Carina’s Key Issues
An Economy That Works for All of Us
Working families across Illinois are struggling—and suburban communities like ours are no exception. Inflation, housing costs, child care, student debt, and the basic cost of living are stretching people thin. While billionaires and corporations get tax breaks, everyday families are left making impossible choices.
It’s time for economic policy that reflects our reality—not Wall Street’s.
Illinois families are doing everything right—but still feel like they’re falling behind. We need leaders who see that pain and respond with real action. I’ll be a voice in Springfield for economic policies that actually make life more affordable—not harder.
-
Champion affordable and workforce housing options across the northwest suburbs.
Promote smart, inclusive development that protects existing neighborhoods and invests in infrastructure.
Address root causes of homelessness through housing-first solutions—not criminalization.
Support crisis response alternatives and trauma-informed policing models.
-
Expand services for foster youth, youth aging out of care, and families in crisis.
Fund prevention-first models like Healthy Families Illinois and home visiting.
Strengthen wraparound support for kinship care, LGBTQ+ youth, and youth survivors of trafficking.
Fight for fair treatment of undocumented and DACAmented families accessing services.
-
Raise the minimum wage and strengthen paid leave protections.
Expand access to affordable child care and early education.
Protect labor rights and uplift unions as partners in economic equity.
Ensure tax policy supports—not penalizes—middle- and lower-income families.
-
Fully fund public schools, including mental health and social-emotional supports.
Ensure state funding formulas are equitable across all districts—urban, suburban, and rural.
Protect public education from voucher expansion and curriculum censorship.
Advocate for inclusive, anti-racist curriculum and teacher diversity.
-
Expand Medicaid access and mental health coverage, especially for youth and marginalized communities.
Invest in community-based behavioral health and substance use recovery programs.
Protect reproductive rights and ensure comprehensive care across the state.
-
Push for alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent offenses and youth.
End collaboration between ICE and local law enforcement.
Protect sanctuary policies and expand legal protections for immigrant communities.
Oppose policies that target marginalized groups through surveillance, bans, or criminalization.
-
Support a just transition to clean energy with union jobs.
Protect natural resources and suburban green spaces, including the Salt Creek watershed.
Invest in climate resiliency planning and sustainable transportation.
-
Ensure state decisions reflect the needs of all communities—not just Chicago and Springfield.
Increase transparency and collaboration between state and local government.
Protect home rule and support municipal innovation in areas like public art, economic development, and zoning.