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Jorge Cabrera

Running for State Senator

11 CTNewsJunkie Reader Endorsements

Party: Democrat

CEP Status:

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Age: 44

Marital Status: Married

Current Residence: Hamden

Current Job: Union organizer

Previous Job:

Previous Job:

Education:

Where and how should state government focus its efforts in order to grow jobs?
Expanding the use of P-Tech style programs, focusing on new infrastructure, and effectively remediating Brownstone fields for new usage.
Would you support legislation to "ban the box," prohibiting employers from asking the question about criminal convictions on a job application?
Absolutely.
Based on estimates that out-of-state drivers would contribute 30-40% of overall revenue if highway tolls are implemented in Connecticut, would you support tolls with or without offsetting cuts in the state's gas taxes?
Yes, as long as there was a cut to the gas tax and that the revenue was lockboxed for the appropriate uses based on federal regulations.
Eversource and some out-of-state entities appear to be attempting to buy control of Connecticut's water resources, and some of our quasi-public water agencies have signed away large amounts of water to commercial interests with little regard to future water shortages. What can you do to ensure that Connecticut residents maintain control of public water supplies in perpetuity?
Pass a state water plan that designates water as a public trust.
Much of Connecticut is economically and racially segregated because many towns lack affordable housing and local zoning regulations prohibit multi-family dwellings. How would you propose incentivizing municipalities to start allowing multi-family units and other affordable housing options?
Prioritize grant money for towns that allow for 15% affordable housing in any new development, and also rescale what "affordable housing" means town by town instead of making it a single statewide scale.
Would you vote for a bill that would legalize recreational marijuana? Why or why not?
Yes, because it is a criminal justice issue. It would also bring revenue into our state and most of the bordering states have already legalized it. But I would want to ensure that it was safely regulated and not accessible to minors.
How should the state balance the needs of vulnerable populations with the reality of another large budget deficit?
Change the parameters of the Volatility Cap so that we can use that revenue for more than rainy day funds, and use that money to spend on education and affordable housing in communities of need.
A recent report found 40 percent of Connecticut residents can't afford basic needs such as housing, food, health care, or child care. What would you do to improve their situation?
Progressive tax reform so that the wealthiest towns aren't paying the smallest percentage of taxes, as well as pay equity, increasing the minimum wage, and advancing CT workforce.
Will you support top-down efforts to regionalize local services with an eye toward more efficiency and reducing the state's obligations regarding ECS and/or other funding for towns? How would you go about it?
No I don't support top-down efforts for regionalization because but it has to start as a local effort. Regarding ECS, we need to have a formula that more accurately reflects the needs of each community and then we need to ensure that the state fulfills their promise.
How should the state address disparities in the Education Cost Sharing formula? What specific modifications would you suggest, if any?
Eliminate ECS for towns that cannot prove a need for it and then we need to factor in and account for families with special needs, families on Husky, and families with low income.
Should the government's response to the opioid crisis be to focus on law enforcement to stop drug dealers, or improving access to treatment for addiction and reducing the overprescription of painkillers?
Improving access to treatment for addiction as well as cracking down on the doctors and pharmaceutical companies that are overprescribing.
In 2016 the Connecticut Retirement Security Program was created. It will give over 600,000 residents in our state a way to save for retirement at work. Knowing that employees are 15 times more likely to save merely by having access to payroll deduction, how will you continue the implementation of this important program?
I'd look into incentives for companies that implement this program.
The 459,000 family caregivers in Connecticut provide an estimated 427 million hours of care each year. Nationwide, nearly seven in ten caregivers report making work accommodations because of caregiving, including arriving late/leaving early, cutting back their hours, changing jobs, or stopping work entirely. Would you support a family leave law that provides paid leave to employees who have to take time off for family caregiving purposes?
Yes, absolutely.
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