California: Shubham Goel, a 22-year-old Indian American graduate of UCLA, has announced he intends to run for governor of California to fix a plethora of issues that have troubled the city for some time now. Goel is the son of Indian immigrants from Uttar Pradesh. He graduated from UCLA with a degree in economics and a minor in film and TV.
He’s running for governor - in a packed field that includes Democratic candidates Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, California state Treasurer John Chiang, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and GOP candidate state Assemblyman Travis Allen, among many others. “I’m an everyday born and raised Californian who has lived all throughout California including the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Central Valley and San Francisco who wants to fix the issues for all Californians with practical and feasible solutions,” Goel said.
“It is tough to see everyone in this state suffer at the hands of the few ineffective bureaucrats in power, which is why I have decided to run and make the changes I want to see,” he added. Goel admittedly said that he faces an uphill battle against the career politicians and well-known names in business and entertainment, but wanted to throw his name in the race to voice his concerns on various issues, including a struggling economy and housing crisis, among others.
“I want to show people that you don’t need to have a huge political backing or large amount of wealth to make a change, but rather, all you need is conviction and grit,” he said. “Also, I wanted to help represent the Indian community and help make our voices much more heard in discussions regarding public policies and state decisions.” The Indian American said he chose the post of governor because it has considerable clout in “critiquing and promoting bills in the legislature for approval,” as well as the power to veto bills.
Additionally, Goel said the seat holds the power of nominating the board of regents for the University of California system - a privilege he hopes to remove. Other issues Goel intends to address include California housing, the water problem, government transparency, tax cuts to help residents and small businesses thrive, banning social media for kids in K-12 to help address mental health, defunding the high-speed rail, creating a venture fund to invest in California companies, and keeping the film industry in Hollywood.
