Senator Fatima Zeini of California

Background:
I am 49 years old and happily married with two wonderful kids, one boy and one girl. I
graduated from Harvard University with a Masters in Law, completing a personal goal, and
felt compelled to further pursue a Bachelors Degree in Political Science from Stanford
University. After graduating from Stanford, I returned to my hometown of Oakland,
California to work in a public relations company. There, I analyzed and interpreted public

opinion on several important issues, including womens rights issues and health issues.
After leaving this company, I became governor of California for four years, followed by a
two-year term as a representative for California. One prominent topic that I pursued for
several years aimed to prevent housing discrimination. Currently, I am working in
cooperation with the Coro Foundation in San Francisco, an organization that aims to
support and promote leadership.1 Ive been a member of the Senate for six years thus far.

Issues:
I am very concerned with the overwhelming amount of shootings that have recently
occurred in the nation. The number of shootings has grown significantly. There have been
over 50 school shootings in 2015 alone, and people are dying because our gun control laws
arent as strict as they need to be. There have been over 140 school shootings in the US
since the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in 2012, where 27 people died (20 being first
graders).2 There have been a number of school shootings in my home state of California in
the past few years, including but not limited to the school shootings in Sacramento City
College, Tenaya Middle School, and Edison High School. 3 Not only have there been multiple
school shootings, but many shootings in public areas. There have been over 300 mass
shootings and over 13,000 gun-related deaths in 2015. 4 Gun violence is also racially
targeted, as African Americans are more than twice as likely to die from gun violence than
white people are.5 Tragedies resulting from gun violence have occurred in multiple states
and can and will continue to happen if we dont place more restrictions on gun ownership
and use. We need laws that help prevent these awful crimes from recurring. The shootings
arent isolated to only a few states in the US, but many places, which is why this issue
deserves national attention. We need to act on this issue immediately to protect our lives
and the nation from further distraught.

Political Philosophy:
Im a strong Democratic liberal because I believe that change can benefit the nation and
the people in many ways. I think its important to take action and to not hesitate doing so
in order to achieve equality. I believe its in the best interest of the country for the
government to take a role in addressing economic and social issues.

Approach to Representation:
I'm a delegate because I believe that I need to represent my constituents and what they
think is best. I will take steps to act on what I believe will protect and help my

1 http://coronorcal.org
2 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/us-school-shooting_560d88bde4b0af3706dff6b8
3 http://everytownresearch.org/school-shootings/
4 http://www.gunviolencearchive.org/past-tolls
5 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/09/19/the-racial-divide-in-americas-gun-deaths/

constituents and the country in the long-term. Additionally, I'm carrying out the will of
the people and the desires to protect their lives and the nation.

About California:
Demographic: California is the most populous state in America with around 38 million
people.6 According to a 2011 census, the population is composed of 74% whites, 6.6%
blacks, 13.6% Asians, 1.0% American Indians, and 4.0% others. 7The population is composed
of 50.2% females and 49.8% males. The average age is 33.3 years old. 8
Economic basis: Most people in California are non-farmers who run businesses or work in
stores. 9 California has a very productive economy that it is the national leader in both
dairy products and the production of fruits and vegetables. Silicon Valley, known for its
software development, is home to many high-tech companies. California is also known for
its major entertainment industries and theme parks such as Disneyland. Tourism also
brings in a lot of income.10
Geography: Californias the third largest state in terms of land size, and its on the far
west, meeting the Pacific Ocean. It has a diverse climate, mountains, valleys, ranges, and
big and small cities. Its capital is Sacramento.
Important Issues: Some of the many issues important to the people of California include
the unreliable water system, uncertain revenue, wall of debt, lack of public retirement
benefits, lack of health care, low educational standards, a high crime rate, an uneven
economy, and a low voter turnout.11
Map of California:

6 http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06000.html
7 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_California
8 http://www.infoplease.com/us/census/data/california/demographic.html
9 http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06000.html
10 http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/us/california-economy.html
11 http://cacs.org/research/unsustainable-california-the-top-10-issues-facing-the-golden-stateintroduction/

12

Committee:
I would like to serve on the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs: Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management because gun control regulation falls
under that category, and I would like to protect the people and the nation by implementing
stricter gun control policies.

What I Provide:
My office aids with specific caseworks that resolve issues with federal agencies for my
constituents. Some specifics include help with predatory lending, pending home
foreclosure, inquiries on pending cases or reasons for denial, and federal grants. 13

Updates:
President Barack Obama delivered his final State of the Union address last night 1/12/15.
It was a powerful, motivating speech that addressed many of the issues that we have the
potential to fix. He started off by listing a number of important issues that I believe the
country needs to focus on fixing in the next few years, such as protecting kids from gun
violence, having equal pay, and fixing the immigration system. I agree that we have the
12 http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/USA/california_map.htm
13 http://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/casework#tips

potential to progress on these issues.14 Obama also addressed the economic issues we are
facing, and I do agree that the economy needs to work for everybody, not just the
wealthy. I also agree that we should build on the progress weve made to ensure that more
Americans get an education by doing things like offering every student hands-on
computer science and math classes to ready them for jobs. I agree that we need to make
college more affordable instead of just reducing student loan payments because colleges
today are really expensive and leave many students in debt. I definitely support Obamas
interest in curing cancer since we lose many people a day to this horrible disease. I agree
with the President that parties shouldnt be so divided but should instead work together
to improve the country and the economy. Obama also addressed issues regarding the
climate change. I think its important for us to take initiative to protect the environment,
but at the same time, we also have to consider the economic side of these issues and the
potential future job losses it can create. ISIL is a global threat, and I believe that we
need to take strong action to destroy it. Overall, Obama delivered a very strongly-worded,
powerful State of the Union address that not only focuses on issues that we should work
to improve in the next several years, but also addresses the progress weve made the past
seven years.

Contact:
Email: fatimaz@mcgeheeschool.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/fatimazeini
Work Cited:
"Home." CORO Home Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2016. <http://coronorcal.org/>.
Wing, Nick. "There Have Been 45 Shootings At Schools So Far This Year." Huffingtonpost Politics. N.p.,
12
Oct. 2015. Web. 06 Jan. 2016. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/us-school-shooting_
560d88bde4b0af3706dff6b8>.
"The Long, Shameful List of School Shootings in America." EverytownResearch.org. N.p., 02 Oct. 2015.
Web. 05 Jan. 2016. <http://everytownresearch.org/school-shootings/>.
"Past Summary Ledgers." Past Summary Ledgers. Gun Violence Archive, n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2016.
<http://www.gunviolencearchive.org/past-tolls>.
"The Racial Divide in Americas Gun Deaths." Washington Post. The Washington Post, n.d. Web. 05 Jan.
2016. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/09/19/the-racial-divide-in-americas
-gun-deaths/>.
"California QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau." California QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau.
N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2016. <http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06000.html>.
"Demographics of California." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 06 Jan. 2016. Web. 06 Jan. 2016.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_California>.
"California Demographic Statistics." Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2016.
<http://www.infoplease.com/us/census/data/california/demographic.html>.
"California QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau." California QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau.
N.p., 01 Dec. 2015. Web. 05 Jan. 2016. <http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06000.html>.
"California: Economy." Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2016.
<http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/us/california-economy.html>.

14 http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/13/us/politics/obama-2016-sotu-transcript.html

http://cacs.org/research/unsustainable-california-the-top-10-issues-facing-the-golden-state-introduction/
http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/USA/california_map.htm
http://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/casework#tips