Matt Ortega

Matt Ortega graduated from San Ramon Valley High School. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, Tucson in 2006. His career experience includes working as a web developer.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a husband, father, small business owner, and union member.

I grew up in Hayward off Harder and Mission in a home my parents owned on a single income. My mother, a stay-at-home mom, lived for her children and active in our classrooms, the PTA, and Little League until she passed away from cancer at age 37 in 1992. My grandmother stepped up to ensure we were cared for while my father worked. She slept on our couch five days a week and we spent weekends and summers with her in Oakland for six years.

As a teenager, I taught myself how to code, picking up graphic design, and was fortunate enough to merge interests with politics. It resulted in a twenty year career and successful small business.

My wife is the daughter of Ethiopian refugees who started businesses and were able to buy a home in East Oakland.

We have two sons, both of whom have autism diagnoses.

Our family's challenges mirror that of many families in California's 14th: on housing, health care, and child care.

My wife and both hold good-paying jobs but homeownership is out of reach for us.

Our health insurance premiums doubled this year—and that makes us one of the luckier ones as many families saw theirs skyrocket further.

We had to make the tough decision to send only one of our two boys to child care part-time because it is so expensive, unable to provide the early childhood development that the research shows the benefits of which are tremendous.

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?

Our system is broken. In the richest nation on earth, life should be easier than this.

I am offering the boldest agenda for change in this race.

We can free families and small businesses from the burden of skyrocketing premiums with Medicare for All.

We can provide affordable and sustainable housing with a federal housing construction program built around smart growth strategies and downpayment assistance for first-time homebuyers.

We can ensure our children have the best possible start with a national free child care program.

And we can pay for it all by taxing the wealthy who skip out on paying taxes and cutting the bloated defense budget.Donald Trump is the most corrupt president in American history.

We must hold him and his administration accountable. With a Democratic House majority, we must hold public hearings and investigate acts of corruption and violations of the law.

Over the course of the next two years, House Democrats must secure documents, compel testimony, and provide evidence of criminal wrongdoing to state law enforcement partners in Democratic states like California, Illinois, and Minnesota to prosecute lawbreakers for state crimes.

When a new Democratic president is able to clean house at DOJ, we then must pursue federal charges.

We must not make the same mistake and "turn the page" on this era. There must be prosecutions.Donald Trump did not create the cracks in our democracy. He merely exploited them. If we do not act to secure and expand our democracy, they will outlast him, too.

If we allow these structural defects in our democracy to persist, they will only worsen and be left for our children to contend with.

We must take these next two years to hold the line against this administration. In 2028, we have the opportunity to secure a Democratic trifecta and pass a robust and bold agenda for change.

In this campaign, I have outlined a long-term vision to reform our democracy, strengthening it, and making it more responsive to the people.

It can be achieve with majority vote in Congress and constitutional amendment(s).

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Policy that lifts burdens off the shoulders of working people and expands the freedom of the American people to get ahead and enjoy life.