I love ideas. You can call me an “ideas” guy. I have been writing down ideas for the past 15 years as a Patent Attorney. 

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What I love about ideas is anyone can have them. An idea is a spark, and it can range in complexity— an idea can be as simple as “No Taxation without Representation” to something more complex like “Equal Justice Under Law.” 

 

One day, in 2003, I decided to leave Texas and try out California. Without a job and without much direction, I thought, maybe it will all work out. I had a supportive divorced Mom who made the heartbreaking decision to flee her war torn country from the top of the US Embassy in Saigon in 1975. She was only 27 and came to the US with nothing but hope for a better future. 

 

My mom met my dad at a refugee camp in Florida. My dad was ex-Airforce in the South Vietnamese military. He never spoke of the war, but he always loved American patriotism, freedom, and liberty. It’s an idea he fought for while flying helicopters in the war. 

I was raised on the idea that if you work hard enough, anything is possible in America. I am the product of the American dream, my parents’ dream. And yet, we struggled paycheck to paycheck. We held onto a singular idea: a refugee’s hope for a brighter future. 

 

My parents sacrificed so much so that I could attend good public schools in Texas. I chose to attend a small private liberal arts school because I had received a generous half-tuition scholarship and a music scholarship. A band nerd to the core, I double majored in music and computer science and worked my butt off to finish in four years. 

 

After I came out to my parents in 2004, I was inspired to go to law school by Hillary Clinton and the Marriage Equality movement. I wanted to get a better understanding of how our society governs itself. Constitutional law was one of my favorite classes because the nature of our legal system found inalienable rights that were granted by a few words on parchment. A set of ideas backed by centuries of case law. 

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I started working at a prestigious law firm in Silicon Valley because I had taken on so much student debt. I also had the opportunity to be surrounded by incredibly smart inventors, entrepreneurs, and legal professionals. Yet, I always found time to give back to my community through nonprofit board service. Working with other volunteers, I have served on numerous local bar associations, community organizations serving LGBTQ and AAPI folks, and I have raised tens of thousands of dollars for causes and charities dear to my heart. 

 

What I have learned from all this is that ideas are powerful things, but they need to be backed by action. Good ideas can be thrown around, but progress is only made through deliberate and intentional actions. 

 

Our political leaders in SF, however, have the tendency to talk past each other and ignore good ideas that don’t fit their particular dogma or political ideology. The result? Sluggish response to our city’s problems. Lack of transparency in decision making. A complete lack of progress and accountability. 

 

Well, I am hoping to change all that. We need empathetic people in our party’s leadership who will ask and demand answers to tough questions from our elected officials. We deserve full transparency on how decisions that affect everyday San Franciscans are made—and why they were made. 

 

The biggest power that the SF Democratic Party wields is its endorsement power. Through endorsement interviews and questionnaires, we can hold our elected officials accountable to policies that serve all San Franciscans, not just the ultra-wealthy. We need common sense reforms on public safety, housing, and public access to education. We need Democratic Party leaders who will fight for the most progressive policies that affect the most marginalized in our society. 

 

My opponents in this race have wealthy funders that have promised to pour hundreds of thousands of dollars into this campaign, almost $1M for a campaign that, anywhere else, would cost around $10-20K. Insanity. I’m running a people powered campaign that refuses corporate PAC contributions. 

 

I’m running on the idea that now is the time to stand up to well-funded interests that seek to make SF a playground for the ultra-rich. 

 

I’m running on the idea that big structural changes to San Francisco are not only aspirational, but necessary for our continued growth and prosperity. 

 

I’m running on the idea that small businesses, like the many startup clients I have advised, as well as non-tech entrepreneurs deserve a city where everyone can build generational wealth. Immigrant families, including my own, have built whole futures based on this idea, and I think SF deserves better than the doom loop narrative those on the right are peddling. 

 

I’m running because I have the outrageous idea that a Gaysian drag queen like me should have a seat at the table of power. I hope to inspire others like me who have big dreams and outrageously fabulous visions for a SF that works for all of the Us’s out there who came to this city with nothing but a dream. A beautiful idea. 

 

We live in one of the most innovative regions in the world. There are billionaires looking to employ right wing solutions to reshape SF to their liking. We need to stand up to those interests and hold the line on our progressive policies. 

 

We also need to find ways to ensure that everyday San Franciscans can continue to afford to live here, have access to quality public education, and feel safe walking down the street.  What I’ve learned through community organizing is that our community keeps us safe, and that we all have a responsibility to uplift our voices and make our ideas heard. 

 

I also know that once we’ve learned to use our voices, we will inspire others to act.  Thank you for joining me in this campaign. Let’s push forward, together!

 

-Michael