For use by Stonewall Democrats of Dallas 2014 State Level Office Candidates

Terry Meza, Candidate for House District 105

1. Why are you seeking the endorsement from Stonewall Democrats of Dallas? Stonewall Dems is a premier organization in Dallas County Democratic politics and that alone makes its endorsement important. Additionally, D1!" #r$ing%&rand 'rairie, as the district # seek to represent, has a sizea(le )&*+ population, se$eral of whose names can (e found as supporters on my candidate petition. ,n a personal le$el, it-s important to me since my adult life has (een de$oted to ci$il rights issues. .or o$er /" years, # ha$e (een in$ol$ed in ci$il rights issues in the Dallas%.ort Worth area, especially in )0)AC (ut also in the AC)0. As you know, )0)AC has a 1ain(ow Council. #n 2!!3, at the State Con$ention in Dallas, # ser$ed with 4esse &arcia on the 1esolutions Committee when we introduced and passed a resolution supporting e5uality for the )&*+ community. # (elie$e that as a society we cannot ha$e 6ustice and e5uality as long as politicians and citizens think 76ustice8 is spelled 76ust us8. *ut long (efore that, in 1399 as a Spanish instructor at +C4C% :;, # (ecame close friends with 4uan 1o(erto .ranco who is the primary person who created an awareness in me of )&*+ issues. *ecause of our friendship, on any )&*+ issues, # think of him and how # would like for the law and society to treat my friends.

2. What are your plans to support or participate in a coordinated campaign in the general election in Dallas County? <y plans to support the coordinated campaign include the use of my campaign office in #r$ing for the County%wide candidates. *lock%walking and distri(ution of literature will include all Democratic candidates. # will work to support $oting a straight Democratic ticket.

/. Will you use the Stonewall Democrats of Dallas endorsement in or on= >a? your we(site? >(? your campaign literature and mailers? >c? your social media assets >+witter, .ace(ook, etc.?? >d? your campaign ad$ertisements # will proudly display the Stonewall Dems endorsement on my we(site, in campaign literature and mailers, in social media, and ad$ertisements.

@. When elected, how will you recruit, retain, and create a friendly en$ironment for )&*+ and )&*+%friendly staff? When elected, # will work to recruit and retain a di$erse staff, including )&*+, using resources such as Stonewall Dems, )0)AC, and )&*+ supporters in my district. As an ;;,

employer, the importance gi$en toward supporting )&*+ organizations and e$ents will create a friendly en$ironment where # hope Stonewall Dems will use the office to create a local presence.

". Would you (e willing to appoint a liaison to meet with the )&*+ community on an ongoing (asis? #f not, why? Aes, # am willing to appoint a liaison to meet with the community on an ongoing (asis. owe$er, # prefer as your elected representati$e to (e the one to host regular meetings. 0nderstanding that there will (e times when # am not a(le to personally meet or attend an e$ent, then a liaison will (e asked to represent the office. # hope to ha$e the Stonewall Dems as ad$isors on )&*+ and other issues.

B.

ow would you support or lead efforts to pass a resolution to support marriage e5uality? As pre$iously mentioned in Cuestion 1, #-$e supported a pro%e5uality resolution in )0)AC. 1esolutions supporting marriage e5uality should (e passed (y city councils, other local go$erning (odies, church conferences, and other organizations such as the :AAC' and )0)AC. +hese efforts are most helpful to win in the court of pu(lic opinion, (ut we also need to win in court andDor in the State )egislature. Although it appears that now a ma6ority of +eEans appro$e of same%seE marriage, the current make%up of our courts and our legislature do not make either path easy. <omentum is in fa$or of the issue. +he summer )0)ACD)&*+ Summit included a guest speaker who is a professor from my alma mater law school now known as AF<. We discussed the state%(y%state strategy $ersus a court ruling. # consider her a $ital resource on the issue. A personal story= As you know, marriage e5uality was once opposed for interracial marriages. While at 0+A in the G!-s, a couple re5uested an appointment with the local 4' to (e married. +he secretary asked if they were of the same race. When they answered no, the clerk eEplained that the 6udge refused to perform interracial marriages. +he couple contacted 4esse &aines with the :AAC' who then asked me to 6oin them on the issue, since the :AAC' had no Arlington presence (ut )0)AC did. At that time, ispanics were more likely to marry outside their race than (lacks H 2"I. +ogether we filed a complaint with the Commission on 4udicial Conduct. +he Associated 'ress picked up the story and sur$eyed all G +arrant County 4's and disco$ered that the ma6ority agreed with the Arlington 4'. While the commission refused to unseat or remo$e the 4' from the (ench, success was found in the State )egislature. Dallas State 1ep. 4esse ,li$er introduced a (ill which (ecame known as the .or(es *ill, named for the Arlington 4'. +he (ill stated that performing marriages is an optional duty for 4'sJ howe$er, if they choose to eEercise that option, they must do so without regard to race. Although my position on the issue has caused me personal suffering, to this day # am proud to (e on the right side of history. # will (e e5ually proud to (e on the right side of history on this marriage e5uality issue.

