Lorena Austin

Lorena Austin was born in Mesa, Arizona. Austin earned an associate degree from Maricopa Community College in 2018, and a bachelor's degree from Arizona State University in 2020. Austin's career experience includes working as a legislator.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I first ran to represent my district after learning that no one from within our district was stepping up to run. I'm a 5th generation Arizonan and my family has lived in our district for over 100 years. My Nana and Tata owned and operated Albert's Market in the Washington / Escobedo Park neighborhood for decades, and they were also well known for serving their community. On my mother's side, my grandparents were farmworkers who taught me the value of hard work. My father would go on to become a civil rights attorney and my mother is a teacher/social worker. As someone from a working-class background, I understand the needs of the working people in our district personally. My professional background is in higher education, having worked for Maricopa Community Colleges for 10 years in student affairs. I am running for reelection once more to ensure the people in our district are represented by someone who understands the needs of our community.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Arizona is in the midst of a significant housing shortage. In my time at the legislature, I have been able to help pass legislation to increase the availability of housing, particularly around downtown cores. This year, I've also run multiple bills to increase funding to our Housing Trust Fund, which provides dedicated funds specifically to low-income individuals, along with bills to protect renters from predatory landlords and encourage the construction of affordable housing. Affordable housing remains one of our state's most pressing issues, and I look forward to continuing the work to find and implement solutions to this crisis.Our public schools should be properly funded, from K-12 education through our community colleges and public universities. All Arizona students deserve a proper education. Over the last few years, our education spending has ballooned to nearly a billion dollars with taxpayer dollars going to private schools, all while public schools are closing across the state and our teachers are expected to work in impossible conditions. Over my last two terms, I have secured millions for higher education through the Arizona Promise Program and our Community College Workforce Development programs. I have fought to keep free lunches in public schools, so that every child in Arizona has the basic nutrition needed to succeed.I believe we can create a fairer economy and help rebuild state revenues we need to fund needed programs for Arizonans by making sure we're taxing corporations the bare minimum. There's no reason that an Arizonan making minimum wage should be paying more in taxes than a billion-dollar company. I think we can reduce the need for government services by ensuring more workers receive a living wage. I have been proud to fight to raise the minimum wage in our state, to fight to reduce the taxpayer dollars given to corporate data centers, and to make companies doing business in our state pay their fair share.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Affordability, Housing, Education, Healthcare, Climate: any policy that will help working people in Arizona improve their quality of life and ability to thrive in our state.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

To be driven by the people you serve, not corporate interests.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was at our local Mesa YMCA that used to be off of Mesa Dr. & University, where I worked for 5 years.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

One that welcomes balanced decision making for the best interests of all Arizonans.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Water will be Arizona's greatest challenge over the next decade.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Yes. I spend a lot of my time at the capitol advocating across the aisle for the priorities that the people in my district care about. I am lucky to have a strong team of fair and balanced colleagues around me in the Democratic caucus, but I also spend a good deal of time building relationships with my Republican colleagues in order to better advocate for the needs of Arizonans. I'm proud that we've been able to work together to pass a bipartisan state budget. Particularly as a member of the Appropriations committee, my role requires me to focus on the policies and funding priorities that will move Arizona forward, regardless of origin. Most of the best bills that have passed the legislature have been improved through the bipartisan amendment process, and it isn't unusual to see Democratic support for a bill change as a bill is amended for the better.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Representative Lorena Austin is a 5th-generation Arizonan whose lifelong love for advocacy and leadership has been rooted in LD9 for a century.

They graduated from Mesa Community College and transferred to Arizona State University where they received a degree in U.S. & Mexican Regional Immigration Policy, and a certificate in Cross-Sector Leadership. Rep. Austin has worked in the public, private, and non-profit sectors such as Verizon’s Innovative Learning Program, they designed the Maricopa Student Senate, which placed a student on the Governing Board for the first time in the Maricopa County Community College District. Before becoming an elected official, they served as the student government advisor at Mesa Community College.

Community is the foundation of Rep. Austin’s work. They helped rally COVID-19 relief for Indigenous communities and serves residents through the work of United Food Bank. Rep. Austin is the first Chicane, non-binary person elected to any state legislature in the U.S. and currently serves the residents of LD9 in West Mesa and Tempe. They currently sit on the House Commerce and Appropriations committees, and serves as Secretary of the Latino Caucus. In their first term, Rep. Austin succeeded in passing a $40 million dollar investment in the Arizona Promise Program which helps college students pay tuition. Additionally, Rep. Austin was a resounding voice in combating multiple anti-LGBTQ+ bills that were ultimately vetoed.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Representing my community has been at the heart of everything I do. It’s where my family has lived for 100 years and where I chose to build my life and its legacy of community service.

