Page 46 - Tom Steyer Issue

46 ABILITY
tomSTEYER
Businessman, climate activist and former presidential candidate Tom Steyer spoke with ABILITY during his run to be the 2020 Democratic nominee for president. In that interview, Steyer spoke about policies he’d push through on behalf of people with disabilities: namely, to fully fund the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), to increase affordable housing, and to make sure people with disabili- ties remain as independent as possible. Recently, ABILITY’s Chet Cooper reconnected with Steyer via phone to continue the conversation into the realm of the current Covid-19 health crisis, the intersection of climate change and disabilities, and his nonprofit, California Food for California Kids, among other topics.
Cooper: Nice to catch up after your run for the Presidency. Can you share your efforts work- ing with the Governor's Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery?
Steyer: Our mission statement includes the idea of coming out as fast and as safely as possi- ble, in a just, sustainable, and forward-looking way. And, making sure we put the interests of the under-resourced communities first–those who bore the brunt of the health impacts and the job impacts of this crisis. But I think part of that mission statement specifically relates to sus- tainability. As we rebuild the state, let’s do it for the long run. Let’s rebuild a state that is sus- tainable, where we’re making investments that put people to work now and in good-paying, full-wage jobs, but let’s also make sure that what we’re building makes sense, that what we’re