AJ Thomas
Template:TOCnestleft Amar (AJ) Thomas
Standing for AD 19
In 2019 AJ Thomas stood from AD 19 for the California Democratic Party Central Committee.
I am running because I firmly believe that we must create consensus around progressive values in order for the party to hold our elected officials accountable. It was an honor to serve the Democratic voters of Assembly District 19 as a proxy-delegate to the 2018 California Democratic Convention. Witnessing all the work it took to develop consensus at the convention inspired me to run as a delegate this year.
I am a proud member-officer of IFPTE Local 21, where I serve as chair of our pension oversight committee and on the union’s political action committee to support pro-labor candidates. I represent Local 21 as a delegate to the San Francisco Labor Council, where I serve on the Public Employees Committee. I have dedicated my time at Local 21 and the SF Labor Council around progressive values that ensure San Francisco’s working people have a unified front against corporate greed.
Progressive values are deeply personal for me. Growing up, I listened to the stories of my mother’s family fleeing from persecution. This instilled in me a strong belief for protecting the rights of our nation’s undocumented immigrants, who come here seeking a better life. As the son of a lifelong blue collar union member, I am committed to the rights of workers to organize for fair wages. As the first in my family to graduate from college and then go on to obtain graduate degrees in law and political-economics, I know the value of a quality public education from pre-K through graduate school. As a longtime San Francisco renter, who has had to navigate archaic and confusing rent control laws, arbitrary rent spikes, and sparse rental markets, I am committed to easing that path for others. I volunteer as a counselor at the San Francisco Tenants Union and advocate on measures that will help house our homeless, and allow cities to make their own rent control laws. These life experiences have shaped who I am and why I am running to be your delegate to the California Democratic Party.[1]