Election 2024: Education trustee could be first Hindu woman in state Assembly

Signs supporting Tara Sreekrishnan lined the lawn beside PepperMint, an Indian restaurant in Sunnyvale. Inside, Sreekrishnan greeted dozens of supporters who helped themselves to a mouthwatering array of noodles, curries and other cuisines.

The people who entered came from all different backgrounds and communities. In one corner was a group of Korean Americans showing their support for a fellow Asian candidate. In another was an ophthalmologist with the Santa Clara County Medical Association, who said Sreekrishnan will champion health care advocacy in the state Legislature.

The diversity of support backing Sreekrishnan’s campaign for Assembly District 26 makes her excited and honored.

“I think the diversity of this (support) reflects the diversity of this community,” she told San José Spotlight. “(It) reflects my campaign and what we’re fighting for.”

Sreekrishnan, 31, currently serves as state Sen. Dave Cortese’s deputy chief of staff and legislative director, as well as a trustee on the Santa Clara County Board of Education . She was the first Indian American to be elected to the board — and would be the first Hindu woman elected to the state Assembly if she wins in November. She’s running against Patrick Ahrens , district director for current District 26 Assemblymember Evan Low who is running for Congress. The district includes Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Cupertino and parts of West San Jose and Alviso.

She said her perspective in politics has been shaped by her experiences as a daughter of immigrants, growing up and living in the district. Sreekrishnan said she knows the strength of immigrant communities, and wants to uplift their voices in Sacramento.

“I don’t see many leaders who look like me,” Sreekrishnan said. “My experience has shown me that people who look like me should be in every room where decisions are being made.”

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Among Sreekrishnan’s top priorities are housing and homelessness. In Cortese’s office, Sreekrishnan spearheaded the state audit on homelessness spending and support solutions, which was published in April. It found the state has failed to track the effectiveness of nearly $24 billion worth of investments in homeless support systems over the past five years.

“We can’t just keep throwing money at this problem without accountability,” Sreekrishnan said. “What we saw through the audit was the state was not doing a good enough job tracking the deliverable outcomes for all of the different state investments.”

She said the audit can reveal where there are gaps in the support systems. She said more transitional and temporary housing options will be needed to get homeless residents immediately off the streets and into permanent housing. Alongside that, Sreekrishnan said the state needs to play a role in holding local authorities accountable to these goals.

Another big priority for Sreekrishnan is protecting the environment. She said the state is not on track to hit its carbon neutrality goals, but strengthening the state’s electric grid and increasing job opportunities in clean energy spaces can help get California closer. That would include more jobs and apprenticeship pipelines in clean energy, such as electricians and solar panel installers.

Carol Adamski is a life coach and career counselor who originally met Sreekrishnan through Emerge California, a leadership training program for women. She said Sreekrishnan is the most qualified candidate, especially after her legislative work in Sacramento. Sreekrishnan said she’s proud of that work, and that she helped get 15 bills through the California legislature this year.

“She is certainly good with people, but she will do the hard work behind the scenes,” Adamski told San José Spotlight.

Sreekrishnan also wants to prioritize health care access and equity. She survived ovarian cancer in her 20s — an experience that showed her the difficulties of navigating the health care system as a woman of color, after battling a misdiagnosis.

She wants to increase the state’s investments in medical care. There are numerous health care deserts across the state, particularly in reproductive health, where the number of clinics are not able to meet the demand. She said the state needs more health clinics focused on older adults, so aging residents can have access to long-term health care planning.

“I’ve experienced firsthand how our health care and hospital system doesn’t always meet the needs of women,” she told San José Spotlight. “I know how quality health care can make the difference between life and death.”
Many of these priorities are interconnected, she said, from housing and health to equity and education. Sreekrishnan said increasing families’ access to education and options for child care and health care will help decrease the rate families become homeless.

As people filtered out of the restaurant near the end of the event, PepperMint owner Ram Ramasamy checked in with Sreekrishnan one more time, to make sure she had gotten to eat dinner. Ramasamy said Sreekrishnan will be a good assemblymember.

“As a business owner, I support Tara. She has a good experience with working with the state,” Ramasamy told San José Spotlight. “She’s a fighter. She’s service oriented for the community.”

Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at sakura@sanjosespotlight.com or @SakuCannestra on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Editor’s note: A past version of this story incorrectly said Sreekrishnan would be the first Indian woman elected to the Assembly.

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