I am Dr. Alice Stek. A physician, educator, and socialist who has served on the front lines of California’s healthcare system for over 32 years. As an Obstetrician, Gynecologist, and an HIV specialist, I treat the most vulnerable patients and witness first hand how our political and economic systems fail the working class. This daily reality solidifies a conviction I have held since my youth: that socialism is the only cure to the ailing system of capitalism.
As a lifelong activist and 30-year member of the Peace and Freedom Party in Venice, California, I have seen how corporate greed and unaffordable housing can threaten the heart of a community. I am running for Lieutenant Governor to build a mass movement that challenges this corrupt system.
I'm fighting to make California a state for the people and not the billionaires. California is the fourth richest economy in the world, where workers generate trillions of dollars in wealth annually. But that wealth funnels into the hands of billionaires and big corporations instead of going toward our families and neighbors.
Californians deserve affordable housing; free, high quality education and healthcare for all; and a job with good working conditions and a livable wage; whether or not they are documented citizens. We constantly hear the excuse that “the money isn’t there.” But the reality is that billionaires and corporate executives are pocketing our hard earned money. There are other countries with far less resources that do so much more for their citizens. Meanwhile, people here in California have to debate whether they are “sick enough” to seek medical support in fear of going into medical debt or whether they should choose between filling up their gas tank or buying groceries. People like you and me shouldn’t have to foot the bill for these social services. We need the billionaires and corporations to pay up.
Imagine a California that provides free higher education to all and the abolition of all student loan debt. Imagine the full divestment of university assets from Israel and weapons manufacturing companies, as well as a codified language in the Code of Conduct that anti-zionism does not equate to anti-semitism. Imagine campuses free of police and immigration customs enforcement (ICE) terror, and full support and protection to academic free speech and union workers. As a socialist that would sit on three Boards that govern all public higher education institutions in California (i.e., the UC, CSU, and community colleges), in tandem with calling for ongoing mass mobilizations and community organization, we can make these ideals a material reality.
The Lieutenant Governor also chairs the state’s Commission on Economic Development as well as the State Lands Commission and the California Coastal Commission. I would call for community colleges and universities to research existing knowledge, labor, and data gaps across all markets (such as teacher and healthcare worker shortages). From there, my team and I could make informed decisions to close these gaps so that we can meet the needs of Californians. A strong economy is reflected by the dignified lives of the people running the economy, not by the number of profits stolen by the ultra-rich. I would also invest in ecological restoration projects, along the coast and inland, and fight to expand our renewable energy and public transit infrastructure. These moves will make California more resilient to climate change and sea level rise.
We are long overdue for a society that is governed by a system that protects and celebrates all minorities. Black Americans deserve reparations. Immigrants deserve a full path to citizenship. Indigenous tribes deserve to have their treaties ratified and honored. Women and LGBT+ people deserve protection from gender-based bias. All minorities deserve social, economic, and political safety and dignity. The billionaires want to pit us against each other, but my campaign calls on building solidarity between all sections of the working class. There are about 40 million working class people living in California and only 194 billionaires. It’s due time we unite to take back what is ours. But we will only win what we are organized to take.
My campaign is an extension of the people's movement, showing what our demands in the street look like when a socialist is in office as Lieutenant Governor, fighting for the rights and dignity of the working class. So join me, because even between elections, I’m fighting to make California a place for the people and NOT the billionaires.