I have been intentional and consistent about representing my community and continue to stay engaged in local issues. I sit on multiple community boards and volunteer with our local non-profits. I know our local business owners and have built relationships with city leaders. You’ll run into me around our district because it’s where I choose to spend my time. If it’s not a local point, it’s not a focal point.Growing up in an underrepresented community has impacted my policy-making decisions which are centered around legislation that will positively impact everyday Arizonans who are working hard to make ends meet. For example, I submitted legislation last session that would create a State IRA Program, which would allow Arizonans to invest in a personal pension plan. It would be a low cost to the State, free to employers and it would give autonomy to employees with their savings.The fact of the matter is that we will not be able to live in our home state if we do not address our water crisis. The majority party has been nothing but irresponsible with our State’s most precious resource. We must be proactive in groundwater replenishment, implement policies that measure how much water is available, and enact legislation that conserves water not uses it irresponsibly.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Affordable Housing: Rising housing costs have left many Arizonans in limbo. Residents who once saw a future of owning a house now face the real possibility of relocation. We must lower rental costs and allow cities to work with local stakeholders to create equitable living opportunities for all residents.

Education: We can no longer afford to be ranked #49 in education funding per pupil and ranked #50 in teacher pay. Arizona's children deserve quality education regardless of the district or community they are a part of.

Reproductive Healthcare: I believe the state should not dictate the medical decisions made between a patient and their provider. Reproductive healthcare is a critical right for Arizonans.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

I believe that an elected official should be active in the community they serve and make decisions that are best interest of constituents regardless of the ideologies of party affiliation. Staying engaged once elected is equally important to ensure constituents are informed and have accessibility to those elected.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job out of high school was working at our local YMCA. I did everything from being a lifeguard, refereeing basketball games, taught workout classes, and worked the front desk. I've knocked on doors of residents who remember me from all those years ago!

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Lorena Austin is a 5th generation Arizonan whose lifelong love for advocacy and leadership has been rooted in Mesa for almost a century. For over twenty years, Austin’s grandparents owned and operated Albert’s Market in Mesa, which served all residents including minorities residing in segregated neighborhoods. They were well known in Mesa for serving on community boards that advocated for equity and inclusion. Lorena currently works alongside her father, a civil rights attorney, in hopes of continuing the advancement of communities in Mesa.

She has worked with Verizon’s Innovative Learning Program, which brought advanced technology and curriculum to Title 1 schools across the country. As a project manager at the Maricopa County Community College District (“MCCCD”), she designed the Maricopa Student Senate developed to enhance the voice of students from each of the ten individual colleges and placed a student on the MCCCD Governing Board for the first time in the District’s history.

She went on to graduate from the School of Transborder Studies at Arizona State University with a degree in Chicano/a Latino/a Studies, where she focused on U.S. & Mexican Regional Immigration Policy and Economy and obtained a certificate in Cross-Sector Leadership. Austin graduated Summa Cum Laude and was awarded the prestigious Dean's Medal for her academic and co-curricular achievements at Arizona State University ("ASU").She currently serves as a Student Government Advisor at MCC.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Education must be a priority for Arizona. We can no longer afford to be ranked #49 in education funding per pupil. Currently, Arizona ranks #50 in teacher pay. Our P-20 education deserves quality educators who are supported by their state. Arizona's children deserve quality education regardless of the district or community they are a part of.The current rising housing costs have left many residents of Mesa in limbo. Residents who once saw a future of owning a house now face the real possibility of relocation. We must work with the state to reinstate community housing, allowing cities to work with local stakeholders to create equitable living opportunities for all residents.Millions of Americans are without medical insurance. We must support the passage nationally by Congress of Medicare for All. At the state level, offering a public option through Medicaid to all Arizonans makes sense. The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) is one of the best-run Medicaid programs in the nation. It is imperative that we build on that success by allowing every Arizonan to affordably buy into the program. In addition, the United States continues to be the only developed country that does not guarantee paid family leave to workers. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us this policy is one of the most impactful ways to support our working families.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education, affordable housing, healthcare, community resources, climate crisis and water crisis, and reproductive rights.