This year we are seeing an increase in the number of progressive candidates who are running. One group that sponsors progressive candidates is Justice Democrats. Founded by members of Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign a mere three days after Donald Trump was sworn in for his first presidential term, Justice Democrats supports candidates who reject corporate money in their campaigns. Jejune has profiled several of the Justice Democrats candidates who have run since then.

This cycle, we are profiling another candidate, Angela Gonzalez-Torres (she/her), a Chicana millennial and community organizer in Los Angeles. She is running in the Congressional district that represents both Downtown and East Los Angeles. After time working on the Highland Park Neighborhood Council, Metro’s Public Safety Advisory Committee, and in the LA Mayor’s office, this district native is now running a grassroots, student-led, community-informed campaign to face the challenges of the highest costs of incarceration, the dirtiest air in Los Angeles County, and the largest number of eviction notices in the city. Angela’s top campaign issues include housing for all, economic dignity and security, healthcare for all, climate action, education and youth empowerment, immigration reform and community advocacy, and a pro-peace foreign policy.

Where are you based?
I live in Northeast Los Angeles, where four generations of my family are rooted in Highland Park. My mom is one of fourteen siblings and my dad is one of twelve, so I have relatives across Southern California, as well as family in Tijuana.

What is your position/what position are you running for?
I’m an Advocate for Equity and Justice, which will be my designation on the ballot on June 2nd. I’m running for California’s 34th Congressional District, which includes Boyle Heights, Chinatown, City Terrace, Cypress Park, Downtown LA, Eagle Rock, El Sereno, Elysian Park, Glassell Park, Highland Park, Historic Filipinotown, Koreatown, Little Bangladesh, Little Tokyo, Lincoln Heights, Montecito Heights, Mt. Washington, Skid Row, Pico-Union, and Westlake.

It is the heart of Los Angeles and home to one of the largest immigrant populations in the country.

How would you briefly summarize your platform?
We are fighting to get corporate money out of politics. Our priorities are affordability by supporting working people, accountability through equitable taxation and public investment, access by expanding education and youth programs, and abolition by ending ICE and for-profit prisons.

What inspired you to run?
I have proudly stood with my neighbors across this district for years in the absence of our current Congressmember. In 2024, I stood in the pouring rain in Lincoln Heights alongside dying elders, parents with rare cancers, and children suffering from asthma due to environmental injustice. Every office was represented except his. That moment stayed with me.

I wondered how someone could be so unapologetically absent. That experience inspired me to get involved in the congressional campaign challenging him back then. Alongside many others, we nearly unseated the incumbent with 44.4% of the vote, even as CA-34 was the only general election targeted by AIPAC with over $2 million. I realized that no wonder he doesn’t show up for us, he doesn’t work for us, he works for an unregistered pro-Israel lobby group.

We felt then, as we do now, that we cannot forget the actions or inactions of elected officials who had the opportunity and responsibility to stand with us but didn’t. I was ultimately asked to step up by my community that believes we deserve representation that reflects our values and our courage. That, along with my own experience being system-impacted, is what inspired me to run.

What change are you hoping to bring to your district and country?
The top issues impacting people right now are the rising cost of living, attacks on immigrant and working communities, and excessive spending on war instead of investing at home. On day one, I would sign onto the Stop Price Gouging in Grocery Stores Act, the Abolish Super PACs Act, and the Block the Bombs Act that could ease the burden on working families.

I will work to bring accountability, transparency, and meaningful solutions to those that elect me to represent them. These commitments are reflected in the broad coalition supporting this campaign now and pushing for real long-term change.

What do you consider to be your major accomplishments so far?
From serving as President of the Highland Park Neighborhood Council to working in the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office and as a regional representative on Metro’s Public Safety Advisory Committee, I have dedicated my life to showing up for my community.

One of my greatest accomplishments has been working alongside students who have overcome cycles of incarceration through education. Together, we have built a campaign where people have chosen to store their hope right now.

As the only woman in this race, I have also used my voice to uplift those who have been historically silenced and ignored.

What do you feel are the most important issues right now, why, and how do you plan to tackle them?
Every Angeleno I speak to — from Skid Row to Eagle Rock to Boyle Heights and Koreatown — is struggling with the cost of living. The two biggest issues we face are housing and education.

I have worked in permanent affordable housing that helps families and seniors exit homelessness, supports survivors of domestic violence, and provides wraparound services including therapy and lifelong learning opportunities. I have seen what is possible when we invest with care.

I also work to help people transition from incarceration into higher education. Protecting and fully funding education is a top priority. Too many students are living in their cars, and too many people in recovery cannot access long-term opportunities due to short-term housing restrictions.

I would introduce the Overcoming Recidivism Act to address inequality at its roots. Currently, about 65% of formerly or currently incarcerated people lack a high school diploma. Education significantly reduces recidivism, and this proposal would fund two to four years of housing, vocational training, and mental health services for system-impacted students.

America is extremely divided these days. How would you hope to bridge that divide?
I recently heard Michelle Obama answer a similar question on a podcast, and I want to start by quoting her: ‘We can remember what it felt like when we felt more connected.’

I truly believe we can find our common ground and stand our ground together against algorithms that are designed and that quite literally profit from our division. Social media, in my view, isn’t the platform for such important conversations. That’s why I’ve been committed to creating in-person spaces where community members can come together, listen, and engage with one another. It’s not always easy. I think our current congressmember knows that, which is why he has not held in-person town halls or fully immersed himself in the community. From day one, that’s something I would prioritize because I believe we bridge divides by showing up consistently, listening with intention, and focusing on what unites us.

For me, in moments of division, I try to “get curious”—a tool my advisor, Cyndi Ottenson, taught me. Instead of rushing to debate, we ask: in a world where we can be anything, do we want to be at odds, or do we want to move forward together? Asking questions can shift the energy in powerful ways.

That said, with do-nothing Democrats like Jimmy Gomez, debate is necessary. His hypocritical stance or criticizing Trump while benefiting from donors who also support Trump reflects a larger problem that contributes to division within our Party and our communities.

I’m proud to be doing my part to help us feel more connected again.

How do you see your identity and background as an asset?
I am the daughter of a deportee, raised by a single mother in Section 8 housing. I am a product of LAUSD, community college, and UCLA as a nontraditional student. I have studied my own lived experiences and explored how incarceration, displacement, and gentrification intersect globally. More importantly, I’ve gained the professional expertise to help keep families together. I have traveled to learn from other communities — from Japan to Vietnam to Oaxaca — and have seen how people understand struggle, resistance, and solidarity across the world.

I am running to represent the place I grew up in not because I want to be a politician, but because I was asked to step up by people who have endured so much like I have and still believe in hope. I know where I come from, and I can connect with people from all walks of life.

I truly believe none of us are free until all of us are free, and I carry future generations with me in every decision.

What is your motto in life?
The only time we should look down on others is when we are helping them up!

Where can we find out more about you?
You can learn more at www.angela4congress.com or follow the campaign on social media at @angela4congress (IG) and @angela4ca (X). Let’s get corporate money out of our politics together.

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2026 - Angela Gonzales-Torres, California's 34th Congressional District