Quick Take
Zoë Carter is not interested in empty promises, she writes. She likes straight talk and honest work. As director of operations for the Monterey County Business Council, she helped small businesses and major industries navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and now says she is ready for statewide office. She also focuses on homelessness, health care and energy as prime concerns.
What you won’t get from me as your Assemblymember is broken promises.
It’s easy to answer yes to get your vote, but that’s not the type of representative I strive to be.
I do not want to give my constituents the answers they want to hear, but can’t deliver. I want to be the person who works with our communities toward solutions.
I am director of operations at the Monterey County Business Council and past chair of the city of Monterey’s Architectural Review Committee. I received a bachelor’s in human communication and global studies from California State University Monterey Bay in 2010 (go Otters!) and a master’s in international relations from London’s Hult International Business School in 2011.
I have deep roots in the Central Coast. I spent most of my life in Santa Barbara and Monterey counties and have a clear, deep understanding of the issues and needs of the constituents of the district.
I’ve helped coordinate the Panetta Institute’s countywide literacy program and, at the business council, I worked with individuals and corporations during the COVID-19 crisis to help them recover from the crisis and navigate and receive emergency funding to keep their employees financially afloat.
In 2011, for several months, I worked in the policy office of First Lady Michelle Obama, and in 2015, I served as communications coordinator at the Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau. I am currently a member of Monterey’s Architectural Review Committee, where I oversee housing development proposals and building plans. I am a founding member of the Salinas Valley Blue Zones Food Policy Committee and a board member of the Democratic Women of Monterey County.
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I have the experience, ideas and drive to get policy enacted at the state level.
For instance, on issues such as:
Homelessness: We need to help those who want it immediately. The “housing first and only” policy isn’t working. Yes, our unhoused need a stable place to call home. They also need the services and treatments required to sustain that home.
Access to health care and medical providers: Everyone not only needs, but deserves, access to quality health care. But creating a massive new state program with CalCare and having the largest tax increase in California history is not the way to do it. We first need to work on fixing the medical provider shortage, so that people can have actual access to quality health care and also work to make sure we get everyone health care coverage under MediCal or Covered California.
Energy: By now we’ve all seen the news that blackouts loom this summer. We need an “all of the above” approach to solving our energy issues. From renewable energy to biofuels on down. We need to maximize our energy sources here in California, while also ensuring the protection of our environment — particularly the treasure of the Central Coast, our coastline. We can’t be reliant on others, especially given the current state of world affairs.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has come out in favor of keeping Diablo Canyon Power Plant open past its 2025 closure date. Nuclear energy provides our nation more than half of our carbon-free energy. I look forward to working with Gov. Newsom to ensure that Diablo Canyon remains open and safe.
Small business: We need to assist local businesses cope with COVID-19-related problems. Local government needs to provide assistance and advice about insurance, staff management, and ways to reinvent business and tourism as we rebuild our economy
This is my straightforward, common-sense agenda for Assembly District 30.
I hope to earn your vote on June 7.
Zoë Carter is the director of operations at the Monterey Business Council and a California State University Monterey Bay graduate. She volunteers with Monterey Peninsula Young Professionals, the Junior League of Monterey County, and the Democratic Women of Monterey County. She has many plants, grows veggies in her small garden every year, and is a part-time mom to a rescue dog. She has lived in Assembly District 30 for 12.5 years. Find her campaign site here.
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