About I was not expecting to run this season but when I found that only democrats were running for office in our district, I figured I had nothing to lose by running and letting them split their votes. You have nothing to lose by writing in my name if you thought you didn't have an option. I am an average citizen. I am an active member in my church and serve on the board. I am a teacher of over 13 years, a wife, a mother of two boys, a knitter, an avid reader, responsible gun owner, I watched Tiger King...you know pretty average. While I always spent much of my personal time staying up on politics, I was pretty quiet about my views and never let my personal life crossover into my professional but this year I didn't have a choice. This year I was placed on unpaid leave over unscientific covid policies. I am not a health threat. I am not an extremist and I am tired of tyranny in California and being told to accept things the way they are. This is my story.
My husband and I moved to Stockton in 2008, escaping our home town of San Francisco and all of its failed policies. Public drug use, unsanitary sidewalks, lenient crime policies and social agendas targeting the youth. We came to a county that was affordable, or at least it was. In my 14 years as a Stockton resident, I have worked as a public school teacher, prioritizing early reading and writing intervention. I started a family in 2013, and in 2020, my youngest son was diagnosed with autism. As a teacher and parent, I see that all kids have different needs, strengths, and deserve an education that matches. For that reason and many others I support school choice and collected signatures to put that on the ballot. I finished my Masters in Education and earned my Administrative service credential; my goal was to continue to serve school aged students on a more impactful scale; to be the advocate for families in the room with the superintendents and policy makers when big decisions are made. In March of 2020, schools across the county shut down. I sent my students messages daily, videos of myself reading stories daily, I asked to be part of meetings and suggested ways our teachers could get out and support our students but was told to wait while all the policy makers, far removed from the classroom, made the decisions for us. I felt helpless, I was told to stay put while I attempted to support families without a plan as my own son with special needs was denied access to his services. Never again. The following year was the year of distance learning. I fought to meet families in person, and set up orientations so that they felt supported during an unprecedented year. During that year, social skills, speech skills and academics declined for children. In the fall of 2021 I began publicly advocating for mask choice understanding that with the lowest risk factors, young children need to breath, read lips, and see smiles. I sent emails, spoke at board meetings and maintained professionalism while advocating for parent choice. I made a lot of people uncomfortable. After the school year started, Gavin Newsom released a press statement targeting the education system, school employees would be mandated to show proof of vaccination or test weekly. Teachers are required to sign an oath to the constitution and I will defend the right to privacy, equal protection under the law and every other right written. I filed my religious exemption and advocated for safe, proven accommodations. I was placed on unpaid leave this January and denied the ability to earn a paycheck in the field I sacrificed for. I was shunned by colleagues who didn't want to make waves but I believe in standing up for our kids and our rights. My story is not unique. You may know nurses, fire fighters, police officers, flight attendants and the list goes on who have lost their jobs all while litigation wages. It is a scary and lonely path to walk when you are convicted and while a lot of people turned their backs on me, I found a community that supported me. I found that many people shared the same values but were too afraid of getting canceled. Now more than ever we must push back on government overreach. I have seen far too many move out of state and give up hope. For months now, I regularly reach out to representatives up and down California. I sent email, called, showed up to the senate and stood on street corners with signs to make people aware of SB-871 and other bad bills, and when the people are loud enough they make their voices heard. We can do it again. Don't believe that we don't have a chance. We do. Let them split the vote. You can write in Jessica Wagner for Assembly District 13. We'll only lose if we don't try. |