Tustin school trustee takes aim at Congress – Orange County Register

The race for California’s 40th congressional district in 2024 is heating up with the entry of Tustin Unified School District administrator Allyson Muñiz Damikolas.

An engineer before her two daughters were diagnosed with life-threatening conditions that left them with ‘complex medical needs’, Damikolas said she made the decision to run for abortion rights , gun laws to reduce school shootings, and better access to health care.

“I feel like it’s a calling,” Damikolas said of his run. “Right now, our kids really need us to stand up for them and our community.”

“I think as a Latina, someone whose family has been here for generations, someone who is now raising their own family, I represent not only Orange County, but Southern California in its together, and the diversity of it all,” said Damikolas. .

Damikolas first joined the TUSD board in 2020, surviving a Republican-backed recall election shortly after being elected as the first Latina Democrat. That recall, she said, gave her the experience to deal with “political games.”

At the school board, she had to juggle funding for building upgrades and new manuals with automatic locks and other security measures to protect children from shooters, she said.

“It’s scary, both as a mother and as a school board member who is responsible for 23,000 children,” Damikolas said.

Damikolas kicked off his campaign on Wednesday, May 24 with a video criticizing incumbent GOP Rep. Young Kim.

A spokesperson for Kim declined to comment for this story.

The 40th Congressional District covers eastern Orange County as well as parts of western San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

It’s on the Democrats’ target list for 2024, but Republicans have the edge with nearly 38% of registered voters versus Democrats’ 33.6% and the 22.6% who indicate no party preference. . Kim soundly beat challenger Asif Mahmood, a Democrat from Tustin, in 2022.

Writer Hanna Kang contributed to this report.