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Democrat – Legislative District 26 House
Phone: (480) 389-5826
Email: mendezforaz@gmail.com
Website: www.mendezforaz.com
Facebook: Juan Mendez
Twitter: @mendezforaz
Address: 1741 S Ventura Dr, Tempe, AZ 85281
Age: 29. (05/18/85, Phoenix, AZ).
Arizona since: Birth
Occupation: Arizona state representative since 2012; health care advocate organizer, community voice mail manager, information & referral specialist, 211 Arizona Community Information and Referral Services, 2009-13; Boys & Girls Club of the East Valley – Ladmo Branch, 2007–08.
Marital: Single
Education: B.A., political science, ASU, 2008; A.A., general studies, Phoenix College, 2006; Tolleson Union High School, 2003.
Political experience: Precinct committeeman, LD-26 Democratic Party, since 2008.
Legis exp: House since 2013.
Interests: My personal interests include jumping in Fossil Creek just outside of Payson, getting lost hiking in the Superstitions, and rock climbing where ever I can. I took silver in rock climbing at the 2013 Winter Grand Canyon State Games.
Two biggest issues: Our incomes are stagnating and our inequality is deepening. It’s harder than ever to climb out of poverty, let alone secure oneself in middle class. We need to improve the quality of existing jobs. Your job needs to provide a living wage, benefits, and security. Without those essentials, there is no other way to secure the middle class. Any income we’ve gained is only the result of our increased work hours, not higher wages. Working harder and longer is no longer a way to middle class. Without quality jobs, we simply work to stay afloat inside poverty.
Budget priorities: Private individual success depends on public investment. Our state needs secure revenue in order to function and flourish. Our citizens and businesses need investments by the state in infrastructure, education, and health care in order to function, flourish and prosper. We cannot set our public institutions up to fail and gift away our shared tax revenue to private corporations. Structurally bleeding the general fund over the next three years with $67M in revenue cuts from a reduction in the premium tax for the insurance industry and subsidizing the private prison industry are not wise expenditures or a prudent way to secure our future prosperity.
Fiscal philosophy: Private individual success depends on public investment. Prosperity for the few founded on ecological destruction and persistent social injustice for many is no foundation for a fiscal philosophy. Believing government budgets are like family budgets that must be balanced only serves ideology. As long as there is debt and balance is the goal, shrinkage is the only option, which means your community goes without investment. My fiscal philosophy is to ensure that our long-term public goods are not undermined by short-term private interests.
Common Core: Arizona should always have expectations placed on students to ensure that when they leave the classroom they are prepared to become informed, productive members of their community. Arizona should stop pretending it’s fair and balanced to afford any more space to the states-rights themed anti-Common Core tribalism noise.
Gifts to elected officials: The amount of influence a lobbyist incurs through already regulated gifts is nothing compared to the influence a lobbyist receives from the institutional knowledge we as legislators will never acquire because of term-limits, and the infrastructure and staff they are equipped with, which often leaves an uneven playing field when faced with convoluted and orchestrated calendars, with no real time to reach out to experts, stakeholders or the public. We need a more modern Legislature, so that lobbyist are never the only other informed person in the room while decisions are made before we argue over the influence of a $10 dinner.
Transparency in government: I believe information is the currency of a healthy democracy, but transparency in information is pointless without sufficient context to convey the nature of the relationships among all the data. Government should continue to subsidize the providing of public notices to the community only as long as data is presented in a relevant and useful manner.
Pro-life / pro-choice: Abortion should remain safe and legal. Ultimately, decision about whether to choose adoption, end a pregnancy, or raise a child must be left to a woman, her family, and her faith, with the counsel of her doctor or health care provider. Abortion is a deeply personal and often complex decision for a woman, and I don’t believe anyone can make that decision for someone else. I believe all women should have accurate information about all of their options. Information should support a woman, help her make a decision for herself, and enable her to take care of her health and well-being.
Public policy advice: My friends, and family, my mentors in life and in education and also staff, informed constituents and stakeholders.
