. The War Powers Resolution exists precisely to draw that line. No president should be able to unilaterally commit our nation to sustained military conflict without congressional authorization.
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?
The proposed federal cuts under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would be devastating for Bay Area families, particularly in our district, where access to affordable health care is already a challenge for many. I would fight aggressively to restore and protect federal health care funding - particularly Medicaid. I would push to defend and strengthen ACA coverage, restore funding for community health centers and federally qualified health clinics and work to ensure that regions like ours, which carry a disproportionate share of uncompensated care, receive federal support commensurate with that burden.
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?
Our district faces a mental health crisis, especially among young people. We have a shortage of primary care and mental health providers, particularly in underserved communities. I would support making Medicare negotiate drug prices across all medications, not just the limited set currently covered, and allowing safe importation of cheaper medications from other countries. I would push to expand funding for community health centers and mental health services, including school-based counseling. I would fight for parity in mental health coverage so that insurers cannot shortchange behavioral health. And I would work to expand Medicaid access rather than restrict it.
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 closing corporate tax loopholes and establishing a minimum corporate tax so no profitable corporation pays zero in federal taxes. I would fund IRS enforcement capacity. I would look for savings in defense spending. I would also push for systemic health care cost reductions including drug price negotiation, preventive care investment and reduced administrative overhead. But the most important thing the federal government can do to close the deficit over time is grow the economy, and that requires investing in the engine of growth. I'd fight to restore and expand federal research funding. I won't gut Medicaid and SNAP.
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.
I don't support the Trump administration's immigration policies. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids are tearing families apart. They aren't properly trained in de-escalation tactics and aren't solving anything. I support smart, humane immigration reform by protecting East Bay families from ICE overreach, hiring more immigration judges to clear the massive backlog and process cases fairly and a permanent legislative solution for Dreamers. We need enforcement that focuses on public safety threats, not parents dropping their kids off at school or workers contributing to our economy. The answer is comprehensive reform, not mass deportation of people without criminal records.
What do the biggest contributors to your campaign expect from you?
They expect me to show up, fight for our community and deliver results. They expect me to take on Trump's harmful policies, lower the cost of living, clean up Washington and bring fresh leadership to Congress. No one is writing me a check because they expect a political favor. They are supporting me because they believe, as I do, that this district and the country deserves better than the status quo.
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?
Not all of my policy goals depend on Democrats controlling Congress. Many fundamental congressional reform measures such as stock trading bans, term limits and retirement age requirements have genuine bipartisan appeal. I'm hopeful that I can support and enact these, regardless of party control of the legislature. I would seek out legislators, regardless of party affiliation, who share specific goals, particularly on issues like government reform, veteran support, small business and immigration backlogs that affect constituents in both parties and across our nation.
What else should we know about your capacity to directly improve the lives of this district's constituents?
My parents came to this country with nothing, and America gave them a chance to build a life. That is the thread that runs through everything I've done. I built a nationwide education company. I practiced law pro bono for families who couldn't afford an attorney. I fought human trafficking and delivered humanitarian assistance. I raised four children in the East Bay, sent them to public school, served as PTSA president and watched the youth mental health crisis unfold as a parent. I have 20 years of roots in this community, and a career spent building things and solving problems.
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This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 5:43 PM.