9. Will you (e willing to lead or support efforts to de$elop a )&*+ +askforce, similar to the structure and mission the Dallas City Council de$eloped? # will (e willing to lead or support efforts to de$elop an )&*+ +askforce and commit to (eginning with a taskforce for D1!".

G.

ow would you lead or support state legislation andDor constitutional amendments pertaining to= >a? )&*+ Couples adopting? >(? )&*+ Couples pro$iding foster care? >c? Supporting safe schools for )&*+ students? >d? Supporting the repeal of the +eEas <arriageDCi$il 0nion Amendment? # will (e willing to lead and support state legislation andDor constitutional amendments on all the issues.

3.

ow would you address the recent trend of state go$ernment adding medically unnecessary procedures to the course of treatments pertaining to womenKs health >e.g. the re5uirement to ha$e a sonogram prior to the legal termination of a pregnancy?? As a (oard mem(er and <em(ership Chair of the )eague of Women Loters, we were fortunate to ha$e Sarah Weddington, attorney famous for 1oe $. Wade as a special guest speaker for the annual mem(ership e$ent. 1oe $. Wade esta(lished the legality of access to safe a(ortions through the 0.S. Supreme Court. +o undermine this ruling, the anti% choice faction has chosen to limit access as much as possi(le through the enactment of restrictions through state legislatures. +hese restrictions are not limited to sonograms (ut also include point of $ia(ility, access to women-s health care, the re5uirement for hospital admissions for clinics, etc. 1estrictions on access to a(ortion amount to denial of access to a(ortions. +he national strategy to attack legal access to safe a(ortions through the state legislatures must (e stopped in each state including +eEas.

1!. What would you do to support and assist people with mental illness who must rely on the pu(lic system for care in or out of incarceration? <ental health funding needs to (e increased. Ser$ices are needed for $eterans, homeless, youth, as well as other populations. #t is sad to note that the (iggest pro$ider of mental health ser$ices for youth in +eEas is the 6u$enile detention system. Support ser$ices need to (e pro$ided as a pre$entati$e measure and also as an alternati$e to incarceration. According to Sheriff Laldez, a high percentage of the county 6ail occupants are in need of mental health ser$ices.

11. ow would you lead or support efforts to pro$ide (etter funding for healthcare and (etter healthcare options for all +eEas residents? # will support ade5uate funding for C #', eEpand <edicaid in +eEas, and fund 'lanned 'arenthood and other clinics.

12. ow would you lead or support the efforts to teach comprehensi$e seEual education in +eEas? # will support efforts to teach comprehensi$e seEual education in +eEas. +his will not only reduce illnesses from seEually transmitted diseases and decrease teen pregnancy, (ut will also work positi$ely to foster healthy relationships and an understanding of their human seEuality. .or )&*+ youth, this may also ser$e to reduce (ullying and teen suicide.

1/. ow would you lead or support legislation to compara(le to a proposed inclusi$e ;mployment :on%Discrimination Act? # will support state legislation compara(le to the ;mployment :on%Discrimination Act.

1@. What specific ideas do you ha$e andDor what current legislation would you support to impro$e our state economy and address the wealth disparity in +eEas? # will support the )illy )ed(etter .air 'ay Act for e5ual pay in +eEas. #t passed the last legislature only to (e $etoed (y the &o$ernor. opefully, in the neEt legislature, it will pass again and go to a Democratic go$ernor to (e signed into law. # also support an increase to the minimum wage. # am the only candidate for D1!" who (rings small (usiness eEperience not only as a small (usiness owner myself, (ut also as a non%profit director for economic de$elopment, small and minority (usiness assistance, minorityDwomen%owned (usiness certification, neigh(orhood (usiness re$italizationDhistoric preser$ation, and 6o( placement. #n addition to my work eEperience, # also ha$e eEperience through my community ser$ice, most nota(ly as a (oard mem(er for the +eEas Association of <eEican%American Cham(ers of Commerce >+A<ACC? and for the County Workforce De$elopment *oard. +he right%wing claims economic disparity is a li(eral euphemism for the socialist redistri(ution of wealth to the poor. Actually, our current pro(lem is caused (y pre$ious decades of redistri(ution of wealth from the middle class to the rich. As such, it is the greatest 6ustice issue of our time. &eographic po$erty affects more than income. #t results in poor schools, few parks, etc. +he concentration of wealth in the upper one percent lea$es the middle class without money to spend to aid the reco$ery of our economy. #t is also a threat to democracy in that concentrated wealth leads to concentrated political influence. ;ither we can ha$e wealth concentrated in the hands of a few or we can ha$e democracy, (ut we cannot ha$e (oth. <y personal economic de$elopment successes for +eEans are eEtensi$e and include S*A% G>a? contracting, a small (usiness incu(ator, a car wash con$erted to a neigh(orhood farmers market, new (usiness construction in low%income neigh(orhoods, procurement opportunities for small and minority%owned (usinesses, among others. # would like to take these successes from a local le$el and apply that eEperience to our state-s economy and the indi$idual economies of our residents.

#, +erry <eza, am seeking an endorsement from the Stonewall Democrats of Dallas for the 2!12 elections.

Signed=

+erry <eza

Date= Decem(er 29, 2!1/